Guillermo del Toro built a monster in Toronto, so four soundstages on the city’s waterfront have been renamed for the horror meister ahead of his latest movie, Frankenstein, lurching onto Netflix in November.
Cinespace Studios at its Marine Terminal Campus designated the four production spaces as “The Guillermo del Toro Stages.” And on Thursday, del Toro was handed the ceremonial keys to city of Toronto after the Oscar-winning director shot a host of movies at the Marine Terminal, including Nightmare Alley and Cabinet of Curiosities.
“The renaming of these stages is a testament to Guillermo’s impact and deep ties to the Toronto film industry and his commitment to storytelling,” Eoin Egan, co-CEO of Cinespace Studios, said in a statement.
For Frankenstein, the Marine Terminal, which has served as a production hub for Netflix, had a full-scale ship floating in the waters off Lake Ontario for the maestro of monsters’ movie shoot. Besides Marine Terminal, del Toro also did on-location shooting in gothic Scotland and England for his adaptation of Mary Shelley’s classic novel.
The new take on Frankenstein, which will screen in September at the Toronto Film Festival, stars Oscar Isaac as Victor Frankenstein and Jacob Elordi as Frankenstein’s monster. The feature also stars Mia Goth, Felix Kammerer, Lars Mikkelsen, David Bradley, Christian Convery, Charles Dance and Christoph Waltz.
del Toro has been shooting his movies in Toronto since Mimic in 1997, and he shot Pacific Rim, Crimson Peak and The Shape of Water, which recreated Baltimore in 1962, in the Canadian city that has also offered a home to his young family.
“Toronto has been a second home to me and my creative endeavors. To have my name associated with these glorious stages where my beloved crew and colleagues share both work and memories is an immense honor. I am deeply grateful to Cinespace Studios for this recognition, and to the Toronto film community for its unwavering support throughout decades of my career,“ del Toro said in a statement.