Yet another modern update is in the works, this time with Variety reporting that producers Ralph Winter and Terry Botwick are planning a film franchise based on Dean Koontz’s bestselling Frankenstein book series. The one thing we can be thankful with this one, is that at least no one is trying to Sherlock Holmes the monster up by making him far hipper than than he was before, which is what they’re doing with planned new versions of The Three Musketeers and Treasure Island.
Koonzt’s tale bring Mary Shelley’s tale into the modern age and is a sequel of sorts, with the doctor having managed to extend his life and now going by the name of Victor Helios, a successful businessman based in New Orleans. He’s using technology to create new creatures, utilising synthetic biology to engineer a new race of humans. He’s opposed in this by a pair of detectives (who are initially hunting a serial killer known as The Surgeon) and his original Victorian monster, who now goes by the name of Deucalion.
It’s perhaps not surprising a film version is planned, as the idea behind the books (of which there are currently three, with a fourth out this year) was originally created for a TV movie. After Koontz left over creative differences, he started turning it into a series of novels. However, like most of Koontz work, it is rather bizarre, with all manner of strange things happening, which could prove difficult to adapt without seeming silly (which is probably why Koontz hasn’t had the on-screen success of the likes of Stephen King, despite having been a bestselling author for decades). However if done right it could certainly be an interesting project.