Sebastian Stan in a Frankenstein Story Only Radu Jude Could Imagine — Mixing CIA Secrets and Gothic Horror?
An unexpected fusion that promises something truly one of a kind.
Keeping tabs on directors who bend cinema into strange and thrilling shapes is always a rewarding pastime. That’s how I came across the news that Radu Jude — Romania’s fearless provocateur — is making a Frankenstein adaptation with Sebastian Stan, blending CIA black sites in Romania with the gothic legend of the monster.
The idea is as bold as it sounds. Jude pitched it to Stan, who immediately said yes, and the script is now underway. This comes in a year when Jude has already won Berlin’s Silver Bear for Kontinental ’25 and is about to premiere Dracula at Locarno — both shot entirely on smartphones out of necessity.
Known for Aferim! and the Golden Bear–winning Bad Luck Banging or Loony Porn, Jude creates cinema that’s sharp, political, and unafraid to provoke. As Martin Scorsese recently said:
"There’s this guy named Radu Jude… He’s something else. Especially Aferim!, which he shot in black and white....That one is shocking — it takes political content, cinema, morality, immorality, throws it all on screen, then shatters it into a thousand pieces, and suddenly, you see the world differently."
Mixing CIA intrigue with gothic horror might be his boldest move yet. Will it unsettle, amuse, or do both? I wouldn’t bet against it.
