Guillermo del Toro‘s “Frankenstein,” starring Jacob Elordi and Oscar Isaac, follows a brilliant, self-centered scientist who brings a monstrous creature to life, but the experiment leads to the destruction of them both.

Though it’s a timely tale about hubris, corruption of power and the dangers of technology, the Oscar-winning director insists that his new movie isn’t a warning about the proliferation of AI.

Mary Shelley’s work been adapted for the screen many times, most notably in 1931’s “Frankenstein,” directed by James Whale and starring Boris Karloff.

In del Toro’s version, Elordi plays the creature locked in a deadly feud with his creator (Isaac). But instead of a horror film, the director imagines the story as a layered family drama. For del Toro, putting his own spin of “Frankenstein” is the culmination of a lifelong dream.

Elordi was asked who in society represents a monster to him — and the actor was quick to reply: “Men in suits.” Del Toro then interjected, “Very well tailored ones.”

Isaac recalled the early conversations with del Toro that led to his casting as the monster’s maker, Victor Frankenstein.

“I can’t believe that I’m here right now. I can’t believe we got to this place from two years ago, sitting at del Toro’s table eating Cuban pork and talking about our fathers and our lives, to him saying, ‘I want you to be Victor,’ then not really being sure if it was true or if I was just dreaming,” Isaac said. “It just seemed like such a pinnacle.”

The monster movie, which cost $120 million, plays on Saturday night, after Telluride.

It will compete for the prestigious Golden Lion, an award that del Toro had won in 2017 for The Shape of Water.

Elordi and Isaac’s co-stars Christoph Waltz and Mia Goth as well as composer Alexandre Desplat, attended the press conference.

As Netflix is releasing “Frankenstein,” the film will only have limited three-week release on the big screen before landing on the streaming service.

Del Toro isn’t concerned about a shorter theatrical window and maintained that he’s pleased with the arrangement for the movie’s rollout. “Look at my set, I always want more of everything,” he said.

“We were released next to ‘Spider Man No Way Home and Omicron, the variation of COVID. We lasted very little,” del Toro said. “You never know what is affordable. What I do know is to reach over 300 million viewers on Netflix, you take the opportunity and challenge to make a movie that evokes that cinema, and then you provide theaters in the beginning. That makes, for me, a very creative experience.”