Tony Gilroy almost scrapped Behemoth! after losing Oscar Isaac to Frankenstein commitments

Behemoth! writer-director Tony Gilroy says the movie probably wouldn’t have been made without Pedro Pascal stepping up. In a new interview with Variety, Gilroy recalled Oscar Isaac, originally attached to play the talented cellist at the center of the film, dropping out because of scheduling conflicts with Frankenstein and awards season. “When Oscar left, there was a traffic jam between Frankenstein and awards and I tried to push again,” Gilroy said. “I didn’t want to lose my people, but I didn’t want to push anymore.” Guillermo del Toro’s Frankenstein was filmed in 2024 and released in 2025, positioning it as an awards-season contender. Gilroy said that he was prepared to tell the people involved in Behemoth!, “Hey, we really tried hard, but we’re not going to do this movie now. I’m going to try to come up with something else for us to do.” Then, he and producer Sanne Wohlenberg met Pascal for lunch, and the director realized 10 minutes in that he was a good fit to portray Alex Serian, a musician who returns home to Los Angeles after 20 years on the road. Luckily for them, Pascal, who’s frequently booked and busy, was actually available.