Pete Hegseth’s Immunity; How Princess Diana Became a Fashion Icon; the Trump-Epstein Saga Continues

Plus: An Exclusive First Look at "Frankenstein'

View in browser | Update preferences SUBSCRIBE FOR FULL ACCESS MATTHEW LYNCH, EXECUTIVE EDITOR That whole motif where a guy with big dreams builds a monster and can't possibly comprehend the consequences of its being: pretty hot right now. Kind of an evergreen one, to be sure, but feeling especially pertinent in summer 2025. Netflix is surely hoping that spirit will still be in the air come November when director Guillermo del Toro's Frankenstein adaptation hits the streaming service. Anthony Breznican today has a first look at the director's long-gestating dream project starring Jacob Elordi, Oscar Isaac, and Mia Goth. Elsewhere today, Richard Lawson considers the consequences of The Fantastic Four's weekend win at the box office; Donald Trump re-endorses Pete Hegseth's job performance; and Jamie Lee Curtis unretires. More tomorrow… What The Fantastic Four's Success Means for Hollywood BY RICHARD LAWSON After disappointing returns for the lifeless Captain America: Brave New World and the charming but underwhelming Thunderbolts* earlier this year, Marvel is breathing a slight sigh of relief now that early audiences have connected with The Fantastic Four and are ostensibly interested in the continuation of the Marvel saga. VF's chief critic Richard Lawson examines the film's success and what it means for future superhero movies. READ MORE Read All About It POLITICS Pete Hegseth's Immunity BY BESS LEVIN Allies of the secretary of defense are concerned about Hegseth's "laundry list of scandals," Politico reports. Meanwhile, "Trump doesn't give a fig." READ MORE ROYALS The Middletons and the Case of Royal Titles BY ROBERTA MERCURI When Kate Middleton becomes queen, will her middle-class parents receive royal titles? READ MORE CELEBRITY Jamie Lee Curtis Gears Up for Another Freaky Role BY EVE BATEY Despite "self-retiring," the actor is booking projects left and right—including a much-anticipated reboot of the beloved TV series Murder, She Wrote. READ MORE STYLE How Princess Diana Became a Fashion Icon BY ILARIA PERROTTA Jacques Azagury, designer and friend of the late Princess of Wales, talks to VF about the last years of Diana's life, the secret structure in her deceptively simple dresses, and the one style suggestion he refused the princess. READ MORE Exclusive Introducing Frankenstein's Monster BY ANTHONY BREZNICAN Oscar-nominee Guillermo del Toro is making the movie of a lifetime. He has yearned to put his own stamp on Frankenstein for as long as he has been making films, but the passion project struggled to find a patron. "Everybody said no," del Toro says, shaking his head. It's a pattern that has persisted throughout his career: generate an epic, offbeat idea that's resoundingly rejected by Hollywood. Then wait a few years. In a VF exclusive, del Toro and stars Jacob Elordi and Oscar Isaac discuss their take on Frankenstein, an operatic monster movie steeped in faith, fear, and fatherhood. READ MORE The Epstein Saga Continues House Democrats Ask Epstein's Estate For "Birthday Book" The album, according to exclusive reporting from The Wall Street Journal, includes a "bawdy" letter from President Donald Trump to his then friend Epstein. Mike Johnson's Latest Excuse: Protect the Victims Republican infighting continues about when and how to release files from the Jeffrey Epstein investigation. MORE FROM VANITY FAIR POLITICS BUSINESS HOLLYWOOD STYLE ROYALS CELEBRITY This e-mail was sent to you by VANITY FAIR. To ensure delivery to your inbox (not bulk or junk folders), please add our e-mail address, vanityfair@newsletter.vf.com, to your address book. View our Privacy Policy Unsubscribe Copyright © Condé Nast 2025. One World Trade Center, New York, NY 10007. All rights reserved.