Back when Universal’s Dark Universe was still a thing, the studio had lined up a number of projects that would re-imagine their stable of classic movie monsters as action-packed, star-driven blockbusters. Obviously, though, the critical reaction, disappointing box office and tales of behind-the-scenes woe that followed Tom Cruise’s The Mummy effectively killed the franchise at the first highly-publicized hurdle, which marked an embarrassing comedown for a would-be cinematic universe that had already assembled a raft of A-list talent.
As well as The Invisible Man starring Johnny Depp, the Javier Bardem-led Frankenstein and proposed reboots of The Wolfman, The Creature from the Black Lagoon and others, the first project set to immediately follow The Mummy was The Bride of Frankenstein, with Angelina Jolie set for the title role and Beauty and the Beast’s Bill Condon behind the camera. However, despite gearing up for pre-production the movie was quietly abandoned in October 2017, with the entire Dark Universe soon following suit.
Universal have now refocused their efforts on bringing their monsters back to the big screen in lower-budget efforts, with Saw co-creator Leigh Whannell’s The Invisible Man set to arrive later this month, and Paul Feig’s interesting-sounding Dark Army also recently being announced. An article by Variety reveals that The Bride of Frankenstein is still very much on the studio’s wish-list though, with the reboot being spearheaded by producer Amy Pascal and some interesting names also linked to the project.
“In the past year alone, figures like Oscar-nominated producer Amy Pascal and freshman horror sensation John Krasinski have been quietly exploring ways to re-imagine the skunk-haired creature for the cineplex, insiders familiar with the project told Variety. Amy expressed interest in being involved with The Bride of Frankenstein, and just as the studio has done with numerous other filmmakers, we empowered her to explore a new vision for the Universal monster character and come back with a new and inventive take. Nothing has been solidified in an official capacity.”
The article also mentions that Pascal spoke to Sam Raimi, who likely won’t be involved despite producing several movies over the last few years and having just boarded Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness.
In any case, Universal’s new, budget-conscious approach is definitely a wiser idea that will allow the filmmakers involved to take more creative risks, and if A Quiet Place and the promising-looking sequel are any indication, John Krasinski could be an inspired choice to reboot The Bride of Frankenstein for modern audiences.
