Over the last few years we’ve been hearing that Universal were building a new shared universe which will house all it’s classic monster movie franchises. Now it has a name – ‘Dark Universe‘.
Kicking off with Tom Cruise’s reboot of ‘The Mummy’, the new ‘Dark Universe’ is being overseen by Alex Kurtzman (The Mummy, Star Trek: Discovery, Sleepy Hollow, Fringe), Chris Morgan (Fast & Furious franchise, 47 Ronin), Christopher McQuarrie (Mission: Impossible series, The Usual Suspects) and David Koepp (War of the Worlds, Jurassic Park).
“When Universal approached us with the idea of reimagining these classic characters, we recognized the responsibility of respecting their legacy while bringing them into new and modern adventures,” said Kurtzman and Morgan. “The studio and our fellow creative collaborators have championed and challenged us as we’ve begun to spin the web of Dark Universe. It’s our hope these movies will engross longtime fans and spark the imaginations of brand-new ones.”
Universal also went on to announce the next film in the new franchise will be ‘Bride of Frankenstein‘, directed by Oscar® winner Bill Condon (Beauty and the Beast, Dreamgirls) and written by David Koepp, to be released 14th February 2019. This will replace the previously announced untitled ‘Dark Universe’ project which was due next year.
“I’m very excited to bring a new Bride of Frankenstein to life on screen, particularly since James Whale’s original creation is still so potent,” stated Condon. “The Bride of Frankenstein remains the most iconic female monster in film history, and that’s a testament to Whale’s masterpiece—which endures as one of the greatest movies ever made.”
Universal are not skimping on the talent in front of the camera either, releasing the photo below containing an impressive line up of actors involved in various upcoming projects:
‘The Invisible Man’ and ‘Frankenstein’s Monster’ will be played by, respectively, blockbuster icon Johnny Depp and Academy Award® winner Javier Bardem, who appear together later this summer in Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales. Those actors join superstar Tom Cruise as soldier of fortune Nick Morton and Oscar® winner Russell Crowe as Dr. Henry Jekyll, who lead the all-star cast of ‘The Mummy’, along with Sofia Boutella, the actress who embodies the title role in that film.
At its organizing principle, Dark Universe films are connected by a mysterious multi-national organization known as Prodigium. Led by the enigmatic and brilliant Dr. Henry Jekyll, Prodigium’s mission is to track, study and – when necessary – destroy evil embodied in the form of monsters in our world. Working outside the aegis of any government, and with practices concealed by millennia of secrecy, Prodigium protects the public from knowledge of the evil that exists just beyond the thin membrane of civilized society… and will go to any length to contain it.
Welcome to a new world of gods and monsters. Welcome to Dark Universe.
