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Top Producers Depart Universal Monsters ‘Dark Universe’ Franchise as Studio Changes Course

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Dark Universe, we hardly knew ye! After the disappointing performance of Tom Cruise’s The Mummy this summer (the film earned a paltry $80 million at the domestic box office against a production budget of $125 million), there was speculation that Universal’s ambitious Dark Universe franchise would not proceed as planned. Then came the news that the studio had pulled the plug on pre-production of Bill Condon’s Bride of Frankenstein. Now, things have gone from bad to worse! The Hollywood Reporter just broke the news that writers/producers Alex Kurtzman and Chris Morgan have officially left the project. Kurtzman directed The Mummy, and the duo were initially brought on board to oversee production of the entire cinematic universe, which once promised to feature the likes of Johnny Depp, Javier Bardem, and Anjelina Jolie in future installments. read more

Scratch That… ‘Bride of Frankenstein’ Now Removed from Universal’s Release Schedule!

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News sure travels fast on the internets these days! Hours after HNN contributor Mark McCurley reported the breaking news on Universal’s plans to release its Bride of Frankenstein reboot to theaters on Valentine’s Day 2019, the studio has officially pulled the movie from its release schedule. The February 19th, 2019 release date didn’t even last as long as The Mummy lasted in theaters this summer!

As early as Tuesday of this week, director Bill Condon told Forbes that principal photography was scheduled to begin on February 1st, 2018, and that casting decisions for the film would soon be made. Now, Variety reports that Univeral has dropped the film’s planned release date from their schedule entirely and moved back pre-production efforts on the project. The studio cited the script as the reason for the delay, and said that Condon is continuing to work with screenwriter David Koepp (Jurassic Park, Spider-Man) to improve the screenplay before production. read more

‘Bride of Frankenstein’ Release Date Set for Valentine’s Day 2019

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Coming February 14, 2019 is a match not quite made in heaven with Bride of Frankenstein, the latest entry to the cinematic Dark Universe from Universal Pictures.

With the release of The Mummy starring Tom Cruise in June of this year, Universal Pictures began reforming its lineup of classic monster films. These include The Wolfman, The Phantom of the Opera and The Creature from the Black Lagoon among others, according to Darkuniverse.com.

Director Bill Condon, known for his directorial credit on this year’s live-action Beauty and the Beast, has taken the reigns of Bride with production to begin in early 2018. He will be working from a script written by David Koepp. read more

‘The Mummy (2017)’: The Horror News Network Review

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Critics have taken great delight in tearing The Mummy to shreds over the past few weeks. When word dropped of poor early reviews and anticipated disappointing performance at the domestic box office, a pile-on occurred where critics tried to one-up each other with witty insults for the film and its participants. I’m embarrassed to say that I also took part in the public flogging (“Smell something rotten this weekend?”, I mused. “That’s the stench of a sarcophagus that never should have been opened!”) Well, I decided to take advantage of the pleasure of sitting in a big empty theater for a movie that isn’t drawing audiences and check out the flick for myself. To my utter surprise, I didn’t find it to be nearly as bad as I expected based on other critical reviews. In short, I’ve certainly seen worse mummy movies! read more

Will The Mummy Send Universal’s Dark Universe Back to the Shadows?

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As detailed by HNN’s John Evan’s on Friday, The Mummy’s (2017) abysmal critical reception led to a domestic financial disaster at the box office with an estimated $32.2 million in ticket sales, amounting to a lot less than the average Pharaoh’s treasure.  While the studio is trumpeting the global box office as a “victory” with an estimated $141 million so far, The Mummy’s domestic reception could not have been worse for a film that was supposed to usher in a “new age of god’s and monsters.” read more

Universal Reportedly Wants Angelina Jolie and Dwayne Johnson for ‘Dark Universe’ Franchise

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Have you ever wanted to see Angelina Jolie as the Bride of Frankenstein, or Dwayne Johnson as the Wolf Man? Well, you may be in luck! The Hollywood Reporter recently crunched the numbers needed for Universal’s upcoming The Mummy to be considered a success (a $40 million domestic opening weekend, for starters). In their report, they state that, if all goes well, the studio is currently eyeing the two megastars for future installments in the franchise. 

The studio has reportedly wanted Angelina Jolie for quite a while to play the titular role in Bill Condon’s upcoming Bride of Frankenstein. However, formal negotiations have not yet begun. This is likely due to the fact that Jolie commands a hefty fee and the studio isn’t quite sure if their action-fueled reboots of their silver screen classics will become financial hits. read more

The Mummy to Kick Off Universal’s Dark Universe Franchise

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To a new world of gods and monsters…..and now to a new cinematic universe as well.  In an effort to replicate the success of DC and Marvel, Universal Pictures has branded a name to the upcoming round of reboots and relaunches to its monster movie franchise:  Dark Universe.  The much-anticipated series of films, which begins on June 9th with the release of The Mummy starring Tom Cruise, will include updates of all classic monsters in the Universal stable including Frankenstein’s monster, the Mummy, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, and the Invisible Man among others.  The second film in the Dark Universe will be Bride of Frankenstein (directed by Bill Condon), with an expected release date of February 14, 2019. read more

Universal Monsters Fans Deserve Their Very Own La La Land

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Damien Chazelle’s incredible La La Land was the product of a young writer/director who tapped into his love and knowledge of classic films and musicals to craft a modern story which mixes the best of both worlds. He showed promise with the script for 10 Cloverfield Lane and his writing and directing on Whiplash. These early projects allowed him to gain the resources in Hollywood to ultimately knock it out of the park with La La Land. When the studio heads finally gave him the greenlight for his passion project, he ultimately produced a film that would earn 14 Oscar nominations (the highest any film has ever earned, tying Titanic and All About Eve) and win 6 Oscars (a feat matched by such films as The Godfather: Part 2, Star Wars, and one of La La Land‘s inspirations, An American in Paris). Not to trivialize the brilliant filmmaking, the expert cinematography, the beautiful songs, and the amazing chemistry of Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling… but the formula kind of makes sense, right? Find a young writer/director who is passionate about the history of film but has an eye for contemporary conventions, and- voila!- you have a movie that resonates with fans and critics alike! read more

Beauty and the Beast Director Bill Condon in Talks to Direct Bride of Frankenstein for Universal

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After the enormous success of Disney’s Beauty and the Beast, director Bill Condon is in talks to helm a different kind of love story! Universal wants him for its Bride of Frankenstein remake. Deadline reports that he is close to reaching a deal with the studio to direct a modern version of what he has called his favorite Universal Monsters film in previous interviews. 

Beauty and the Beast is currently the highest grossing film of 2017, in both the domestic and worldwide marketplaces. It just broke the $1 billion mark worldwide, and there’s still gas in the tank; so it’s no wonder Universal is eyeing Condon to take on its own “tale as old as time.” read more