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.
In celebration of the franchise’s modernization, Universal has created a new motion logo, completed with score by Danny Elfman, which will be shown in theaters before every upcoming Dark Universe feature film. The nearly 2-minute clip is awesome, and was posted to the Universal Pictures YouTube page. Check it out below.
If that wasn’t enough to build the anticipation and excitement, the studio also released a cool photo featuring the current and upcoming stars of the Dark Universe films gathered together (check it out below as well.) The stars depicted are (from left) Russell Crowe as Dr. Henry Jekyll, Javier Bardem as Frankenstein’s monster, Tom Cruise as mercenary Nick Morton, Johnny Depp as the Invisible Man and Sofia Boutella as the Mummy. As of now, it is being rumored that Dr. Jekyll’s shadow organization Prodigium will be the fictional agency linking all of the films together. Much like the Avengers/S.H.I.E.L.D. and Justice League, Prodigium is expected to bring all of the iconic characters under their watch for several impressive conflicts.
Universal Pictures Chairman Donna Langley issued a statement, proclaiming their excitement for the untapped potential the Dark Universe will bring. “We take enormous pride in the creativity and passion that has inspired the re-imagining of Universal’s iconic monsters and promise audiences we will expand this series strategically,” she said. “The enterprise masterfully developed by Chris (Morgan) and Alex (Kurtzman) will allow each subsequent chapter the right time to find the perfect cast, filmmakers and vision to fulfill it. As we launch Dark Universe with Danny’s provocative theme before The Mummy and collaborate with a brilliant filmmaker like Bill to weave the story of a very modern woman in a very classic tale, we feel confident we’re off to a tremendous start.”
The Dark Universe franchise from Universal Pictures will kick off in earnest with June 9th widespread release of The Mummy. Previous Universal monster entries Dracula Untold (2014) and The Wolfman (2010) were released outside of Dark Universe, and it is unclear right now whether those films will be incorporated in.
Stay tuned to HNN for more breaking details on Dark Universe as they are released!
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