Universal Pictures’ upcoming remake of the 1935 classic “Bride of Frankenstein” has been slated for a Valentine’s Day release in 2019, the studio announced Monday.
The remake, which will be made by “Beauty and the Beast” director Bill Condon, will be part of Universal’s “Dark Universe” series, which will revive the studio’s iconic horror movie villains and bring them together into a new cinematic universe. The series will start with next month’s remake of “The Mummy” and will be marked with a new motion logo and theme from Danny Elfman. “Dark Universe” was started by “Mummy” director and producer Alex Kurtzman alongside “Mummy” producer and longtime “Fast & Furious” writer Chris Morgan.
“The enterprise masterfully developed by Chris and Alex will allow each subsequent chapter the right time to find the perfect cast, filmmakers and vision to fulfill it,” said Universal chairman Donna Langley. “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.”
Another Universal monster movie had been set for a 2018 release but was removed from the slate Monday, making “Bride of Frankenstein” the second installment of “Dark Universe.” The movies will be connected by a mysterious organization called Prodigium that seeks to protect humanity from evil monsters. Prodigium is led by Dr. Henry Jekyll (played by Russell Crowe), and has a website set up by Universal to promote “The Mummy.”
Other A-listers that will appear in “Dark Universe” include “Pirates of the Caribbean” stars Johnny Depp as the Invisible Man and Javier Bardem as Frankenstein’s Monster.