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The Mummy reboot over at Universal has long been touted as the beginning of the studio’s ‘Monster Universe,’ with several other movies in the works, including The Wolfman, The Invisible Man, Bride of Frankenstein, and Van Helsing. Starting out in The Mummy, Russell Crowe’s Dr. Jekyll will be the main connecting feature of the universe, which Universal have now announced is officially titled the Dark Universe.
The Dark Universe has a logo, unveiled in a video from Universal (via JoBlo Trailers) which paid homage to the classic horror movies of old, including The Invisible Man and The Bride of Frankenstein. Coupled with that video announcement comes the news that the next movie within the Dark Universe (can we call it the DU?), will be Bride of Frankenstein in 2019, with Bill Condon attached to direct. Condon is currently riding a very high, very profitable wave of success after directing Disney‘s live-action Beauty and the Beast.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XM1NJZ8bGSc
There’s more news, too. Johnny Depp and Javier Bardem join the DU, as The Invisible Man and Frankenstein’s Monster, respectively. The pair are set to share screen time in Pirates of the Caribbean, Dead Men Tell No Tales, which will release this week. They join the aforementioned Crowe, Tom Cruise, and Sofia Boutella in the new universe which will seek to bring these classic movies back to life.
Many are left wondering why the announcement came now, before the release of The Mummy, but box office tracking has the movie on course for just a $40 million opening which, while not too terrible, is surely not the kind of figure Universal were hoping for with Tom Cruise as top billing. That could suggest the public reaction to the movie is apathetic, so news of a shared universe, and more A-list stars to come, could well give The Mummy a much needed boost when it releases next month.
The other side of the coin, of course, is whether the public appetite for monster movies is even there in the first place? Make no mistake, Universal has an uphill battle on its hands to compete with the DCEU and the powerhouse that is the MCU. Superhero movies are where its at right now; be it Avengers, Justice League, Star Wars, or Wonder Woman. These are the films that are pulling audiences in. Can Universal manage to make aged classics appeal to a modern audience? Only time will tell.
The Mummy will be released on June 9th, Bride of Frankenstein will arrive in 2019
Featured Image: Universal
