Variety has reported that despite the multiple setbacks, the next installment of the Dark Universe The Bride of Frankenstein is still on the works. Back in 2017, the Dark Universe was officially announced (if you don’t consider The Wolfman, Dracula Untold, and IFrankenstein) with the now-iconic image of all the leading actors standing next to each other. As soon as the announcement was made the Dark Universe was instantly killed after The Mummy 2017 didn’t just bomb, but it was considered the worst movie of the year. This failure was enough to put a holt on the entire Dark Universe.
Universal Studios
Universal recently changed the way they’re tackling their movie properties, giving them a more director-driven cost-efficient style, akin to how DCU started to handle their movies after the release of Justice League. The first movie scheduled to release with this mentality is The Invisible Man, directed by Leigh Whannell. A modern take on the classic story Elisabeth Moss plays Cecilia Kass, a woman stuck in an abusive relationship. After escaping, she starts to feel that she is being hunted by her ex, despite being dead. The movie has a 9 million dollar budget and is expected to $20 million. So, where does that leave Bride of Frankenstein?
With future movies receiving small budgets, but more creative freedom, even with the right team, the studio might not be able to afford Angelina Jolie (who was cast to play the role before Universal pulled the breaks on the Dark Universe). To be honest, it would be for the best to recast Jolie, nothing against her. Universal doesn’t seem to be seeking big-name performers to gather interest. Instead, Universal seems more interested in cost-efficient movies. On the bright side, that means more creative freedom. In the end, I rather see a low budget masterpiece than whatever The Mummy 2017 was.
You can find the original Variety article here: https://variety.com/2020/film/news/bride-of-frankenstein-universal-amy-pascal-angelina-jolie-1203500987/