Announced even before cameras start rolling on this summer’s “The Mummy,” it was already known that Universal was developing a big monster movie franchise, in a bid to get into the cinematic universe game of their rivals, while also reviving classic catalog characters. Now, the endeavor has an official name.
The studio has announced that henceforth, their monster movie doings shall fall under the blandly named, Dark Universe banner. The first release will be “The Mummy,” followed in two years by “The Bride Of Frankenstein,” which will be directed by Bill Condon, and hit cinemas on Valentine’s Day, February 14, 2019. It seems that following “Fifty Shades Darker” and “Fifty Shades Freed” in 2018, Universal wants to keep things freaky on the most romantic day of the year.
READ MORE: Tom Cruise Is Cursed In New Trailer For ‘The Mummy’
To help sear this concept in the minds of moviegoers, on June 9th, a motion logo for the franchise will debut in cinemas, scored by Danny Elfman. Excitement!
Alex Kurtzman (“The Mummy“), Chris Morgan (“The Fate of the Furious“), Christopher McQuarrie (“Mission: Impossible” series, “The Usual Suspects“) and David Koepp (“War of the Worlds,” “Jurassic Park“) are the creative braintrust behind all of this, but don’t think for a moment Universal is going to follow Marvel or DC‘s movie-per-year formula. They emphasize that each movie will take the time it needs.
“We take enormous pride in the creativity and passion that has inspired the reimagining of Universal’s iconic monsters and promise audiences we will expand this series strategically,” said Donna Langley, Chairman, Universal Pictures. “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. 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.”
So, until Tom Cruise (the guy who finds The Mummy), Sofia Boutella (The Mummy), Russell Crowe (Dr. Jekyll), Javier Bardem (Frankenstein), and Johnny Depp (The Invisible Man) all inevitably appear in “The Avengers“-style team-up movie a bazillion years from now, you can see what they look like together below, along a fancy sizzle reel of all Universal’s old monster movies.
