By Emily Reuben
The venerable film studio Universal has announced that their upcoming reboots of their horror franchises will all share the same universe a la Legendary Entertainment’s MonsterVerse, the DC Extended Universe, and the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The first entry for the new Dark Universe is The Mummy, directed by Alex Kurtsman which releases June 9. The next entry in the new universe will be another horror reboot: Bride of Frankenstein, slated for an early 2019 release.
Universal also confirmed rumors that had been circulating, affirming that Johnny Depp and Javier Bardem would play future iconic roles in the Dark Universe as The Invisible Man and Frankenstein’s Monster respectively. They join the ranks of monsters from The Mummy, Sofia Boutella and Russell Crowe who portray the mummy Ahmanet, and Dr. Henry Jekyll.
A statement released by Universal emphasizes the impact of Crowe’s character on The Mummy and the Dark Universe films to come:
At its organizing principle, Dark Universe films are connected by a mysterious multi-national organization known as Prodigium. Led by the enigmatic and brilliant Dr. Henry Jekyll, Prodigium’s mission is to track, study and—when necessary—destroy evil embodied in the form of monsters in our world. Working outside the aegis of any government, and with practices concealed by millennia of secrecy, Prodigium protects the public from knowledge of the evil that exists just beyond the thin membrane of civilized society…and will go to any length to contain it.Universal likely hopes that the Dark Universe can breathe new life into their horror reboots. The last horror reimagining from Universal that garnered above a 50% on Rotten Tomatoes was 1999’s The Mummy, starring Brendan Frazer, which received a 56%. Other notable Universal monsters whose appearances have yet to be confirmed for upcoming Dark Universe films include The Creature from the Black Lagoon, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, The Phantom of the Opera, Dracula, and the Wolfman.
Source: Universal Pictures
