Universal Announces ‘Dark Universe’ Franchise Title for Reboots of Classic Movie Monsters

Universal unveiled a sure-to-be-blockbuster series on Monday, reimagining several classic movie monsters from the earliest days of cinema with several of the biggest A-list stars leading.

Called Dark Universe, the franchise will kick off with June’s The Mummy, starring Tom Cruise and Sofia Boutella in the title role. The next film will be The Bride of Frankenstein in February 2019, directed by Bill Condon who helmed March’s billion-dollar Beauty and the Beast. (The casting of the title role will be announced soon.)

The Invisible Man will be portrayed by Johnny Depp and Frankenstein’s Monster played by Javier Bardem, in two films with release dates to be announced. Russell Crowe will play Dr. Henry Jekyll, the leader of the mysterious organization Prodigium which has a hand in the creation and potential destruction of all the monsters, in a role that may span several films.

The franchise also debuts a new logo, seen above, and an original musical theme composed by multiple-time Oscar nominee Danny Elfman.

Universal is having a great year at the box office, currently ranking second among all studios in 2017, up from finishing fourth place in 2016. This series hopes to join the list of recent hit franchises for Universal, including The Fate of the Furious, Despicable Me / MinionsFifty Shades, Jurassic World, Pitch Perfect,  Sing, Split, The Secret Life of Pets, and The Purge.

The main cast members of the upcoming Dark Universe franchise can be seen in the photo below, and more information about the franchise can be found at www.DarkUniverse.com

 

News Stories