The Dark Universe may already be on shaky ground. Tom Cruise's The Mummy got Universal's cinematic universe off to a wobbly start, but after a grand announcement boasting a bunch of movies led by A-list stars, they could hardly pull the plug. So it continues on with Bill Condon's Bride of Frankenstein, which they've been hoping to score Angelina Jolie for.
But in a new interview with Collider, Condon cast doubt that the film would actually be part of Dark Universe...
"I will tell you this — what I’m doing is 100% making a really good monster movie. It has nothing to do with anything else. Nothing. Zero."
Really? If we take his words at face value it almost certainly means Dark Universe is doomed. Chances are he means something slightly different, though. Since Bride of Frankenstein is expected to take place in the past, it can freely tell its story without directly referencing The Mummy, which is set in the present.
Condon also confirmed that Jolie has yet to be signed (there's actually more news on that coming up), and if they can't snag her that would be a huge blow. The film has been built largely on Jolie's star power, just as the Dark Universe has been banking on its starry casts to elevate it as more than just a bunch of monster movie reboots. Javier Bardem remains in talks to play the monster, Frankenstein.
Bride of Frankenstein opens February 14th 2019, with shooting to begin early next year.
