The June 9 release of Alex Kurtzman's The Mummy isn't coming light this summer. The film, as per the efforts of past several years is just one in several forthcoming steps toward what Universal Pictures, on Monday, branded as the Dark Universe, spearheaded by Kurtzman and The Fate Of The Furious scribe Chris Morgan in a sequential effort to adapt classic cinematic icons of the studio for the big screen.
The official Dark Universe logo as shown above and unveiled at the official website will make its debut preceding The Mummy starring Tom Cruise along with title actress Sofia Boutella and actor Russell Crowe as Dr. Jekyll, and featuring a new musical theme by Academy Award® nominee Danny Elfman's Danny Elfman. The new theme will also accomodate the DU's remaining properties, including the February 14, 2019 release of Bride Of Frankenstein, written by David Koepp and for which actor Javier Bardem will star for Academy Award® winner Bill Condon (Beauty And The Beast); and The Invisible Man to be played by Bardem's Pirates Of The Carribean: Dead Men Tell No Tales star, actor Johnny Depp with a director to be named soon.
Universal's announcement on Monday also boasted the addition of Oscar winner® Christopher McQuarrie who helms the sixth Mission: Impossible installment for Paramount and Skydance with Cruise starring.
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| Dark Universe stars (L to R) RUSSELL CROWE, JAVIER BARDEM, TOM CRUISE, JOHNNY DEPP and SOFIA BOUTELLA |
"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."
"When Universal approached us with the idea of reimagining these classic characters, we recognized the responsibility of respecting their legacy while bringing them into new and modern adventures," said Kurtzman and Morgan. "The studio and our fellow creative collaborators have championed and challenged us as we've begun to spin the web of Dark Universe. It's our hope these movies will engross longtime fans and spark the imaginations of brand-new ones."
"I grew up on monsters," said Elfman. "Monsters were my life, and these iconic Universal monsters were almost like my family. I simply wouldn't be the same without them. When I got the opportunity to compose a theme for the Dark Universe logo, of course I jumped at it. What could be more fun than connecting to this world that has always been so deeply imbedded in my psyche? I tried to find something that was new but still had some connections with the past—the origins—at least in a subtle way. Something that was looking forward to a creative, fertile, imaginative future that Dark Universe will enter, and at the same time saluting the heritage of the tragic heroes (or anti-heroes) of my childhood. To the Monsters!!!!"
"I'm very excited to bring a new Bride of Frankenstein to life on screen, particularly since James Whale's original creation is still so potent," stated Condon. "The Bride of Frankenstein remains the most iconic female monster in film history, and that's a testament to Whale's masterpiece—which endures as one of the greatest movies ever made."
The annoucement also includes a link to the Prodigium which entails some snazzy 360° features for its imagery and more.
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.
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