Although it made quite a bit of money internationally at the box office this summer, The Mummy did less well in the United States, and didn't receive great reviews, to boot. Getting the Dark Universe off on a less-than-desirable note, some fans have begun to look to Bill Condon's 2019 film, Bride of Frankenstein, to correct course. However, things in the Dark Universe just got a bit more confusing, as Universal has officially pulled the monster-themed love story from its schedule. So what does this mean for the future of the film? Let's dive in and talk it out.
Bill Condon's Bride of Frankenstein has been pulled from Universal's release slate. The follow-up to The Mummy was expected to premiere on February 14, 2019, but per Deadline now it looks like it's going to continue developing with no firm release date. With Bride of Frankenstein officially pulled, this means that none of the upcoming Dark Universe projects have set release dates, and an unknown Blumhouse horror film will move up to take Bride's place on the schedule.
Before we jump to conclusions about anything, it's worth re-stating that this doesn't mean that the project has been canceled. In fact, Universal has issued a statement on the decision, explaining that it's based on the studio's desire to take the necessary time to get the Bride of Frankenstein story right. The studio said:
After thoughtful consideration, Universal Pictures and director Bill Condon have decided to postpone Bride of Frankenstein. None of us want to move too quickly to meet a release date when we know this special movie needs more time to come together. Bill is a director whose enormous talent has been proven time and again, and we all look forward to continuing to work on this film together.
Taking that statement into consideration, one way to look at this development is to assume that the studio doesn't want to make certain mistakes made by The Mummy. The first installment in the Dark Universe received criticism from some for trying to build its world too fast, as well as its arguably inconsistent tone. With no more release date to worry about, the folks behind Bride of Frankenstein (and by extension, the future of the Dark Universe) can figure out what they truly want out of this project.
Beyond that, it also sounds like the talent associated with the project doesn't currently plan on going anywhere as of right now. Bill Condon appears to still be in place as the director, and Javier Bardem and Angelina Jolie remained tentatively lined up to star in the project as Frankenstein and the Bride, respectively.
We will bring you more information about this situation as it develops, so stay tuned and take a look at our 2018 movie premiere guide for more details about the upcoming films that still have release dates.
