Despite the fact that The Mummy made around $400 million from its box office run, there's no denying the film was not the success Universal intended it to be - and it looks like the whole Dark Universe franchise might be in jeopardy.
In a statement released yesterday, Universal confirmed that Bill Condon's reboot of Bride Of Frankenstein has been postponed after "thoughtful consideration."
"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," read the statement.
The film was to follow as part of Universal's attempt to revitalise its library of horror characters, with Javier Bardem as Frankenstein with Angelina Jolie set to play the titular bride. The film was originally slated for February 2019, however the postponement could simply mean that either it's taking longer to lock Angelina Jolie in for the role, or - more likely it must be said - Universal is having second thoughts about the whole Dark Universe thing.
Considering The Mummy was actually the second attempt to kick it all off - the bland, Game of Thrones-lite Dracula Untold, with Luke Evans, was originally supposed to be the launchpad for the franchise - it may just be that Universal can't work a franchise into existence, no matter how much starpower is attached or how much money is thrown at it.
Via Variety