Tonight critics around the country will be seeing Universal’s The Mummy, the studio’s first installment in their horror-tinged Dark Universe franchise. The film stars Tom Cruise, a bold choice of casting with which to kick off the series. Cruise has a couple of franchises of his own, so it remains to be seen if he will be sticking around for further Dark Universe installments or is he in the film primarily to attract ticketbuyers attention to it.
And it looks as if Universal wants to get some big name talent into subsequent Dark Universe entries as well. Javier Bardem is already signed to play Frankenstein in 2019’s installment Bride Of Frankenstein and Johnny Depp is aboard to headline The Invisible Man, whenever the studio bothers to schedule that. But it doesn’t stop there.
Speaking with Fandom, Dark Universe franchise producer and Mummy director Alex Kurtzman disclosed that they are setting their sights high for a number of roles in the upcoming installments.
I’d love to bring Michael Fassbender in, I’d love to bring Jennifer Lawrence in, I’d love to see Charlize Theron in there, Angelina Jolie…
Currently director Bill Condon is prepping to shoot Bride Of Frankenstein and is looking for someone to take of the titular role. At one point Angelina Jolie had been rumored to be in consideration for the role, and Kurtzman’s comment could be see as an indication that she still is.
Universal is not rushing into things. Even if The Mummy is a monster hit, the studio is not poised to capitalize on it for almost two years when Bride Of Frankenstein is set to come out. And while Marvel and Warners Brothers are releasing multiple films in their respective superhero franchises a year, Universal has already indicated that the are looking to release just one Dark Universe installment every twelve months. Rationing out their films like that combined with having big name stars in the title roles might just be a canny move for Universal, as it could give the films more of an event feel and attract audiences who might otherwise be suffering from franchise fatigue from the other studios’ offerings.
