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WIRE Buzz: Bride of Frankenstein still lives at Universal. Plus, new Star Wars game & horror novel
The Dark Universe might be dead at Universal, but that doesn't mean its bevy of monstrous film projects involving its classic spooksters are all staying in the grave. The critically acclaimed The Invisible Man kicked off a resurgence of interest in the monsters — including everyone from Dracula to the Wolfman — and now it seems that David Koepp's planned Bride of Frankenstein film is also still living on in some form at the studio.
According to an interview with Collider, the Bride film may have lost its high-profile star and director — Angelina Jolie and Bill Condon were reportedly attached — but it hasn't been scrapped completely as the Dark Universe collapsed around it.
"That was one thing I did during quarantine — I brought back Bride of Frankenstein into a place where I kind of always wanted it to be," Koepp said. "Universal was very gracious to let me try again. Because they had geared up and shut down famously in the Dark Universe fiasco. Well, not fiasco, but disappointment. So I have a version now and they have a version that we all really like. I think they're talking to directors now."
No Condon, no Jolie. Instead, fans should expect more of the Blumhouse model. "It's not the great big, $150 million extravaganza with giant movie stars," the screenwriter said. "It's not as scaled down as The Invisible Man but a much more reasonable, doable thing, with, I think, a really cool idea and it's all present day."
Koepp's next film, the haunted house horror You Should Have Left, comes out on June 19.
Next, the Star Wars game that may have leaked back in March as Project: Maverick has gotten a full announcement from EA. Star Wars: Squadrons is on its way from the publisher, which tweeted out the following announcement and artwork on Friday:
The leak seemed to show similar artwork with an emphasis on flying, leading some to believe the game was going to be a multiplayer dogfighter. Now, with pilots from both the Rebel and Empire sides of the conflict gracing the key art, it seems that some of those assumptions may be true.
EA is dropping the full trailer for the secretive game on June 15.
Finally, the Star Wars literary world has been in flux recently, but there's also been a slew of recent exciting announcements. One in particular takes the beloved sci-fi series to a new genre's coordinates.
Author George Mann has a new Star Wars anthology coming out, and it's one of the rare times the franchise has leaned into its scarier side. Star Wars: Dark Legends aims to be a horror book for the younger set — Tatooine Goosebumps? — that offers up six ghost stories from a galaxy far, far away to fans aged 8 to 12.
"This unique in-world collection hallows the spooky tales and ghost stories that would have kept young Luke and Leia up at night," reads the book's official description, which may lead those won over by Mann's previous collaboration with Grant Griffin — Star Wars: Myths & Fables — to take a peek into the Dark Side. Or ... at least the spookier side of the Force-filled universe. Listen, Darth Vader's on the cover so there will be at least some Sith action:
Fans can pre-order Star Wars: Dark Legends here.
