I was excited about Universal’s remake The Wolf Man when Mark Romanek was aboard the project, but Romanek bailed and is now directing Keira Knightley in Never Let Me Go leaving The Wolf Man in the hands of Joe Johnston (Jurassic Park III), which doesn’t move me one way or the other. It merely seems like a missed opportunity. Now, Risky Biz Blog reports Universal is looking at another one of their classic monster movies and set their sights on Bride of Frankenstein.
Steven Zeitchik reports Universal and Imagine are in talks with Neil Burger (The Illusionist) to write and direct their long-stirring remake of the 1935 monster movie. Burger is expected to co-write the feature with Dirk Wittenborn bringing new life to the story that originally followed 1931’s Frankenstein with the story of Frankenstein’s monster on the run from an angry mob and all the while convinces Dr. Frankenstein to create a mate. Unfortunately for the big lug his patchwork bride rejects him at the end of the movie.
The report goes on to talk of previous attempts to kickstart this remake. At one point American Splendor writers Shari Springer Berman and Robert Pulcini where attached and were looking to contemporize the story by setting the picture in contemporary New York, with a young woman dying and then unnaturally brought back to life. Jacob Estes was also aboard at one point to write a draft.
I don’t know about you, but while remaking these classic monster movies may seem like a good idea on paper I think they represent a moment in time that can’t really be captured again. I was only interested in a Romanek helmed The Wolf Man because I think Romanek is a guy well suited for such a project, but even still these films don’t fit in with today’s brand of horror which is focused squarely on shock and gore, and if a filmmaker were to try to duplicate what was done in the past it would feel just like that, a copy, and at that point what is the use?
Now, I’m not as excited about a Burger Bride of Frankenstein as I was about a Romanek Wolf Man, but as anyone that has seen The Illusionist knows, he may be able to pull this off.
Zeitchik says Burger’s version is expected to differ significantly from the Berman and Pulcini concept I mentioned earlier, but in what way he doesn’t say. We will just have to wait and see what happens.
