The Upcoming BRIDE OF FRANKENSTEIN Movie Is a Story of Liberation
The Bride of Frankenstein is one of my favorite classic Universal Monster movies. It is such a beautifully told tragic story. Last year it was revealed that Universal Pictures was remaking the film and that it will contemporize the story, which I think is a stupid idea.
These new monster movies the studio is developing should have an old-time, period setting. As I've said before, that setting and tone is what makes these classic monsters creepy, legendary, timeless, and awesome.
David Koepp has already written a draft of the screenplay for the film, and in a recent interview with Collider, he talked about the script saying:
"I wrote a draft of that that seems to have gone over very well, and I think they’re figuring out their whole universe and when it will go. They got a few they’ve got to work on."
He goes on to say that that it's one of his favorite scripts that he's written and that it will tell a tale of liberation:
"I loved it. It’s one of my favorite scripts I’ve written in years because if you reimagine the Frankenstein story, it gets into so many issues of men trying to feel dominant over women. To create someone who then says, 'You don’t own me,' it becomes a tale of liberation. It was great. It was really fun, and I hope it gets going soon because I think it’d make for a great movie."
I guess anything unnaturally made that has a soul wouldn't want to be held back from living a true life. It would be frustrating as hell to feel like you're being held captive against your will. It's only natural that even a "monster" would want to be free from that. When talking about what it was like for him to work on the film, he said:
"How fun it is and how liberating it is. Narratively and stylistically to write a character who’s dead. She’s not a zombie. She’s a super-intelligent creature, but she’s dead, and that changes a person’s perspective."
He was finally asked about the what kind of creative freedom he had in developing the script for the film and if he had to keep it in line with the other Universal Monster films that they're developing. This was his reply:
"You get some of both, and I think they’re figuring that out as they go. I was in touch with the other people who were making Mummy and in touch with Universal and getting a sense of what they’re doing, because they can’t be wholly different movies, but each one is characterized by the personality of its creature. So the stories are dictated by the creature. In ours, the Bride is essentially a sympathetic figure. This tragic, hunted figure. And obviously the Mummy is a very bad entity that must be stopped. That’s not us. The troublemakers are the ones who would try to control her. To answer your question, we’re all from the same tree, but different kinds of fruit."
The studio wants Angelina Jolie in the role, but that casting has yet to be solidified. There's currently no release date for the film, but I'm Intrigued by what Koepp said here and curious to see what he's come up with for the movie.