Frankenstein (Universal film series)
Frankenstein is the title of several horror-adventure film series loosely based on the 1818 novel of the same name by Mary Shelley, centered on a monster created by one Dr. Henry Frankenstein.
Universal Classic Monsters film series (1931–1948)
The original series of films consisted of eight installments, which starred iconic horror actors such as Boris Karloff, Lon Chaney Jr. and Glenn Strange as Frankenstein's Monster. The series of films is part of the larger Universal Classic Monsters series.Year | Film | Frankenstein's Monster actor |
1931 | Frankenstein | Boris Karloff |
1935 | The Bride of Frankenstein | Boris Karloff |
1939 | Son of Frankenstein | Boris Karloff |
1942 | The Ghost of Frankenstein | Lon Chaney Jr. |
1944 | Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man | Bela Lugosi, Eddie Parker & Gil Perkins |
1944 | The House of Frankenstein | Glenn Strange |
1945 | House of Dracula | Glenn Strange |
1948 | Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein | Glenn Strange and Lon Chaney Jr. |
Dark Universe and proposed reboot
Universal Pictures has sought to remake Bride of Frankenstein on several occasions. While the novel Frankenstein has been adapted to film many times, Bride of Frankensteins closest remake was the non-Universal film The Bride, starring Sting, Clancy Brown, and Jennifer Beals. In 1991, the studio sought to remake the film for cable television, and Martin Scorsese expressed interest in directing.In the first decade of the 21st century, Universal paired with Imagine Entertainment and contracted Shari Springer Berman and Robert Pulcini, who wrote the screenplay for American Splendor, to write a remake. The screenwriters set the story in contemporary New York. Jacob Estes was also involved with the project at one point and wrote a draft. In June 2009, Universal and Imagine entered discussions with director Neil Burger and his writing partner Dirk Wittenborn, and producer Brian Grazer was assigned to oversee the development of the remake.
In December 2015, Variety reported that David Koepp will write the script. In May 2017, Universal Pictures announced their shared universe film series of rebooted, modern-day interpretations of their classic Universal Monsters titled, Dark Universe. The film series began with the 2017 film The Mummy, and was expected to continue with Bride of Frankenstein on February 14, 2019 with Bill Condon directing the film, but Universal and Condon have decided to postpone this movie. By October 2017, it was reported that pre-production had begun when the creative team and studio decided to postpone the release in order to further work on the script with intentions being to improve the story. Deadline reported that Javier Bardem and Angelina Jolie are still attached to the movie as Frankenstein's monster and the film's reluctant bride, respectively. The same month Condon stated that should Jolie decide to leave the project, he would be interested in seeing Gal Gadot play the titular character. But on November 8, 2017, Alex Kurtzman and Chris Morgan moved on to other projects, leaving the future of the Dark Universe in doubt.
In January 2018, it was reported that Condon was assembling a production team, consisting of cinematographer Tobias A. Schliessler, production designer Sarah Greenwood, composer Carter Burwell, and costume designer Jacqueline Durran.
In November 2019, Condon reflected on the proposed Bride of Frankenstein remake not entering production. He stated: "That was a heartbreaker, really the simplest way to say it is that I think The Mummy, and not to say anything against the movie, but the fact that that hadn't worked for them and it was the beginning of this whole reinvention of their monsters gave them cold feet at the end of the day. Because David Koepp was writing the script, I thought it was unbelievably good, and we were on the verge of making a really beautiful movie, I thought. So that was a shame." He also noted his uncertainty regarding his ability to publicly discuss the project "because , I think, is still involved in figuring out the new approach The movie that we started was devised as a great big movie, and at the end of the day, probably these movies should be smaller."
Film | Rotten Tomatoes | Metacritic |
Frankenstein | 100% | 91 |
The Bride of Frankenstein | 100% | |
Son of Frankenstein | 91% | |
The Ghost of Frankenstein | 75% | |
Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man | 25% | |
The House of Frankenstein | 55% | |
House of Dracula | 56% | |
Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein | 89% | |
Van Helsing | 24% | 35 |
- Frankenstein
- The Bride of Frankenstein
- Son of Frankenstein
- The Ghost of Frankenstein
- Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man
- The House of Frankenstein
- House of Dracula
- Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein
- Van Helsing
- The Bride of Frankenstein
Feature films
Cast and characters
List indicator
- A dark grey cell indicates the character was not in the film.
- A indicates the character was shown in a photograph and/or mentioned.
- A indicates a uncredited role.
- A indicates a voice-only role.
- A indicates a cameo appearance.
- A indicates an appearance wherein an actor's facial features were digitally imprinted upon another actor's face.
- A indicates an appearance as a younger version of a pre-existing character.
- An indicates an appearance through archival footage, audio or stills.