Bride of Frankenstein: Scarlett Johansson re-animates horror icon for A24

Last Updated on July 30, 2021

Screenwriters Lauren Schuker Blum and Rebecca Angelo are currently collaborating with director Leigh Whannell and star Ryan Gosling on an update of the classic Universal Pictures property THE WOLFMAN, and they're also working on a project inspired by another Universal classic, THE BRIDE OF FRANKENSTEIN (watch it HERE). This one's not set up at Universal, though. This film, titled BRIDE, is coming from Apple and A24.

Scarlett Johansson is set to star in BRIDE as the title character. The film will be directed by Sebastian Lelio, who is also working on the script with Blum and Angelo. The story they've crafted goes like this: 

A woman created to be an ideal wife — the singular obsession of a brilliant entrepreneur — rejects her creator, and is forced to flee her confined existence, confronting a world that sees her as a monster. It is on the run that she finds her true identity, her surprising power, and the strength to remake herself as her own creation.

Lelio's previous credits include GLORIA BELL, DISOBEDIENCE, Best Foreign Film Academy Award winner A FANTASTIC WOMAN, GLORIA (2013), THE YEAR OF THE TIGER, CHRISTMAS, and THE SACRED FAMILY.

Johansson is producing BRIDE with Jonathan Lia, through their company These Pictures. Keenan Flynn serves as co-producer. 

Although the name Frankenstein is never mentioned in the announcement, Johansson does make a reference to Frankenstein's Monster in the statement she gave about the project: 

It is long overdue for Bride to step out of the shadow of her male counterpart and stand alone. Working alongside Rebecca Angelo and Lauren Schuker Blum, Sebastian and I are extremely excited to emancipate this classic anti-heroine and reanimate her story to reflect the change we see today."

Universal has been trying to get an official remake of THE BRIDE OF FRANKENSTEIN off the ground for many years. I wonder if they'll continue pursuing the remake now that BRIDE is happening, or let it rest for a while and wait for this movie to pass by.