What If...? – Universal / Perfect World / Imagine (Bill Condon's Bride of Frankenstein)

Universal Pictures has attempted to get a reimagining of James Whale's horror masterpiece Bride of Frankenstein off the ground for well over thirty years, with various writers and directors being attached to or expressing interest in the project, including Martin Scorsese, Anne Rice, Laeta Kalogridis, Shari Springer Berman and Robert Pulcini, Jacob Aaron Estes, and Neil Burger and Dirk Wittenborn. Brian Grazer and Ron Howard were onboard to produce through their Imagine Entertainment banner. In 2015, it was announced that David Koepp would be writing a new script, intended to be the second installment in a cinematic universe reimagining the classic Universal monster films as big-budget blockbusters, with the first being Alex Kurtzman's The Mummy. Kurtzman and Chris Morgan would join Grazer and Howard as producers, alongside Sean Daniel. Months before the release of The Mummy, it was reported that Bill Condon would be directing the film, with Angelina Jolie playing the titular bride — with Gal Gadot as a backup choice, in case Jolie decided to leave — and Javier Bardem portraying Frankenstein's monster. Many of Condon's frequent collaborators also joined the project, including cinematographer Tobias Schliessler, production designer Sarah Greenwood, film editor Virginia Katz, costume designer Jacqueline Durran, and composer Carter Burwell. However, The Mummy was a notorious critical and commercial failure upon its release, and Kurtzman and Morgan moved on to other projects, leaving the Dark Universe effectively dead. An attempt to revive the project with Amy Pascal as producer and John Krasinski and Sam Raimi being eyed to direct also didn't pan out, as Koepp would no longer be involved by 2022. Follow me and ponder the question, "What if...?" Music: "Something Wicked This Way Comes" – Carter Burwell (The Tragedy of Macbeth)