Black Widow may now, actually, become a widow. Scarlett Johansson is set to star in a new movie called Bride, which is a modern spin on Bride of Frankenstein. Sebastián Lelio (A Fantastic Woman) will direct and co-write along with Lauren Schuker Blum and Rebecca Angelo, who wrote the new spin on Wolfman that will star Ryan Gosling.
And while the Gosling film will fall under the umbrella of the Universal Monsters, Bride is being produced by Apple and A24. So, no connection to what’s happening at Universal. It’s just a story inspired by Bride of Frankenstein.
“It is long overdue for Bride to step out of the shadow of her male counterpart and stand alone,” Johansson said in a statement obtained by the Hollywood Reporter. “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.”
According to the trade, this Bride will be the creation of a “brilliant entrepreneur.” He’s obsessed with his fabricated wife but she rejects him and “is forced to flee her confined existence.” Once out in the real world, she realises people see her as a monster and “finds her true identity, her surprising power, and the strength to remake herself as her own creation.”
That description leaves so many questions. If this tale is modern, is this sort of an Ex Machina thing where she’s a self-aware robot? If the world sees her as a monster, is she somehow monstrous? And by “surprising power,” is that literal?
All questions which will be answered in time.