Shawn Levy Could Resurrect FRANKENSTEIN But Probably Won't

After failing to convince Will Smith to star in his proposed adaptation of Fantastic Voyage and with very few A-listers deemed worthy enough to bring the adventure movie to life, director Shawn Levy could soon turn his attention to a new project at 20th Century Fox that will act as his next feature post-Real Steel. Deadline reports that Levy is looking at re-telling the Frankenstein story with yet another adaptation of Mary Shelley's famous Gothic novel that could go into production late this year or early 2012. This one has been scripted by Max Landis (son of John) and yes, it's another Frankenstein and if I'm a little suspect as to whether this will actually happen.... take a look at this. Since WhatCulture! (then Obsessed With Film) started in mid 2006, we've had no less than half a dozen Frankenstein movies threatened by Hollywood but none of them ever made. You see, because Shelley's novel is decades past copyright and is in the public domain, Hollywood will forever be attracted by Frankenstein movies because no up front fee's are ever required to option the novel. So with that in mind in the past five years all of these movies have been announced and as yet, none of them have actually seen the light of day; Universal and Guillermo del Torowere working on an adaptation with del Toro's regular actor Doug Jones to star as the monster but that one was stalled when del Toro went to The Hobbit and he has never returned to it. At one point the idea was to faithfully adapt Frank Darabont's early 90's script adaptation that was eventually butchered with and filmed by Kenneth Branagh in 1994... the last major Frankenstein film. Universal also had a remake of The Bride of Frankenstein in the works from Neil Burger (The Interview With the Vampire, The Illusionist) but that one didn't happen either. Columbia Pictures has Craig Fernandez working on a contemporary re-telling faithfully titled Frankenstein. Wanted director Timur Bekmambetov had an adaptation of the novel The Casebook of Victor Frankenstein in the works at Sam Raimi's Ghost House Pictures last year but he has similarly moved on to other things. Death Ray Films and even web bloggers Robert Sanchez (of IESB) and Ryan Rotten (of Shock Till You Drop) were bringing the contemporary movie I Frankenstein based on DarkStorm Comics to the screen but that one never happened. Summit Entertainment are developing This Dark Endeavor: The Apprenticeship of Victor Frankenstein but that one didn't happen. Slasher Films have Wake The Dead, a modern day movie based on a graphic novel adaptation of Mary Shelley's novel and that would star Haley Joel Osment and despite it being announced recently, don't be surprised if it never happens. Danny Boyle has even spoke about bringing his stage play to the big screen with a film adaptation. And as well as all those above, NBC have ordered a Frankenstein pilot this month for a proposed television show based on the novel! Fox are desperate to get a Frankenstein tentpole into theatres to beat all the other studio's working on there own (I don't think they need to worry that much... those above have been trying for years to make them and not succeeded) and seem more anxious to make this movie happen than the Fantastic Voyage tentpole. Mike Fleming at Deadline is putting his money on Frankenstein being Levy's next movie over the dozen potential projects on his slate... but I just wonder if that will change if Real Steel makes a fortune in October and Disney knock his door down for a sequel. Meanwhile... if you want to see the best Frankenstein movie over the past several decades. Check out The Skin I Live In this weekend in UK cinema's. Seriously.