The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde
Classics Reimagined Illustrated Edition
Hardcover | Kindle
By Robert Louis Stevenson
Illustrated by Tina Berning
Publisher: Rockport Publishers | Quarto Publishing Group
Release date: July 23, 2019

The story of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde has become so ingrained into our pop culture that one need not have read The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde to know the tale of these fictional characters. Well, perhaps not the whole tale isn’t known, but rather just the part about Dr. Jekyll’s inner conflict between good and evil that manifests itself, with the aid of chemistry, in the form of the wicked Mr. Hyde. Thanks to Robert Louis Stevenson‘s 1886 Gothic novella and its various on-screen adaptations, Jekyll and Hyde have grown beyond their literary origins to become a reference to any person who’s behavior goes from one extreme to another, typically a split personality where one side is nice and one is mean.

Everyone knows the story of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, the title characters from Robert Louis Stevenson’s 1886 novella The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. But how many are familiar with the musical version of this classic gothic horror tale?

Now, audiences will get to know the characters in a whole new way thanks to a planned big-screen adaptation of the 1997 Jekyll & Hyde Broadway musical.

Let’s face it, Universal’s Dark Universe was a very ambitious plan that no one really was on board for. Though contemporary takes on the classic Universal monsters sounded like a good idea on the surface, the results were anything but that. It all started with The Mummy, the Tom Cruise-starring vehicle that was supposed to launch the universe. The film performed well-below expectations, and what followed made things even worse for the potential universe. Bride of Frankenstein, directed by Bill Condon and starring Javier Bardem as the Monster and possibly Angelina Jolie as the title character, had been put on hold. Reports stated that it was to fix some of the script issues. While that may be true, it was a sign that things weren’t going well. And this latest bit may be the final nail in the coffin.

According to a new report, the Dark Universe may be dead as key figures like Alex Kurtzman and Chris Morgan are now leaving it behind, forcing Universal to rethink the interconnected monster world that they are creating. More on the story below.

Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde was born by the mind of Robert Louis Stevenson and first appeared to the public in 1886. Since then, numerous adaptations of the character have shown up in all forms of entertainment, and this is still going strong today.

It’s being reported that Dark Horse Entertainment and Skydance Productions are teaming up to develop a movie adaptation of the upcoming title from Dark Horse Comics, The Strange Case of Hyde. The comic is written by Cole Haddon, who will also be handling the screenplay.

With a new 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, two new Sherlock Holmes, and various other new movies based on classic literature on the way, it should come as no shock that a new movie based on the Robert Louis Stevenson novella The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde is on the way. The project already has Keanu Reeves lined up to star, and Justin Haythe (Revolutionary Road) penning the script.

Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde tells the tale of a doctor who discovers a way to alter himself, allowing his evil, inner-self the ability to take over in vicious fashion. The story deals heavily along the lines of split personality disorders, but in a much more physical, visible, and scary way.

The story has appeared many, many times in stage and screen adaptations — a true testament to the simple and unique-yet brilliant creation of Robert Louis Stevenson. Two unfortunate appearances of the character were in recent lackluster films such as Van Helsing and The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen.