Universal's Cinematic Monster Filled Dark Universe May Be in Trouble as The Top Producers Drop Out
Universal Pictures set out on a journey to create a cinematic universe that would be filled with all of their classic monsters. Their plan kicked off with Tom Cruise's The Mummy, and that would have been followed by Bride of Frankenstein, Wolfman, The Invisible Man, and The Creature From the Black Lagoon. But, The Mummy ended up bombing at the box office and it also didn't do very well critically.
Regardless of The Mummy's failure, it still seemed like Universal was going to press forward as director Bill Condon was moving forward with The Bride of Frankenstein until the production was shut down last month to develop the story more and get it in a better place.
Producers Alex Kurtzman and Chris Morgan have been heading up the development of this Dark Universe since it's conception, but according to THR, they have now bailed on it! Now there's no one there to move the Dark Universe forward and things aren't looking good. As the report states, "Universal's cinematic Dark Universe is in danger of being mummified."
Johnny Depp, Russell Crowe and Javier Bardem were all brought in to take on characters such as the Invisible Man, Wolf Man and Frankenstein, but it doesn't sound like any of these films are currently moving forward. I'm actually ok with that.
Kurtzman is said to be now focusing on his TV project like Star Trek: Discovery, and the other shows that he is developing at CBS. As for Morgan he has returned to the Fast and Furious franchise and is currently writing the spinoff film for Dwayne Johnson and Jason Statham.
The report goes on to say that "Universal is exploring its options. One road involves offering the IP to high-profile filmmakers or producers (Jason Blum has been mentioned) with ideas for one-off movies not connected to a larger universe. And the studio could find a new architect who could overhaul the concept." Universal president of production Peter Cramer offered the following statement:
"We've learned many lessons throughout the creative process on Dark Universe so far, and we are viewing these titles as filmmaker-driven vehicles, each with their own distinct vision. We are not rushing to meet a release date and will move forward with these films when we feel they are the best versions of themselves."
I love the original Universal monster films and although I didn't really like the direction they were taking these reboots, I still think there's a lot of potential with these monster characters and this universe that they were looking to build. I'd gladly offer my services to help them develop it further! But, they'd have to start from scratch. I wouldn't want to stay on the road that they started to go down with The Mummy.
In regards to all this, box-office analyst Paul Dergarabedian, tells THR:
"It's never too late to course-correct because with each movie, you get another shot. There's no way to give up on this. This is Universal's legacy."
I agree, I just think they need to take things in a very different direction that is more inspired by the original films that we all grew up loving. What do you think?