The Dark Universe is back! Kinda.
Back in 2017, Universal Pictures announced a new franchise known as Dark Universe, which was supposed to serve as a relaunch of the studio's classic monster movies as part of a shared cinematic universe akin to the MCU.
New projects based on the likes of The Bride of Frankenstein, The Invisible Man, The Creature from The Black Lagoon, and The Wolfman were planned, but everything came to a screeching halt when the first movie - Tom Cruise's critically-panned The Mummy reboot - bombed at the box office, essentially putting a stake through the entire franchise's heart before it ever had a chance to get going.
Now, Universal has resurrected the Dark Universe brand as part of the new Epic Universe attraction, which will be one of five new lands slated to open in its Orlando-based theme park in 2025.
The rest of the attractions include Celestial Park, a land that embodies the literal “park” experience with lush, living gardens, shimmering waterways and stroll-worthy paths alongside astronomical and mythological-inspired architecture, as well as Epic Universe’s Super Nintendo World: The Wizarding World of Harry Potter — Ministry of Magic, and How to Train Your Dragon — Isle of Berk.
“Universal Epic Universe marks a huge transformational moment for Universal Orlando Resort and it will change everything about our destination,” Karen Irwin, president and chief operating officer of Universal Orlando Resort, said in a statement to The Hollywood Reporter. “This will be the exciting culmination of our amazing growth over the past 30-plus years and will transform Universal Orlando into a weeklong vacation destination filled with the most thrilling experiences imaginable.”
Adds CEO of Universal Destinations & Experiences, Mark Woodbury: "It’s the most technologically advanced park we’ve ever done. And that speaks to both the attractions themselves, the next generation of robotics drone technology, all the way through to the guest experience. The full guest journey is really being taken to a whole new level.”
The Dark Universe attraction "will call upon fans of Universal’s classic horror films, with encounters featuring the experiments of Dr. Victoria Frankenstein amid a shadowy landscape home to monsters, myth and mystery."
Check out new designs for Dracula, the Wolfman and Frankenstein's Monster below.
Does this mean the movie franchise could return at some point? It seems unlikely, since Universal's Blumhouse is still releasing unconnected standalone projects based on the classic monsters such as The Invisible Man and Renfield, with many more in the pipeline.
Still, an interconnected monster universe does have a lot of potential, so we could see another attempt to get the Dark Universe (or something like it) off the ground down the line.