WOLFMAN Producer Jason Blum Hopes To Bring Universal's Failed Dark Universe Back From The Dead

WOLFMAN Producer Jason Blum Hopes To Bring Universal's Failed Dark Universe Back From The Dead

Universal's Dark Universe is one of the most high-profile failures in recent memory, but Jason Blum has now revealed that he's hoping to find a way to resurrect the rebooted movie series for Blumhouse.

By JoshWilding - Nov 12, 2020 07:11 AM EST
Filed Under: Wolf Man
Source: Inverse

Universal's Dark Universe was supposed to be a connected series of monster movies, with Frankenstein, Bride of Frankenstein, Dracula, Creature from the Black Lagoon, Hunchback of Notre Dame, and Invisible Man all in the works before The Mummy was released in 2017.

The Tom Cruise-led movie bombed, however, and actors like Javier Bardem (Frankenstein's monster), Johnny Depp (Invisible Man), and Russell Crowe (Dr. Jekyll) all ended up moving on...after a high-profile photoshoot. 

It was a major embarrassment for the studio, but Blumhouse Productions is now doing something with at least some of those properties; their version of The Invisible Man was a huge hit, while Ryan Gosling is attached to star in a new take on Wolfman. The question is, will the Dark Universe make a return? 

"I'd love to be in charge of them," Blum admitted in an interview with Inverse when asked if he'd like to take the reigns of that universe. "I wish I was the right person to ask this, I’m just not. They let us produce Invisible Man and they’re going to let us produce Wolfman, but the monsters and their fate and the direction and what the monsters mean overall, that’s entirely still a question for Universal."

Universal's plan was to bring all these monsters together after Jekyll forms a monster-hunting organization called Prodigium, but keeping things simple and connecting these stories in other ways makes more sense. Ultimately, there's no real need to even have them all link up with each other.

What do you guys think?

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GhostDog
GhostDog - 11/12/2020, 7:39 AM
A modern Dr. Jekyll could be really cool

The 2007 series BBC wasn't that bad too
MrDandy
MrDandy - 11/12/2020, 7:42 AM
@BlackBeltJones - I enjoyed it. I still think that actor would be a great Norman Osborn/Green Goblin. He can play both duel roles well
Feralwookiee
Feralwookiee - 11/12/2020, 7:42 AM
The only way I'd be even slightly interested in these films would be if they kept them as period pieces. Any attempt to "modernize" most of them is a huge mistake imo.
MosquitoFarmer
MosquitoFarmer - 11/12/2020, 7:44 AM
@Feralwookiee - I don't know that they need to be connected, but The Invisible Man was very solid, and the Wolfman movie sounds fairly intriguing. Neither are period pieces.
WruceBayne
WruceBayne - 11/12/2020, 7:43 AM
I wish the original “Monsterverse” would’ve gotten some traction. The stars they had attached were perfect in my opinion.
SpideyQuad
SpideyQuad - 11/12/2020, 11:46 AM
@WruceBayne - With the exception of Cruise and his power to direct. Just act Tom. and come out or the closet
MrDandy
MrDandy - 11/12/2020, 7:43 AM
The literal undead franchise. The real model for bringing back these classic characters should be Invisible Man. Bring back these classic characters in modern horror and find modern relevance. Stop trying to turn them into blockbuster superhero franchises.
comicfan100
comicfan100 - 11/12/2020, 7:44 AM
The Mummy failed because they brought on an A-list diva who made so many changes that it could barely be considered a Mummy movie. They need to go for lesser known talent for these films going forward.
Manmarvel
Manmarvel - 11/12/2020, 7:47 AM
Then I would start with Frankenstein....
TheMapleSyrup
TheMapleSyrup - 11/12/2020, 7:50 AM
Honestly, I would connect some of the better/recent ones. Obviously you have the new Invisible Man, but at this point they might as well just use Arnold Vosloo as the Mummy, Gary Oldman as Dracula and Doug Jones as Gillman
PC04
PC04 - 11/12/2020, 7:57 AM
Keep it simple. Keep it Scary.
Reeds2Much
Reeds2Much - 11/12/2020, 8:44 AM
@PC04 - Keep it simple. Keep it Scary.

Keep it gay~
99OPTIMISTPRIME
99OPTIMISTPRIME - 11/12/2020, 7:58 AM
Kadara
Kadara - 11/12/2020, 8:16 AM
They gave up so quickly imo, it was really a great idea and hopefully we'll get to see it one day.
ReverseFlasher
ReverseFlasher - 11/12/2020, 8:39 AM
I have very little faith wolfman will ever go before cameras, theyve been working on it for far too long, soon gosling will drop out and the whole thing will be done.
Goldboink
Goldboink - 11/12/2020, 8:40 AM
Those stories have been told too many times already. Greedy execs are looking for shared universe and easy money. Those stories were alegories from a bygone era.

Try something original why don't you.
GwenLantern
GwenLantern - 11/12/2020, 8:50 AM
GothamSon
GothamSon - 11/12/2020, 10:18 AM
Maybe the best way to try this again, is do do a team-up movie first, then do solo outings second? It feels like a Dark 'Avengers' type of movie would generate a ton of enthusiasm for it, over doing another failed solo reboot.

Having said that, it was Tom Cruise himself that derailed 'The Mummy.' That movie could've been decent, but he wanted it to be an action-heavy vehicle for himself.
Gotham82
Gotham82 - 11/12/2020, 10:23 AM
hmm i don't know about this.

black Christmas --- trash

craft legacy - trash

invisible man - forgettable

the amazon films are duds also :-(

halloween is decent so i don't know how you can mess up these movies so bad.
Blergh
Blergh - 11/12/2020, 3:14 PM
Still bummed Dracula Untold got retconned out of the Universe.
It was a solid start in my opinion but the Mummy was such a failure. Both creatively and on a filmmaking level.

Meanwhile The Invisible Man was a really good film, so I'm totally in for Blumhouse taking the lead here. Maybe give Whanell some control too
Tufasrox
Tufasrox - 11/12/2020, 3:58 PM
This universe would be cool if they laid it out like Unbreakable/ Split. Like they make a bunch of independent movies, then a short scene that connects them all somehow, then just one movie that brings it all together.
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