What is the Dark Universe?
The Dark Universe was a planned series of monster films that were being developed and distributed by Universal Pictures. The Dark Universe was meant to serve as rebooted versions of past monster films that take place in a shared universe. Plans for the shared universe were shelved following the failure of The Mummy.
Who created the logo for the Dark Universe?
Dark Universe logo, created by Weta Digital. The Dark Universe was a planned series of monster films that were being developed and distributed by Universal Pictures. The Dark Universe was meant to serve as rebooted versions of past monster films that take place in a shared universe.
Is Universal’s new ‘Dark Universe’ set to revive the Universal Monsters lineup?
This lead to a new slate of films planned for a revamped line of Universal Monsters. As it would have been interesting to see that original lineup come to fruition, Universal’s new approach to the Dark Universe is actually pretty refreshing.
Is Universal’s Dark Universe tapping into something better?
The Dark Universe may have been crushed after just one film, but if Universal is smart about things, they could be tapping into something much better.
Is the Dark Universe still a thing?
The cancelation of the Dark Universe saw a number of announced Universal Monster movies bite the proverbial dust. The Mummy was originally intended to be followed up with a Frankenstein movie starring Javier Bardem and an Invisible Man remake starring Johnny Depp.
Why did Universal cancel the Dark Universe?
Take a look at all the planned Universal Monsters remakes set for The Dark Universe that were canceled following box office bomb of The Mummy.
What monsters are in the Dark Universe?
The Mummy. Alex Kurtzman's The Mummy will be the first monster movie out of the gate for this refreshed monster universe, with a June 9 release date. ... Dracula. ... The Bride of Frankenstein. ... Frankenstein. ... The Invisible Man. ... The Wolfman. ... Van Helsing.
Who created the Dark Universe?
Universal Pictures (also known as Universal Studios or simply Universal), founded as the Universal Film Manufacturing Company, is an American film studio responsible for the creation of the Dark Universe.
Is the invisible man in the Dark Universe?
During an interview with Cinemablend's ReelBlend Podcast on February 22,2020 Director Leigh Whannell stated that the movie is not part of the dark universe as stated "It was weird, this film came about in a really random way.
Is Dracula Untold part of the Dark Universe?
Dracula Untold was supposed to be the first entry in Universal's Dark Universe, with the unmade Van Helsing script being a direct sequel. The script for the Dark Universe's unmade Van Helsing movie was also a Dracula Untold sequel. As a franchise, Van Helsing has had a strange history.
What was the first universal monster?
A runaway success at the box office, Hunchback of Notre Dame inspired Universal to produce their first true horror film, The Phantom of the Opera, based on the mystery novel by Gaston Leroux. The film was released in 1925.
Is Chucky a universal monster?
However, there is one great unsung Universal Monster of recent years who actually appears in horror movies released by Universal: Chucky, the murderous sorta-doll from the Child's Play movies (and, as of this month, a television series).
Is Dracula a Universal monster?
Steve Jones of USA Today described Universal's most famous monsters as "pop culture icons", specifically Dracula, Frankenstein, the Creature from the Black Lagoon, the Mummy, and the Wolf Man.
Who did Johnny Depp play in the Dark Universe?
the Invisible ManJohnny Depp as the Invisible Man. Russell Crowe as Doctor Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. Javier Bardem as Frankenstein's monster.
Was The Mummy a failure?
The film performed okay internationally but was a huge commercial flop in the US and was utterly destroyed by critics. Intended to birth a cinematic universe of classic movie monsters including Frankenstein and Dracula, The Mummy instead imploded all of the studio's plans.
Is The Mummy part of Marvel?
N'Kantu the Living Mummy is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character's first run was from 1973 to 1975, and was based on the popular undead mummy trope of horror fiction.
Why was there no sequel to Dracula untold?
Alex Proyas was set to direct while Sam Worthington (Avatar) would play the lead, but Universal canceled the project over budget issues.
Will there ever be a sequel to Dracula untold?
Dracula Untold 2 Release Date: [Update: January, 2022] There is no news about this second part of it yet. It was lost in the plans of Universal. They are trying to make another reboot for the “Dark Universe” along with “Invisible Man”. And this will be released in 2020.
Was The Mummy a failure?
The film performed okay internationally but was a huge commercial flop in the US and was utterly destroyed by critics. Intended to birth a cinematic universe of classic movie monsters including Frankenstein and Dracula, The Mummy instead imploded all of the studio's plans.
Who is Johnny Depp in the dark universe?
the Invisible ManJohnny Depp as the Invisible Man. Russell Crowe as Doctor Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.
Is Universal's Dark Universe a modern take on classic tales of sci-fi and horror?
Should this lineup maintain its current course, and that last project mentioned be confirmed, Universal’s Dark Universe seems to be on a corrected trajectory to becoming a modern take on classic tales of sci-fi and horror worth watching out for. Though it certainly helps that, as always, this go-round is taking one step at a time, and putting one film into the world to test the waters before committing too much to all of the others.
Is the Dark Army a changin?
Dark Army. Another interesting sign that Universal’s Dark Universe is a’changin is the fact that writer /director Paul Feig has been brought into the fold with a project to call his own. After delivering comedy projects like Bridesmaids and Last Christmas to the studio, Feig is now on deck to work on a project known only as Dark Army.
What is Universal Monsters?
The loosely collated series of films known as the Universal Monsters helped to cement the studio’s reputation during the Golden Age of cinema, and it remains their most enduring brand. Dracula and company were to Universal what Mickey Mouse was to The Walt Disney Company. However, the public domain stings: while they’d attempted reboots, remakes and countless re-imaginings over the years, eventually those classic horror creations became as heavily defined by other studios as the place where it had all began. Dracula, The Phantom of the Opera and Frankenstein’s Monster stopped being their exclusive property. Yet the historical importance of their contributions endured, and so it made sense for the studio to want to update their brands for a new era of cinema.
Is the Mummy reboot a franchise?
On paper, the 2017 reboot of The Mummy made more sense as a potential franchise starter : The 1999 remake was incredibly popular and proved audiences were open to seeing a more blockbuster focused take on classic horror, and Tom Cruise still carried major international clout as an action hero at the box office. Taking the time to make a real starting point for a new franchise gave the expansive creative team hired by Universal the opportunity to establish its universe more thoroughly.
Is the Mummy a dark universe?
For a solid 20 years, Universal has been trying to make the Dark Universe happen. The surprise success of The Mummy encouraged the studio to dig deeper into their horror archives, but the first result was Van Helsing. The 2004 monster mash movie is perfectly serviceable as a trashy Summer flick but audiences weren't enthused to invest further in this planned franchise, and the sequels were scrapped. A 2010 remake of The Wolfman offered similarly disappointing results. However, these films weren't marketed specifically as the planned starting points for major expanded universes in the same way 2014's Dracula Untold was.
How many books are in Divergent?
With the Divergent novel series consisting of three books, Lionsgate followed the trend of splitting the final book into two movies to double their profits, but that isn’t how it worked out.
Was Green Lantern a DC movie?
DC's The Green Lantern was panned by many, and being the start of what was planned to be a whole franchise, it was essentially over before it began. The controversial super suit was a source of ridicule in Deadpool's movie.
Is the Universal Dark Universe the only abandoned movie franchise?
People mourn The Universal Dark Universe and what it could have been, but it is not the only abandoned movie franchise around.
Was Daredevil the first movie?
But it didn’t exactly turn out as planned, as the movie was a massive bomb at the box office and with critics.
Is there a secret to the Amazing Spider-Man?
9 The Amazing Spider-Man. It’s no secret The Amazing Spider-Man was only made so Sony could keep the licensing rights of the character instead of handing it back to Marvel, so it could be argued very few people’s hearts were in the production. But it wasn’t until The Amazing Spider-Man 2 when critics and audiences were completely disappointed.
Is there a sequel to Girl With The Dragon Tattoo?
2011 saw the release of David Fincher ’s incredible and stylish crime thriller, The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo, which was planned to be the first in a trilogy. Why there was no sequel still remains unclear, as the movie was successful and the whole creative team behind the original movie was involved in developing a sequel, including Fincher himself.
Is the invisible man a success?
Despite them shutting things down for the most part, we did get to see the studio get some success and traction by adopting a new approach to their monsters. Earlier in 2020, The Invisible Man was released, and the film was a success from top to bottom.
Does the Dark Universe work?
Making a film universe work requires the first installment to be a success that the studio can build on, and this was something that the Dark Universe lacked years ago. In fact, the first film in the proposed franchise flamed so badly, that the studio decided to start from scratch all over again.
Is the Dark Universe crushed?
The Dark Universe may have been crushed after just one film, but if Universal is smart about things, they could be tapping into something much better. By Tony Spence Published Oct 28, 2020.
Did Dracula end in the dark?
The film did end with Dracula in the modern age, meaning that he should have been included in the Dark Universe, but this never came to pass. After Dracula Untold fell on its face, Universal still remained determined to create a viable film universe with its classic monsters.
