Trying to capture the monumental success that the MCU has achieved, virtually every film studio has attempted to start their own cinematic universes with their respective IPs. Of course, most of them failed to live up to what Marvel Studios had done. WB's DCEU was canceled in favor of a reboot; Fox's X-Men franchise was shut down after Disney purchased the studio; and Sony can't seem to figure out how to make their Spider-Man Universe a success. However, one universe was very promising, as the studio already had a history with crossover franchises: Universal's Dark Universe.
Officially starting with The mummy In 2017, the Tom Cruise-led film was the start of the Dark Universe, a shared universe consisting of Universal Studios' most famous movie monsters. The Dark Universe had a lot of promise considering the studio had a successful cinematic universe decades before the MCU even began. The original Universal Monster film series, such as Dracula, Frankenstein, The mummyand more, existed within the same universe, crossing over sporadically during each franchise's original run. Unfortunately, The mummy the reboot failed to revive the iconic monsters, and Dark Universe was canceled before it even really got off the ground.
Why the Dark Universe Project Failed, Explained
The Mummy Underperformed, Which Didn't Inspire Fan Confidence in the Franchise
It's no mystery that Universal's Dark Universe got off to a bad start. The mummy was a critical failure, racking up a pitiful 15% in Rotten tomatoes from critics with an audience score of 35%. The film also failed to conquer the box office, grossing $80 million domestically and just under $410 million worldwide (via The Numbers). A general rule of thumb for a film's break-even point is approximately 2.5x the budget. Given The mummy the budget was nearly $200 million, it is likely that the film lost money upon its initial release.
It's difficult to build a cinematic universe on shaky ground, and The mummy didn't establish a strong enough foundation for the rest of the Dark Universe to grow. It's entirely possible that the universe changed direction having only released one film, but it seems like the right decision for Universal to pull the plug before many projects were actually in production, likely saving the studio millions of dollars in the future. process. Still, there was a time when there were several major projects underway in the Dark Universe.
A Van Helsing film
Channing Tatum would have starred
In July 2017, THR confirmed that Van Helsing was in the works, with Channing Tatum set to star. The film would have been a reboot of the 2004 film of the same name, starring Hugh Jackman. What Van Helsing also failed to launch, which makes it appear that one Van Helsing the reboot would have faced an uphill battle from its inception, even with a star like Channing Tatum attached.
While the film was never cancelled, when Universal scrapped its Dark Universe plans, the Van Helsing reboot seemingly went in the bin with it. There's still hope for another Van Helsing movie, as a reboot is in the works. It's obviously no longer tied to the Dark Universe, and Channing Tatum likely won't appear in the film - if it ever comes out.
Dracula: The Untold 2
Would have been folded in the dark universe
Although The mummy was the official inaugural movement of the Dark Universe, Dracula Untold could be considered the unofficial beginning. Universal's 2014 reimagining of the monster classic was supposed to be a standalone film, as it was in production before Universal Studios planned a cinematic universe. After Deadline reported in 2014 that the film studio was planning to launch a shared universe, Dracula Untold it went through reshoots to remake the ending and open the door for it to be included.
A sequel was never actually confirmed, marking another dead attempt at a reboot of Universal Studios' classic monster franchise.
The Luke Evans-led sequel would likely have been tied into the Dark Universe if it were ever made. As The mummy in 2017, Dracula Untold It failed both financially and critically in 2014, and a sequel was never actually confirmed, marking another dead attempt at a reboot of Universal Studios' classic monster franchise, proving that it might have been harder to create a cinematic universe than originally thought.
Dr. Jekyll and Mr.
Russell Crowe would have been the Nick Fury of the universe
Jekyll (and his alter ego, Mr. Hyde) is a classic monster in the Universal Studios stable, and Russell Crowe would help shape the entire Dark Universe with his interpretation of the character. He would act as a sort of Nick Fury character for the universeappearing in several films, as he was tasked with hunting down supernatural threats. In fact, he appeared at the end of The mummyas Universal Studios was following the MCU formula pretty closely.
Of course, when Dark Universe was cancelled, Russell Crowe's film Dr. Jekyll and Mr. the film sank as a result. However, it is worth noting that there has never been a confirmed film in development for the character. It seems likely that he would have eventually gotten his own movie if the cinematic universe was successful, but it seems that Universal Studios was content to have him continually appear in other properties as they moved toward an Avengers-like threat. .
The Invisible Man
Johnny Depp has been confirmed to star
In February 2016, more than a year before the official announcement of Dark Universe, Deadline confirmed that Johnny Depp would star in a reboot of The Invisible Mana classic movie monster that was one of the Universal Studios films that revolve around these characters. It was a huge development at the time, given that Tom Cruise also starred The mummymeaning Universal Studios has secured two of the biggest movie stars on the planet.
Although the project was never cancelled, Depp did not return for the planned reboot after Dark Universe failed and director Leigh Whannell took over. Starring Elisabeth Moss, The Invisible Man was finally released in 2020 to fantastic reviews and was a hit at the box office, proving that these classic monsters never really needed to exist within a shared universe to truly succeed.
The Wolf Man
Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson was in talks to star
Although it was never actually confirmed or put into development THR talked about the rumors surrounding The Wolf Man, with megastar Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson set to star in the film. It would have been set in the Dark Universe, as the studio continued to pursue some of the biggest names in Hollywood at the time to really try to make their new cinematic universe a success.
When those plans fell through, it's reasonable to assume that conversations with Johnson about starring in the film dissipated. With The Wolf Man never bearing fruit for The Rock, he tried another cinematic universe, crossing over to the DCEU with the 2023 film, Black Adam. Universal Studios was adamant about making another film featuring its iconic monsters and The Invisible Man director, Leigh Whannell, was called back to revive the IP. Wolf Man is scheduled to be released on January 17, 2025. He will star Girls' Christopher Abbott, and act as an independent film.
The Creature from the Black Lagoon
Scarlett Johannson was rumored to lead
The Creature from the Black Lagoon It's interesting given the history of universal monsters on the big screen. The original film was only released in 1954, two decades after films like Dracula, The Invisible Manand The mummy were incredibly successful for the studio. Since the original trilogy of films, The Creature from the Black Lagoon has never been rebooted, but there were rumors of one back in Tom Cruise's time The mummy.
In 2015, Bloody disgusting reported that a remake of the iconic character was in the works and that Scarlett Johansson would star in the film. Johansson was one of the biggest actors of the time, successfully appearing in the MCU while also being an integral part of the story. The Creature from the Black Lagoon it would probably be in the Dark Universe, but nothing has come of the rumors.
The Bride of Frankenstein
Angelina Jolie was interested in playing the character
Back when Universal Studios was fully involved in its upcoming Dark Universe, a reboot of The Bride of Frankenstein was under construction, with Dusk franchise director Bill Condon attached. The Bride of Frankenstein seemed like a foolproof one, considering the original film is widely considered one of the best of Universal's classic monster films. Common Frankenstein film also in development, it was just a matter of time.
However, The Bride of Frankenstein it never reached production, and Angelina Jolie was never officially announced to play the character. In 2020, however, Variety reported that The Bride of Frankenstein was a priority for Universal Studios, and Jolie was still attached to the film in some way. It seems like this project was made forever, as Maggie Gyllenhaal says The bride is currently in production.
Frankenstein
Javier Bardem takes on the iconic role
There was never an official Frankenstein film in production for the Dark Universe, but Javier Bardem was attached to the universe, playing Frankenstein's monster in The Bride of Frankensteinand probably in his own film. He even appeared in the cast photo alongside Depp, Cruise, Crow and Sofia Boutella, confirming that he would indeed be part of the Dark Universe.
As reported by Weekly entertainment In 2022, Javier Bardem said he was still interested in playing the character, not completely ruling out hope that this chapter of his career would end. Of course, things have changed and director Guillermo del Toro is currently working on a Frankenstein reboot, with rising star Jacob Elordi set to play the monster. The cast is also impressive, with actors like Oscar Isaac, Christoph Waltz, and Mia Goth set to play roles in the film.
What's next for the dark universe
Revived in a very different way
Even though the initial Dark Universe immediately failed at Universal Studios, the company never gave up on its legendary creations and began working on new iterations of the characters. No longer needing to adhere to a cinematic universe, films like The Invisible Man, Frankenstein, The Bride of Frankensteinand Wolf Maneveryone found their balance in one way or another.
The Dark Universe as a concept is not yet completely finished, as Universal Studios continues to use the name for its next area in the Universal Epic Universe park. The grand opening is scheduled for May 22, 2025, showing that Universal Studios is 100% committed to continuing its most enduring legacy. THE Dark Universe It may be over in a cinematic sense, but there's still a lot to expect from these classic movie monsters.