RIP Dark Universe 2017-2017, your misguided ambitions brought us so much joy.
I don’t know if there was a particular executive responsible for the decision that led to the news that broke in Variety yesterday, but Universal should’ve been collaborating with Blumhouse on these monster movies from the beginning, and you don’t have to be the smartest guy in the room to figure it out.
But now they finally got the hint, and have now tapped the writer and director of Upgrade, Leigh Whannell to write and direct a reboot of The Invisible Man. This will depart from Universal’s initial plan of a connected universe (which means no Johnny Depp for this, thank goodness), and focusing on projects that are driven by filmmakers who want to bring something fresh to the table, keeping the films rooted in horror, and allowing these artists to do their thing without forcing connections. Here’s what Peter Cramer, Universal’s President of Production, had to say:
“Throughout cinematic history, Universal’s classic monsters have been reinvented through the prism of each new filmmaker who brought these characters to life. We are excited to take a more individualized approach for their return to screen, shepherded by creators who have stories they are passionate to tell with them.”
I’m all for this new approach to bringing back the Universal Monsters, turning The Mummy into a big superhero-esque spectacle (as entertaining it may have been) was just not the way to bring these characters back, and deciding to keep them rooted in horror is great to hear. I hope these projects are allowed to get as weird and distinct as they want. It just inspires a lot of confidence that we might actually get to see these characters done right. I’m very curious to see what angle Whannell is going to take with this particular story, and I’m excited to see these characters come back to the big screen.