The Mummy opens this Friday, and it’s supposed to signal the beginning of Universal’s Dark Universe franchise based around classic movie monsters. Producer and Mummy director Alex Kurtzman has been one of the guiding forces of this franchise alongside Chris Morgan (Fast & Furious), and he already has an outline of the films they want to tackle going forward.
Speaking to Fandom, Kurtzman said:
“We know we’re going to do Frankenstein, Bride of Frankenstein, Dracula, Creature from the Black Lagoon, Phantom of the Opera, Hunchback of Notre Dame, Invisible Man,” he says.
If Dracula is on the list, that’s probably the final nail in the coffin for Dracula Untold ever being considered part of this universe. Sorry, Luke Evans.
However, there are some other actors Kurtzman would like to bring into the fold. He tells Fandom, “I’d love to bring Michael Fassbender in, I’d love to bring Jennifer Lawrence in, I’d love to see Charlize Theron in there, Angelina Jolie…”
It’s worth noting that the next film in the Dark Universe, Bill Condon’s Bride of Frankenstein, still doesn’t have its title character, and I could easily see the studio eager to cast Lawrence, Theron, or Jolie in the role. Javier Bardem is already signed on to play Frankenstein.
While I understand Kurtzman’s eagerness to get the franchise rolling, one of the things I’ve admired is that they’re not getting ahead of themselves. While roles have been cast such as Johnny Depp as the Invisible Man, they’re not setting down release dates and then rushing to meet them. Bride of Frankenstein is the only movie on the schedule, and it’s not due out until 2019. That gives them plenty of time to figure out how to tackle all of these other pictures.
That being said, we’ll have to wait and see how The Mummy performs over the weekend to see if audiences are really interested in this new world of gods and monsters.