Invisible Man loses writer as studio reconfigures Dark Universe

Last Updated on July 30, 2021

Universal Studios certainly had high hopes for their Dark Universe franchise, a cinematic universe featuring many of their classic monsters such as Dracula, The Mummy, The Wolf Man, The Invisible Man, and more, but after the lackluster reception which THE MUMMY received, it seemed that the Dark Universe was over before it truly began. Alex Kurtzman and Chris Morgan had been hired to serve as the architects of the franchise, but they departed last November and left the future of the Dark Universe in doubt. Ed Solomon (MEN IN BLACK) had been tapped to pen the script for THE INVISIBLE MAN, which was to star Johnny Depp, but while speaking with Digital Spy, Solomon revealed that he's moved on from the project.

At the end of the day, I think Universal and I had a different idea of what the movie was gonna be. We began thinking that our notions would meld, and I should've listened more closely to what they really were wanting. I think Universal has had to come to a kind of reckoning of, 'What are we doing with the Dark Universe?' and, 'What is our real intention with it?', and I think they're reconfiguring it now, which I think is probably good. So I'm not working on it.

After THE MUMMY, I certainly wasn't about to get my hopes up for the remaining Dark Universe projects, but who knows what form the franchise could take after Universal's reconfiguration; less of an emphasis on big-budget action-adventure would definitely be a good move, but for now, I'll be sticking with the classic Universal Monster movies.

Considering his love of monsters, a great way to get fans back on-board the Dark Universe train would be to get Guillermo del Toro's involvement, especially as he has expressed his regret at not taking it on when Universal came calling the first time. "The only time I repent I didn’t do something was in 2007," del Toro said. "When Universal in an incredibly gentle and beautiful manner said do you want to take over the Monster Universe? And they gave me the reins of several properties, and I didn’t do it. That I repent. So this is a confessional moment, I repent. That’s the only thing."

What does Universal have to do in order to get the Dark Universe back on track?