Well, this is a great f*cking surprise here on a Monday!
It looks like none other than Blumhouse Productions will be tasked with rebooting the once defunct Dark Universe of Universal monster movies and it's all set to kick off with writer-director Leigh Whannel's take on THE INVISIBLE MAN. Johnny Depp was once attached to the movie, but it seems he will not be in this new version… but he could be featured in another one of the monster movie projects in development.
Huh? This is all getting a bit confusing, but stick with me here as it's all pretty badass. Evidently, the move is part of a fresh strategy for Universal – who has evidently tabled the interconnected universe and is "reassessing how to keep the enduring characters relevant for a new generation" – to reboot their monsters with "creative directors with distinctive visions" bringing their takes to the classic characters. Also Universal wants to make sure and point out that they remain "committed to creating compelling filmmaker-driven projects based on characters from the studio’s vast monsters legacy."
Peter Cramer, Universal’s president of production
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 the screen, shepherded by creators who have stories they are passionate to tell with them.
The decision comes after Tom Crusie's THE MUMMY which all but killed the planned Dark Universe from the get-go. But this new Blumhouse Dark Universe will – get this shite – not be a unified, connected universe of movies, and the studio "will be able to open up the characters to filmmakers who will be inspired to create their own unique stories." And if that wasn't cool enough, the new movies "will be rooted in horror, with no restrictions on budget, tone, or rating, and no expectation that they will exist as part of a shared universe."
Sounds good to us! On top of all that, Universal has been meeting with big-time directors for various monsters. Whannel's THE INVISIBLE MAN is one of those new films – but that does not mean it will be the first monster movie to go into production. Turns out other pitches are coming in revolving around other characters as well. And finally, the actors previously attached to all those Dark Universe movies such as Johnny Depp, Javier Bardem, Tom Cruise, and Russell Crowe will still have the option to appear in any of the movies they want after a director "with a new vision" is brought on.
This is epic news, but I guess all of us should have seen this coming. After all, Universal has been a major partner with Blumhouse for a while now, distributing some of their biggest hits such as M. Night Shyamalan's SPLIT and GLASS, along with Jordan Peele's GET OUT, and director David Gordon Green's recent direct sequel to John Carpenter's HALLOWEEN. These are four Blumhouse productions that have made Universal mucho-money and so again it makes sense that they would partner with the indie horror studio to reboot the failed Dark Universe. Good call, Universal.
We'll let you know when we hear more on Blumhouse's rebooted Dark Universe. Until then, make sure to hit us up and let us know what you think of this epic news in the comments section below!