Trying to capture the monumental success the MCU had enjoyed, virtually every movie studio tried 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’sDCEU was canceled in favor of a reboot; Fox’s X-Men franchise was finished after Disney bought the studio; and Sony can’t seem to figure out how to make their Spider-Man Universe successful. One universe had a lot of promise, though, given that the studio already had a history with crossover franchises: Universal’s the Dark Universe.
Officially starting withThe Mummyin 2017, the Tom Cruise-led film was the beginning 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 run of Universal Monster movies, likeDracula,Frankenstein,The Mummy, and more, existed within the same universe, crossing over sporadically during each franchise’s original run. Unfortunately,The Mummyreboot failed to revive the iconic monsters, andthe Dark Universe was cannedbefore it ever really took off.
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 poor start.The Mummywas a critical failure, amassing a pitiful 15% onRotten Tomatoesfrom critics with a 35% audience score. The film also didn’t take the box office by storm, making $80 million domestically, and just under $410 million worldwide (viaThe Numbers). A general rule of thumb for a movie’s break-even point is roughly 2.5x the budget. GivenThe Mummy’sbudget was nearly $200 million, it’s likely the film lost money on its initial release.
Tom Cruise’s The Mummy Failure: 8 Reasons Why Dark Universe Failed Before It Began
Despite Tom Cruise taking the lead role, 2017’s The Mummy was a failure that stopped the Dark Universe from progressing, but why did it flop?
It’s hard to build a cinematic universe on shaky ground, andThe Mummydidn’t set a strong enough foundation for the rest of the Dark Universe to grow. It’s entirely possible that the universe could have turned itself around having only released one film, but it feels like the right decision for Universal to pull the plug before too many projects were actually deep in production, most likely saving the studio millions of dollars in the process. Still, there was a time when there were several major projects in the works in the Dark Universe.
A Van Helsing Film
Channing Tatum Would Have Starred
In July 2017,THRconfirmed thatVan Helsingwas in the works, with Channing Tatum set to star. The film would have been a reboot of the 2004 movie of the same name, starring Hugh Jackman. ThatVan Helsingalso failed upon its release, which makes it seem likeaVan Helsingreboot would have been facing an uphill battle since its inception, even with a star like Channing Tatum attached.
Although the film never got outright canceled, when Universal scrapped their Dark Universe plans, the Van Helsing reboot seemingly went into the trash along with it. There is stillhope for another Van Helsing film, though, as a reboot is currently in the works. It’s no longer attached to the Dark Universe obviously, and Channing Tatum is likely not going to be featured in the film — if it ever actually gets released.
Dracula Untold 2
Would Have Been Folded Into The Dark Universe
AlthoughThe Mummywas the official inaugural moive of the Dark Universe,Dracula Untoldcould be considered the unofficial start. The 2014 reimagining of the classic Universal monster was supposed to be a standalone film, as it was in production before Universal Studios planned a cinematic universe. AfterDeadlinereported in 2014 that the movie studio was planning on launching a shared universe,Dracula Untoldwent through reshoots to retool the ending and open up the door for it to be included.
A sequel was never actually confirmed, marking another dead franchise reboot attempt of Universal Studios' classic monsters.
The Luke Evans-led sequel would most likely have been tied to the Dark Universe if it was ever made. LikeThe Mummyin 2017,Dracula Untoldfailed both financially and critically in 2014, and a sequel was never actually confirmed, marking another dead franchise reboot attempt of Universal Studios' classic monsters, proving that it might have been harder to create a cinematic universe than what was originally thought.
Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde
Russell Crowe Would Have Been The Universe’s Nick Fury
Dr. Jekyll (and his alter-ego, Mr. Hyde) is a classic monster in the Universal Studios stable, and Russell Crowe was going to have a hand in shaping the entire Dark Universe with his interpretation of the character.He was going to act as sort of a Nick Fury character for the universe, appearing in multiple films, as he was in charge of hunting down supernatural threats. He actually appeared towards the end ofThe Mummy, as Universal Studios was following the MCU formula quite closely.
Russell Crowe’s Back-To-Back Exorcism Movies Made Up For His Failed Horror Franchise That Died After One Film
Russell Crowe hasn’t appeared in too many horror movies throughout his career, but his most recent Exorcism films make up for his failed 2017 horror.
Of course, when the Dark Universe was canceled, Russell Crowe’sDr. Jekyll and Mr. Hydefilm went down with it. Though, it is worth mentioning that there was never a confirmed movie in development for the character. It seems likely that he would have gotten his own film eventually if the cinematic universe was successful, but it feels like Universal Studios was content with having him continuously pop up in other properties instead, as they built towards an Avengers-like threat.
The Invisible Man
Johnny Depp Was Confirmed To Star
In February 2016, over a year prior to the official announcement of the Dark Universe,Deadlineconfirmed that Johnny Depp would be starring in a reboot ofThe Invisible Man, a classic movie monster that was one of Universal Studios' films revolving around those characters. It was a massive development at the time, given that Tom Cruise was also starring inThe Mummy, meaningUniversal Studios had secured two of the biggest movie stars on the planet.
Although the project was never outright canceled, Depp didn’t return for the planned reboot after the Dark Universe fell through, and director Leigh Whannell took over. Starring Elisabeth Moss,The Invisible Manwas eventually released in 2020 to fantastic reviews and made a killing at the box office, proving that these classic monsters never actually needed to exist within a shared universe to actually be successful.
The Wolf Man
Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson Was In Talks To Star
Though it was never actually confirmed or put into development,THRspoke about the rumors surroundingThe Wolf Man,with megastar Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson set to star in the film. It would have been set within the Dark Universe, as the studio kept on pursuing some of the biggest names in Hollywood at the time to really try and make their brand-new cinematic universe successful.
The Rock’s attempt at being in another cinematic universe didn’t pan out whenBlack Adamunderperformed upon release.
When the plans fell through, it’s reasonable to assume that talks with Johnson about starring in the film dissipated. WithThe Wolf Mannever coming to fruition for The Rock, he tried his hand at another cinematic universe, crossing into the DCEU with the 2023 film,Black Adam. Universal Studios was adamant about making another film with their iconic monsters andThe Invisible Mandirector, Leigh Whannell, was called upon again to revive the IP.Wolf Manis set to be released on August 04, 2025. It will starGirls' Christopher Abbott, and act as a standalone film.
The Creature From The Black Lagoon
Scarlett Johannson Was Rumored To Lead
The Creature from the Black Lagoonis an interesting one given the history of Universal monsters on the big screen. The original film didn’t come out until 1954, two decades after films likeDracula,The Invisible Man, andThe Mummywere incredibly successful for the studio. Since the original trilogy of films,The Creature from the Black Lagoonhas never gotten a reboot, but there was rumored to be one around the time of Tom Cruise’sThe Mummy.
In 2015,Bloody Disgustingreported that a remake of the iconic character was in the works, and that Scarlett Johansson was set to be the film’s lead. Johansson was one of the biggest actors working at the time, successfully appearing in the MCU, while being an integral part of the story.The Creature from the Black Lagoonwould likely have been in the Dark Universe, but nothing ever came to be from the rumors.
The Bride of Frankenstein
Angelina Jolie Was Eyed To Play The Character
Back when Universal Studios was fully in on their upcoming Dark Universe, a reboot ofThe Bride of Frankensteinwas in the works, withTwilightfranchise director Bill Condon attached.The Bride of Frankensteinfelt like a surefire thing, considering the original film is largely considered one of thebest among Universal’s classic monster movies. With aFrankensteinfilm also in development, it was only a matter of time.
However,The Bride of Frankensteinnever actually made it to production, and Angelina Jolie was never officially announced to be playing the character. In 2020, though,Varietyreported thatThe Bride of Frankensteinwas a priority for Universal Studios, and Jolie was still attached to the film in some capacity. It seems like that project is done for good, asMaggie Gyllenhaal’sThe Brideis currently in production.
Frankenstein
Javier Bardem Steps Into 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 inThe Bride of Frankenstein, and then most likely in his own film. He was even featured in the cast photo alongside Depp, Cruise, Crow and Sofia Boutella, confirming that he was indeed going to be part of the Dark Universe.
I’m Looking Forward To Both Upcoming Frankenstein Films For 1 Key Reason
One key decision in both Gyllenhaal’s and del Toro’s upcoming Frankenstein films has me looking forward to them more than any other adaptation.
As reported byEntertainment Weeklyback in 2022, Javier Bardem said that he was still interested in playing the character, not completely ruling out hope of that chapter in his career being over. Of course, things have changed and directorGuillermo del Toro is currently working on aFrankensteinreboot, with rising star Jacob Elordi set to play the monster. The cast is impressive as well, with actors like Oscar Isaac, Christoph Waltz, and Mia Goth set to have roles in the film.
What’s Next For The Dark Universe
Revived In A Much Different Way
Even though the initial Dark Universe failed immediately at Universal Studios, the company never gave up on their legendary creations, and got to work on new iterations of the characters. No longer needing to adhere to a cinematic universe, films likeThe Invisible Man,Frankenstein,The Bride of Frankenstein, andWolf Man, all found their footing in one way or another.
The Dark Universe as a concept isn’t completely finished, though, as Universal Studios continues to use the name for their upcoming area in theUniversal Epic Universepark. It is set to be opened on June 29, 2025, showing that Universal Studios is 100% committed to continuing on their most enduring legacy. TheDark Universemay be over in a cinematic sense, but there is still a lot to look forward to from these classic movie monsters.
