In May 2017,a publicity photowas released from Universal Pictures to drum up extra hype for the studio’s Dark Universe, a cinematic universe based onthe Universal Monsters brand. The image showed a collection of big-name talent ranging fromTom CruisetoRussell CrowetoJavier Bardem, and thanks to the magic of Photoshop, all the actors assembled for various roles inThe Mummyand upcoming Dark Universe movies were now in one image. For one moment, moviegoers got a glimpse into what a star-studded Dark Universe could look like. It was the last glimpse they’d ever get, however, as the entire endeavor would be scuttled within a year.
The genesis of the Dark Universe goes back to where so many 2010s blockbusters originated:The Avengers. This film’s record-breaking box-office haul proved thataudiences would not only show up for cinematic universe storytelling, but that it could be a huge draw and a way to build up excitement and must-see status for multiple films at once. In July 2014,Universal dove head-firstinto this style of blockbuster storytelling by announcing thatAlex KurtzmanandChris Morganwere spearheading a new project — one that would reimagine the Universal Monsters as one cohesive cinematic universe.
An ancient Egyptian princess is awakened from her crypt beneath the desert, bringing with her malevolence grown over millennia and terrors that defy human comprehension.
How Did the Dark Universe Come About?
Now, back in the 1930s and 1940s, the likes of Dracula and The Wolfman had long beaten Iron Man and Captain America to the movie crossover punch. However, since those days, any attempt to relaunch these characters had been done in disparate solo outings. There was never any thought thatBenicio del Toro’sThe WolfmanandBrendan Fraser’sThe Mummyexisted in the same universe, but that was now a thing of the past, and Universal was putting big blockbuster talent behind this effort to make the next Marvel Cinematic Universe. Kurtzman had been involved in big hits likeStar TrekandTransformerswhile Morgan was the primary screenwriter of Universal’sFast & Furioussaga.
At the time,the initial plan was for a rebooted take onThe Mummyto kick off this new, still yet-to-be-titled cinematic universe in April 2016. However, a few months later, some rumors emerged suggesting that the October 2014 titleDracula Untoldhad been tweaked in post-production to include a new ending that would allowLuke Evans' version of Dracula to be incorporated into the planned slate of Universal Monsters titles. Additionally, a knowledgeable vampire portrayed byCharles Dancewas also seen as having the potential to be this franchise’s equivalent tothe MCU’s Nick Fury(Samuel L. Jackson). However,Dracula Untoldwould later be discarded entirely, leavingThe Mummyas the undisputed kick-off point to this saga.
In November 2015, the key creative personnel behind what would become the Dark Universeexplained to Varietythe underlying appeal of relaunching these characters as scarier superheroes. Specifically, folks likeMorgan believed that audiences would be enamored with and even relate to the darker sensibilities of figures like Dracula and The Wolfman, especially compared to the perfect physicality and heroics of typical Marvel superheroes. This same month, Tom Cruise signed on to headlineThe Mummy, establishing a precedent for buzzy big-name leads that future Dark Universe projects would lean into.
‘The Mummy’ Was Meant to Kick Off the Dark Universe
That wasn’t the only wayThe Mummywas establishing norms for subsequent franchise installments to build on. The film’s protagonist, Nick Morton (Cruise), spends the second act of The Mummy wandering around a facility owned by the corporation Prodigium, which tracks monsters from all over the globe. Here, teases of characters like theCreature from the Black Lagoonfill the screen while the whole organization is overseen by Dr. Jekyll (Russell Crowe). Curiously, this figure was not part of the classic Universal Monsters mythology. A pair of big-budget film adaptations ofDr. Jekyll and Mr. Hydewere made in the Universal Monsters style in the 1930s and 1940s, but none hailed from Universal. Thus,The Mummymarked the first appearance of Dr. Jekyll and his alter-ego Mr. Hyde in any Universal Monsters media.
Another peculiar element came about from how the titular Mummy ofThe Mummy, portrayed bySofia Boutella, is eventually killed by Morton. This feat comes at a grave cost and leaves Morton disfigured to an unknown degree. This ambiguity comes from how Morton remains in the shadows after defeating his foe, while an epilogue, which also features a suddenly resurrectedJake Johnson, keeps Cruise’s character wrapped up in layers upon layers of bandages. The intent here seems to have been to leave Morton’s fate and physical appearance ambiguous so that future Dark Universe movies could fill in the blanks.
Such future projects began to come into focus in the months leading up toThe Mummy’sJune 2017 premiere. The first of thesewas announced in February 2016as a fresh new take onThe Invisible Man, which would starJohnny Depp, continuing the casting style of having big names inhabit iconic monsters. In April 2017,Bill Condonwas attached to directa new reimagining ofThe Bride of Frankenstein, a significant coup considering he was hot off helming the massive box office hitBeauty and the Beast. This feature would eventually signJavier Bardemto play Frankenstein’s monster, whileAngelina Joliewas eyeballed for the titular Bride.
‘The Mummy’ Crushed the Hopes for the Dark Universe
Just days beforeThe Mummypremiered, further clarity on what the Dark Universe could entail was delivered through the news thatUniversal wanted none other thanDwayne Johnsonto play a new take onThe Wolfman. With an avalanche of projects waiting in the wings, andBride of Frankensteineven given a February 2019 release date, expectations were high forThe Mummy. Unfortunately,this new Dark Universe title ended up falling significantly short, even divorced from hopes that it would become theIron Manof monster movies. Scoring absolutely dreadful reviews, it was only a few days into its theatrical run that analysts began to predict that the filmwould end up losing nearly $100 millionfor Universal.
Initially, it seemed like the plan was for the Dark Universe to keep on churning and useThe Mummyas a learning experience. This was reflected in how, a little over a month afterThe Mummycrashed and burned in theaters, reports emerged ofChanning Tatumbeing a favorite by Universal to play Van Helsing. However,it became clear in October 2017 that the Dark Universe’s days were numbered whenBride of Frankensteinwas put on hold. What Universal initially described as a temporary pause quickly transformed into the project being shelved. By January 2019,the entire Dark Universe sagahad joined Condon’sBride of Frankensteinin being obsolete.
The Invisible Man Was Almost Played by a Different Universal Monster Icon
Bet you didn’t see this one coming.
With the Dark Universe now in the rearview mirror, it’s easy to see why this would-be franchise failed to gain momentum. The Marvel Cinematic Universe worked because it embraced what made its characters great; there was confidence in embracing the unique qualities of figures like theGuardians of the GalaxyorBlack Panther. By contrast,the Dark Universe largely abandoned qualities that people associated with vintage interpretations of Dracula or The Mummy. Gone were spooky castles, gothic backdrops, and queer-coded storytelling. Instead, there were now avalanches of CGI spectacle that could’ve come from any movie.
It’s interesting to note that the same yearThe Mummyfailed at the box office,It(which hailed from directorAndy Muscheitti, who was previously signed on to helmThe Mummy) hit unprecedented box office heights for an R-rated horror movie. WhereasThe Mummywas a financial disaster by trying to emulate past lucrative action films,Itresonated with audiences by embracing its distinct horror vibes. This only rubs further salt in the wounds of the only proper Dark Universe installment, being another blistering reminder of all this franchise sacrificed in trying to be universally appealing.
Is the Dark Universe Still Happening?
While the Dark Universe withered away and died, Universal has never fully given up on the idea of uniting various disparate monster films in one expansive continuity. The 2023 featureRenfieldfeatured no pieces of connective tissue toThe Invisible Manor the 2017Mummyfilm, but it did explicitly tie its plot into the original Bela Lugosi Dracula movies from the 1930s. The motion picture even went so far as to digitally addRenfield’sleading men,Nicolas CageandNicholas Hoult,into old footage from the very firstDraculafilm, thus suggesting that this vintage horror picture and Renfield occupy the same continuity. WhileThe Mummywas seeking to carve out a whole new world of interconnected narratives,Renfieldattempted to pull aSpider-Man: No Way Homein retroactively making pre-established motion pictures part of a larger cinematic puzzle.
Unsurprisingly, this kind of connective tissue didn’t spark nearly as much excitement as, say, Han Solo re-emerging inThe Force Awakens,mostly because Dracula movies have become extremely common in mainstream culture. Still, the basic attempt to interweaveRenfieldwith one of the oldest Universal Monsters titles (rather than just rebooting with a fresh new version of Dracula likeDracula Untolddid in 2014) demonstrates that someform of the cinematic universe approach endures in post-The MummyUniversal Monsters projects. The Dark Universe is dead and never coming back, especially with the high-profile failure of so many other cinematic universes. However, the notion of uniting assorted Universal Monsters movies (even just specific franchises like theDraculamovies orWolfmantitles) doesn’t appear to be dead yet.
Upcoming titles like 2024’s remake ofThe Wolfman(the reins of whose titular character haverecently been passed fromRyan GoslingtoChristopher Abbott) also seem to be beating their drum when it comes to reimagining Universal Monsters figures. Even if these subsequent films aren’t a total home run, it’s doubtful they’ll fare worse than the Dark Universe, whose greatest creative legacy is providing an amusingly bizarre publicity photo.
The Mummyis available to rent on Prime Video in the U.S.
