In addition to afemale-led reboot on the small screen,Van Helsingis getting revamped on the feature film side of things as well. PerVariety,PrometheusandDoctor StrangescreenwriterJon Spaihtshas been tasked with co-writing a reboot for the vampire hunter alongsideThe Thingremake screenwriterEric Heissererfor Universal Pictures. The studio is in the midst of mapping out a series of interconnected films set within its “monster” universe, kicking off with aThe Mummyrebootdirected byAlex Kurtzman.
The ever-busy Kurtzman, who recentlysigned on to produce a newStar TrekTV series, is overseeing the development of this Universal Monsters Universe with longtimeFast & FuriousscreenwriterChris Morgan. The twoassembled a “writers room” of screenwritersincludingNoah Hawley(Fargo),Aaron Guzikowski(Prisoners), andEd Solomon(Now You See Me) last year to help break and craft stories for a series of films, includingDracula,Frankenstein,The Invisible Man, andThe Bride of Frankenstein.
At the time the writers room was assembled,Van Helsingwas also on the to-do list, but it’s unclear if one of those writers took a stab at the screenplay or if Universal is just now getting around to mapping it out. Kurtzman’sMummyreboot will take place in present day, but it’s unclear whereVan Helsingwill fit into the universe timeline-wise.
Indeed, we know basically nothing about this interconnected universe play because nothing has come to fruition yet.The Mummyis slated for release on June 21, 2025, and it appears as though that film is finally headed towards a production start as we recently learned that Kurtzman and the studio aremulling a gender swap for the titular monster. Kurtzman and Morgan will produceVan Helsing, so they’re intimately involved in this film’s development as well.
Spaihts originated the screenplay that becamePrometheus, but he’s also worked on Marvel’sDoctor Strangeand scripted the upcomingJennifer Lawrence/Chris Prattsci-fi love storyPassengers. He also pennedThe Mummyfor Kurtzman, so clearly Kurtzman is happy with Spaihts’ take on this monster universe. Heisserer, meanwhile, most recently pennedSicariodirectorDenis Villeneuve’s upcoming sci-fi filmStory of Your Life.
When willVan Helsingcome to fruition, where will it take place, and will it be the follow-up toThe Mummy? At this point we can only guess, but Universal is clearly still committed to making this monster universe thing happen.
