Universal’s “Dark Universe” Cinematic Universe Is Probably Dead

If you saw Universal’s first film from their planned Dark Universe cinematic universe, The Mummy, 2 things are probably true. First, you probably aren’t living in the USA. According to BoxofficeMojo.com $329 million of the film’s $400 million take came from outside the country. Second, you probably left the theater unsatisfied. The film’s critic score on Rottentomatoes.com is just 16% with 36% of the audience saying they liked it.

Despite the critical bashing that the movie got on it’s released, Universal was very clear about their plans to move forward with more films based on classic Universal Monsters, starring A-List celebrities like Javier Bardem as Frankenstein’s monster, Johnny Depp as The Invisible Man, and Angelina Jolie as The Bride of Frankenstein. No, however, it’s starting to look like those movies are probably not going to happen and the universe that ties them together is unraveling faster than a Mummy in the men’s room of an Indian food restaurant.

the problem that Universal now faces is that THR is reporting the two men they tasked with overseeing the entire connected universe, Alex Kurtzman & Chris Morgan, have jumped ship. the office building where development for the movies was underway now sits empty. Even worse, pre-production on the next film in the franchise (Bill Condon’s Bride of Frankenstein) has been halted and no release date has been announced.

According to THR, Universal isn’t saying this is the end, but they are admitting that they are exploring their options. One of those options could be to move forward with the films, but scrap the idea of a universe that ties them together. That means none of the upcoming slate would be bogged down by bad memories of Cruise’s Mummy, they could use each new film as a vehicle for high profile directors and A-List casts, and the entire focus could be on making the best film instead of making a film that fits into the continuity of several others.

Source: THR