When all of Hollywood, fueled by the success of the MCU, wanted big movie universes, Universal was there too. They wanted to re-establish their own classic horror monsters in a “Dark Universe” – and with nothing but superstars. The Mummy, starring Tom Cruise, Sofia Boutella and Russell Crowe, was the prelude. A Bride of Frankenstein movie starring Angelina Jolie was in development. Other stars such as Johnny Depp and Javier Bardem made it to a joint promotional photo – but then it was over. “The Mummy” flopped so badly in 2017 that the universe was pulverized before it even started.
What many don’t know: At the time, Guillermo del Toro was Universal’s first choice to lead the Dark Universe. But the acclaimed filmmaker turned it down — despite being a huge fan of classic movie monsters. His producer and longtime collaborator, J. Miles Dale, takes a look back at del Toro’s upcoming new Frankenstein movie – and says:
Now he’s creating his own monster universe here!
But slow. When you celebrate del Toro finally bringing together Frankenstein’s monster, the mummy, the invisible man, or Dracula, you’re taking Dale too literally. It’s worth reading between the lines for the Oscar Academy website read interviews with the producer.
Del Toro makes monster movies – but not a monster universe
Guillermo del Toro is currently working on a new interpretation of Mary Shelley’s legendary classic “Frankenstein”. He’s already put together a cast for it. According to unconfirmed rumors, these include Andrew Garfield, Oscar Isaac and Mia Goth. But don’t expect del Toro’s “Frankenstein” to start a franchise now.
If you look closely at what Dale has to say, he talks over first del Toro’s Oscar Success”Shape of water“ – it was a kind of version of a legendary monster. The main character is heavily inspired by the “Creature From The Black Lagoon” – as a famous Universal character is called.
What Dale is trying to say: Monsterfan del Toro gradually wants to put his own spin on the characters he loves – but with different films and different approaches. The word “universe” used here is a bit misleading – because nowadays, thanks to the MCU and Co., everyone thinks related movies are meant to be. But Dale may just want to differentiate del Toro’s films from the “Dark Universe” the director was given.
So it’s entirely possible that Guillermo del Toro will put his own spin on more classic monsters in the future. You can probably look forward to that. But don’t expect the resulting movies to be cohesive. Of course, it can never be ruled out that the director suddenly conjures up a Shyamalan-like twist – and we learn that the films take place in one world after all.