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[Grizzlyjin]

Makes that photoshoot they did with all the stars that much sadder.

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/he...is-morgan-exit-universal-monsterverse-1055854

Just five months after Universal released a much-discussed cast photo promising a slew of movies starring the likes of Johnny Depp, Russell Crowe and Javier Bardem — all drawn on characters like the Invisible Man, Wolf Man and Frankenstein in its stable of classic horror films — none of the projects appears to have a pulse.

Writer-producers Alex Kurtzman and Chris Morgan, who were hired as the monster universe architects, have departed the franchise, sources tell The Hollywood Reporter. Kurtzman, whose deal with Universal lapsed in September, is focusing on television (he's an executive producer on CBS All Access' Star Trek: Discovery, and his overall deal with CBS involves more than a half-dozen shows), while Morgan has returned to the Fast and Furious franchise and is writing a spinoff for Dwayne Johnson and Jason Statham.

Emblematic of Dark Universe's problems is the tony office building on the Universal lot that was revamped at considerable expense for the new venture. After being decked out in monster regalia, it now sits mostly empty.

 

[kunonabi]

I am so very shocked that moving away from horror and hiring Kurtzman turned out to be an absolutely terrible idea.

 

[Jezan]

The idea of a universe with many monsters around sounds awesome, but The Mummy was just an excuse for a Tom Cruise action movie. They need to rethink their "universe", something like those canons from the SCP Foundation.

 

[ItemCollector]

The execution was so fucking stupid that I couldn't take it seriously. No one gives a shit about stupid ass monsters.

 

[HellforLeather]

Did the Mummy actually do really well in China and other overseas markets? I thought for that reason alone that they would have still continued it.

 

[Night Angel]

Maybe turning monster movies into soulless action flicks was a bad idea.

 

[kunonabi]

Did the Mummy actually do really well in China and other overseas markets? I thought for that reason alone that they would have still continued it.

Yeah, especially South Korea I believe.

 

[Da-Kid]

The mistake they made was making the Mummy an action film. If you're trying to truly make a movie Universe of monsters base it in horror. Not action and comedy because that simply does not fit with what they have.

 

[Callego]

The execution was so fucking stupid that I couldn't take it seriously. No one gives a shit about stupid ass monsters.

Nah there are people that care. The problem is those people don't want them in action movies.

 

[Revolutionary]

Alex Kurtzman leaving is actually good news. The fact that they're looking to court someone actually familiar with the horror genre (Blumhouse) is even better.
Here's hoping they can salvage this mess.

The mistake they made was making the Mummy an action film. If you're trying to truly make a movie Universe of monsters base it in horror. Not action and comedy because that simply does not fit with what they have.

They wanted some of that sweet sweet Chinese Box Office money, so they had to make it an action film with long-winded expository voice-overs for easy dubbing.

 

[Bigby_Wolf]

Maybe turning monster movies into soulless action flicks was a bad idea.

This so hard.

Sad. I was really excited when I heard the idea. A darker, R-rated horror universe where all these creatures existed at the same time was what I imagined.

To get Marvel universe but now with the Mummy and Frankenstein's monster was a big letdown.

 

[tkscz]

The execution was so fucking stupid that I couldn't take it seriously. No one gives a shit about stupid ass monsters.

You'd be extremely wrong about that. Millions care about the old Universal monsters, but Universal isn't treating them right. The Mummy was an awful attempt to rip off Marvel/DC and just failed at either. Monster movies started the Cinematic Universe idea, so you'd think they'd know to keep focus on one movie at a time with small cameos and hints towards the other movies and not just fuck around trying to build everything else while making a bad rip-off movie.

Btw, that Dracula movie and I-Frankenstein, were they apart of this? I thought those were the first of the Dark Universal Universe.

 

[Bigby_Wolf]

You'd be extremely wrong about that. Millions care about the old Universal monsters, but Universal isn't treating them right. The Mummy was an awful attempt to rip off Marvel/DC and just failed at either. Monster movies started the Cinematic Universe idea, so you'd think they'd know to keep focus on one movie at a time with small cameos and hints towards the other movies and not just fuck around trying to build everything else while making a bad rip-off movie.

Btw, that Dracula movie and I-Frankenstein, were they apart of this? I thought those were the first of the Dark Universal Universe.

I think at least Dracula was supposed to be but after it bombed they were like 'Just kidding!"

 

[kunonabi]

You'd be extremely wrong about that. Millions care about the old Universal monsters, but Universal isn't treating them right. The Mummy was an awful attempt to rip off Marvel/DC and just failed at either. Monster movies started the Cinematic Universe idea, so you'd think they'd know to keep focus on one movie at a time with small cameos and hints towards the other movies and not just fuck around trying to build everything else while making a bad rip-off movie.

Btw, that Dracula movie and I-Frankenstein, were they apart of this? I thought those were the first of the Dark Universal Universe.

Dracula was supposed to be before it released to complete apathy. I, Frankenstein was completely unreleated.

 

[tkscz]

I think at least Dracula was supposed to be but after it bombed they were like 'Just kidding!"

Dracula was supposed to be before it released to complete apathy. I, Frankenstein was completely unreleated.

I wouldn't say it bombed as it did make double it's budget, but this was during the Vampire craze of the early 2010's, so I bet they were expecting it to do much better.

 

[MisterAnderson]

To be fair, the first Brendan Fraser Mummy films were essentially also action movies...then again I haven't seen the Tom Cruise one, and from the looks of the trailers they dialed it up to 11.

 

[Bit-Bit]

They need the master of horror adaptation....

Spoiler

Frank Darabont

.

 

[Hoya Destroyer]

I had no faith that these new monster movies would be good. I expected pg-13, non-violent, cgi fests.
In the 90's I really liked Bram Stokers Dracula and Interview with a Vampire. I dont know how feasible those types of movies would be today though, with all their sex and violence.

 

[borghe]

the mummy wasn't terrible... and the old (00s) Mummys were good though also action and not horror.

The problem ultimately is that Universal has these massively popular franchises and thus they want to do blockbusters with them which means (to them) formulaic action. which is not what anyone wants.

I don't see any of this changing. The past 20 years all Universal has been able to come up with is doing action (Mummy, Van Helsing, Dracula Untold, etc). I don't see that ever changing in the near future.

I had no faith that these new monster movies would be good. I expected pg-13, non-violent, cgi fests.
In the 90's I really liked Bram Stokers Dracula and Interview with a Vampire. I dont know how feasible those types of movies would be today though, with all their sex and violence.

those were both Warner.

Interview was also based off of the book by Anne Rice.

 

[Zambatoh]

It's a shame. I actually liked Dracula Untold and it did a pretty decent job of setting up a larger narrative. It's a shame they couldn't build off of that.
The moment they decided to pretend it never happened was the moment I knew the Dark Universe was doomed.

 

[Alt183]

When I saw The Mummy, the guy next to me laughed when the Dark Universe logo popped on screen, so that was a sign of things to come. They'll keep trying to make an action movies out of one of them. Poor monsters

 

[Reverse Giraffe]

Tom Cruise is and always has been a shitty actor. The Mummy was never an action movie and nobody asked for a remake anyway.

 

[MDSLKTR]

Tom Cruise is and always has been a shitty actor. The Mummy was never an action movie and nobody asked for a remake anyway.

Projecting your truth facts much?

 

[tkscz]

It's a shame. I actually liked Dracula Untold and it did a pretty decent job of setting up a larger narrative. It's a shame they couldn't build off of that.
The moment they decided to pretend it never happened was the moment I knew the Dark Universe was doomed.

Dracula Untold wasn't that bad a movie, more drama than horror or action. It's issue was that it held back too much on the gore, especially when you consider they go over the Vlad the Impaler side of him.

 

[Ichabod]

Maybe turning monster movies into soulless action flicks was a bad idea.

Co-signed. I'd love to see these creatures given another chance in straight up, pants-shitting horror movies. Focus on tightly scripted monster stories that spend their runtimes actually telling a story in service to the creature instead of wasting screen time attempting to clumsily tie it into some hokey cinematic universe in between awful Michael Bay-ish action set pieces.

 

[Soapbox Killer]

I'm pretty sure they'll find a way to make a Dracula movie. It's the movie we deserve but not the one we need right now.

 

[milamber182]

They should have done Penny Dreadful style horror-thriller movies set in the past. Instead they tried to create a Marvel copycat cash cow with popcorn blockbuster action-thriller movies and it backfired. Well deserved.

 

[T.v]

I'm pretty sure they'll find a way to make a Dracula movie. It's the movie we deserve but not the one we need right now.

But a Dracula movie was their first attempt at establishing this cinematic universe. That bombed, so they tried again with The mummy. Maybe third time's the charm.

 

[Wolfgunblood Garopa]

It's incredible how functioning human beings could start this whole dark universe thing with a Mummy movie that featured a sexy lady as 'the mummy' instead of something that resembled anything people could recognize as 'the mummy'.

 

[LordRaptor]

As recent whistle blowing has shown, its the hollywood producers who were the real monsters all along

 

[gustave154]

Yeah i know it was going to end up like this. Wish they gave it a chance though

 

[Kimawolf]

Shame. there was SO MUCH potential.

Dracula. Wolfman, Creature, Frankenstein, Van Helsing. Mummy. So much wasted potential now. They should really try again but go the real horror route this time, not generic action movie.

 

[AlexCampy89]

Unpopular opinion:
Dracula Untold was already stupid on its own, didn't need a whole cinematic Universe. Leave those things to Marvel.
The Mummy was just the last nail in the coffin, or, the wooden stake in the heart.

It is a huge, wasted chance to have a-list actors working on high budget horror movies. But noooooo, Universal had to fuck things up abd make action adventure movies.

 

[DireStr8s]

With Dracula why not take the fifty shades angle

The Mummy should be Jason like. Doesnt make sense but he always right in front of you kinda thing

 

[Minamu]

Unpopular opinion:
Dracula Untold was already stupid on its own, didn't need a whole cinematic Universe. Leave those things to Marvel.
The Mummy was just the last nail in the coffin, or, the wooden stake in the heart.

It is a huge, wasted chance to have a-list actors working on high budget horror movies. But noooooo, Universal had to fuck things up abd make action adventure movies.

What's unpopular about this?

 

[BocoDragon]

I think we've seen that cinematic universes are not invariably a good thing. If previous movies are successful, they'll push future successful movies. But if previous movies are failures, they'll bring the whole rest of it down.

 

[pramod]

Instead of the monster-verse I dunno why they didn't just go with a League of Extraordinary Gentlemen type of universe, updated for modern times. They already have most of the characters like Van Helsing, Mina Harker, Dr. Jeckyll, the Invisible Man, etc.

 

[NoMoreTrolls]

And nothing of value was lost.

 

[bakedcrisps]

Instead of the monster-verse I dunno why they didn't just go with a League of Extraordinary Gentlemen type of universe, updated for modern times. They already have most of the characters like Van Helsing, Mina Harker, Dr. Jeckyll, the Invisible Man, etc.

That's not what this was going to eventually be?

I've never seen Dracula Untold but the Mummy is pretty much a superhero origin movie for a couple of characters. Seems like there would eventually be a team-up if they were going this route.

But speaking generally, I don't see how this could have worked as an extended universe. It only works for comic films because it's a natural extension of the source material. You would expect to see Spider Man in a Thor comic every once in a while because comics are weird like that.

 

[DirgeExtinction]

They should have hired people that actually can do horror to lead this project.

I think Guillermo Del Toro would've been an amazing fit, if The Shape of Water is anything to go by.

 

[Bigby_Wolf]

I've been watching Bram Stoker's Dracula and an American Werewolf in London because of this. =(

Next up: Interview with the Vampire and Hollow Man (with Kevin Bacon)

 

[Setsuna]

Why are you guys acting like the Original Mummy wasnt an action adventure movie?

 

[DirgeExtinction]

Why are you guys acting like the Original Mummy wasnt an action adventure movie?

That movie also wasn't trying to revive the old monster horror movies.