Universal’s “Monsterverse” is Dead in the Water!

Well this comes as no real surprise, but it seems that rats have left the ship and Universal’s “Monsterverse” is Dead in the Water. Reports from THR say that writer-producers Alex Kurtzman and Chris Morgan, who were in charge of building the  “Dark Universe” for Universal Pictures, have departed the franchise. Yep, this sink is definitely sinking.

Plans for the “Dark Universe” had started strong, with The Mummy announced as the first in a series of films that would tie together, Frankenstein, Dracula, the wolfman and many more classic universal characters. With The Bride of Frankenstein announced before The Mummy even hit the cinemas, and a cast photo that included actors that would star in future films, everything looked set to sail.

However, a rushed script, and a story that is more interested in the ‘larger universe’ than that of its titular villain, resulted in a very unentertaining film. Even an all-star cast could not save the film from being completely underwhelming.  

In October, The Bride of Frankenstein’s production was shut down after The Mummy failed miserable at the box office. With the departure of Kurtzman and Morgan, Universal are left with little choice but to re-evaluate the “Dark Universe”. Consider this is actually the second attempt of a shared universe, after Dracula Untold in 2014 failed to create the hype Universal were hoping for, there is a strong possibility of the entire franchise being scrapped.

THR notes that Universal is exploring other options, such as finding a new person to spearhead the project, or sharing the IP with other studios. One thing is for sure, Universal are learning for the second time, that a rushed, poorly planned and mismanaged “Monsterverse” will just not work. They need to slow things down, and not to cram as much stuff in as they can, like DC are doing with their franchise. This form brings bad results. So Universal…think Marvel…. Not DC!

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