Universal Pictures is making moves to revive its Dark Cinematic Universe after the disappointing reception of Tom Cruise’s 2017 film, The Mummy. This revival effort is marked by the announcement of a second printing of the popular Universal Monsters comic book series, signaling a fresh attempt to restore interest in the franchise.
Universal’s Strategy to Relaunch Its Monster Universe
Universal Pictures, the studio behind the Universal Monsters franchise, is seeking to reinvigorate its cinematic universe, which has long been overshadowed by competitors like Disney’s Marvel Cinematic Universe. Nearly 128 years after the original monster characters were introduced, Universal plans to continue leveraging these iconic horror figures.
Skybound Entertainment will release a second printing of the highly regarded comic book, Universal Monsters: The Invisible Man #1, spotlighting classic characters such as Frankenstein’s monster, Dracula, the Invisible Man, and the Werewolf. This move suggests the studio may be reconsidering its future with the Dark Cinematic Universe, hoping to recover from the setbacks of the 2017 The Mummy.
What Led to the Failure of Tom Cruise’s The Mummy?
Though not widely considered one of Hollywood’s worst films, the 2017 reboot of The Mummy struggled due to several key issues. The movie attempted to honor its horror roots by including intense scenes featuring Ahmanet, yet it also sought to showcase Tom Cruise’s well-known action and stunt capabilities. This clash resulted in an unclear tone, caught between horror homage and high-octane action spectacle.
Moreover, the film suffered from overambition. Universal envisioned a sprawling Dark Cinematic Universe full of interlinked monster stories that could rival both the Marvel Cinematic Universe and the DC Universe. The Mummy was intended as a foundation stone, with stars like Johnny Depp as The Invisible Man, Javier Bardem as Frankenstein’s monster, and Russell Crowe playing Dr. Henry Jekyll lined up for future installments.
Instead of focusing on a coherent central story, the film was bogged down by world-building efforts that failed to fully engage audiences. The narrative was weighed down by an attempt to lay out a vast cinematic universe, leaving viewers disconnected and the storyline muddled. This flawed launch ultimately led to the cancellation of Universal’s initial Dark Cinematic Universe plans.
Could Universal Pictures Successfully Relaunch the Dark Cinematic Universe?
The upcoming second print of Universal Monsters: The Invisible Man #1 can be interpreted as a strategic move to reignite interest in the franchise. Coupled with Guillermo Del Toro’s highly anticipated Frankenstein project, although not produced by Universal, these developments may help re-establish the allure of these classic horror icons.
In addition, Universal is reportedly developing a new reboot of The Mummy. With lessons learned from the earlier failure, the studio appears to be carefully considering how to build a more sustainable cinematic universe. Fans may see this as a promising sign of a second chance for the Dark Universe to gain traction and challenge dominant superhero franchises in the long term.
While this remains speculative for now, the studio’s renewed focus on its legacy monsters and the upcoming creative projects suggest that Universal Pictures is committed to making amends for the costly missteps tied to Tom Cruise’s The Mummy.
The original 2017 film remains available for viewing on streaming platforms such as YouTube TV in the United States for those who want to revisit the source of the Dark Cinematic Universe’s stumble.
