With superheroes getting these huge shared universes, Universal is continuing its movement to try and create a universe of their own. Instead of superheroes however, Universal is using the classic monster characters, with Tom Cruise set to star in The Mummy as well as Johnny Depp in The Invisible Man.
It looks like Universal is expanding their planned universe even further, announcing the addition of a Van Helsing film. This was confirmed by screenwriter Eric Heisserer (scribe of Lights Out and Arrival), who in an interview stated:
It is [part of the shared universe] right now. This is early in the process, and it’s evolutionary. I don’t know if that’s going to stay that way. But right now there is an absolute… there’s some cartilage that links it to other pieces, like The Mummy.”
Most remember the Van Helsing character from the 2004 film starring Hugh Jackman. While the movie had a few moments of campy fun, it was mostly a shallow and over-produced flick. The character does have a lot of potential on the big screen, with his monster hunting character possibly acting as an interesting rival for these villains.
As of now, this shared universe can only be speculated. Many had thought that Dracula Untold was the first building block of this universe, but it was recently announced that a new Dracula film was being developed. The star power Universal has assembled is impressive for sure, but they have to get some organization if they want the universe to work.
Personally though, I am very interested to see how these films turn out. Many may call this a forced attempt at creating a cinematic universe, but these horror icons are classic characters that deserve a new life in cinema. It all kicks off with The Mummy, hitting theaters June 9th, 2017.