The Universal Monsters make their return to the big screen today as the studio launches its shared Dark Universe with the release of The Mummy.
As we already know, Universal plans to follow The Mummy with the likes of Bride of Frankenstein, The Invisible Man, The Wolf Man and Creature from the Black Lagoon, and has already attracted some A-list talent, including the likes of Tom Cruise, Russell Crowe, Johnny Depp and Javier Bardem.
Well, speaking to Fandom, The Mummy producer and director Alex Kurtzman has revealed that plans are also afoot for to bring Dracula, Phantom of the Opera and The Hunchback of Notre Dame into the universe, while he also offered up a few names that he’d like to see joining the franchise.
“We know we’re going to do Frankenstein, Bride of Frankenstein, Dracula, Creature from the Black Lagoon, Phantom of the Opera, Hunchback of Notre Dame, Invisible Man,” said Kurtzman. “There are characters within those films that can grow and expand and maybe even spin off. I think that digging into deep mythologies about monsters around the world is fair game for us, as well and connecting the monsters that we know to some surprising monsters could also be really interesting.”
As for acting talent, Kurtzman added that: “I’d love to bring Michael Fassbender in, I’d love to bring Jennifer Lawrence in, I’d love to see Charlize Theron in there, Angelina Jolie…”
Angelina Jolie has of course long been rumoured for the lead in Bride of Frankenstein, while other rumours have linked Scarlett Johansson to Creature from the Black Lagoon and Dwayne Johnson to The Wolf Man.
SEE ALSO: Read our review of The Mummy here
Thought safely entombed in a tomb deep beneath the unforgiving desert, an ancient princess (Sofia Boutella of Kingsman: The Secret Service and Star Trek Beyond) whose destiny was unjustly taken from her is awakened in our current day, bringing with her malevolence grown over millennia and terrors that defy human comprehension.
From the sweeping sands of the Middle East through hidden labyrinths under modern-day London, The Mummy brings a surprising intensity and balance of wonder and thrills in an imaginative new take that ushers in a new world of gods and monsters.
The Mummy is out now, and sees Alex Kurtzman directing a cast that includes Tom Cruise (Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation), Annabelle Wallis (Annabelle), Jake Johnson (New Girl), Courtney B. Vance (American Crime Story: The People v O.J. Simpson), Sofia Boutella (Kingsman: The Secret Service) and Russell Crowe (The Nice Guys).
