Universal’s reboot of The Mummy hits cinemas this summer, launching the studio’s shared universe centred around its stable of classic Monsters.
Over the next few years, we can look forward to new versions of The Invisible Man, The Wolf Man, Bride of Frankenstein and Creature from the Black Lagoon, but it won’t only be the monsters themselves taking centre stage, as Universal has also tapped screenwriters Eric Heisserer (Arrival) and Jon Spaihts (Passengers) to pen a Van Helsing reboot, based of course on the iconic vampire hunter Abraham Van Helsing from Bram Stoker’s Dracula. And, speaking to Collider, Heisserer has offered up some comments about the tone the duo are going for with their screenplay.
“I can say that my intent stepping in was to make it as scary as possible, partly because I know how to do that, and also because when you’re the only human surrounded by a bunch of supernatural creatures, that’s gotta be absolutely unnerving,” said Heisserer. “I can talk about my emotional state of what I’ve been passionate about or sometimes frustrated by are the number of films where we find an extraordinary character with superhuman abilities that becomes a hero to solve a problem that a normal person cannot solve. And I was eager to try and buck that trend and showcase someone who had no extraordinary powers, just resourcefulness and will and kind of a stubbornness who’s able to tackle some of these bigger problems. Because I don’t like the idea that we’re infusing our public and our pop culture with the idea that only super people can solve the world’s problems. I like the idea of the everyday hero stepping up to the plate and getting things fixed.”
The Universal Monsters universe launches with the release of The Mummy on June 9th.
Originally published February 27, 2017. Updated April 15, 2018.
