Though The Mummy.
The Dark Universe is arguably one of the most notable examples of how a major studio attempted to launch a franchise and failed miserably. In an age of the expanded universe model where every producer desperately tries to replicate the wildly successful structure of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, there is something especially fascinating about how many times Universal tried to revive their monsters franchise by copying the blockbuster of the day.
Now, it finally seems to have stuck, with Universal letting Blumhouse turn the classic story of The Invisible Man into a truly terrifying contemporary story of domestic abuse and gaslighting, led by a startling performance by Elisabeth Moss. It’s a film that understands the core appeal of those classic stories but is smart enough to update its themes to reflect modern concerns, something that horror does better than any other genre when it’s firing on all cylinders. This is a tactic that Universal seemed sadly unable to learn for many years, as evidenced by their many failed attempts to make the Dark Universe happen.
Van Helsing
In 2004, a X-Men franchise. Instead of adapting one familiar title like Dracula or Frankenstein, Van Helsing was a veritable monster mash, mixing together the classic creatures with the general mood of golden age horror, all through a modern blockbuster lens. Universal had big plans for Van Helsing, including an animated prequel that went straight to DVD and sequels aplenty to introduce even more classic monsters.
Van Helsing was savaged by critics for its derivative nature and lack of creativity - plus some seriously ropey CGI - but it did make over $300 million worldwide, which was nothing to sneeze at in 2004. Still, with a reported budget of $160 million, those numbers weren't good enough, and Universal put its franchise dreams to bed for a few more years.
The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor
Even as Van Helsing failed, Universal still had their popular reboot of The Mummy on their side to keep their franchise dreams afloat. They even released a financially successful sequel, The Mummy Returns, albeit one the fans liked far less than its predecessor. 1999’s The Mummy works so well because it’s an unabashedly old-school action-adventure helmed by a goofily charismatic Brendan Fraser performance and a distinct lack of grimness. Universal was certainly confident enough to invest in a third movie, Tomb of the Dragon Emperor, starring Jet Li as the villain. Sadly, the magic was gone, as was Rachel Weisz, replaced by a game but wasted Maria Bello. It just lacks the personality and charm of the first two films, and they never managed to recapture it. The film did well enough at the box office but was still the lowest-grossing film in The Mummy trilogy, which killed plans for a fourth film featuring Antonio Banderas as the villain and an Aztec setting.
The Wolfman
Universal initially announced their remake of The Wolfman in 2006, and One Hour Photo director Mark Romanek was brought on board to helm the project. After he dropped out due to creative differences, he was replaced by Joe Johnston, a more traditional studio-approved director, which seemed to be a sign of unfortunate things to come. The Wolfman is the reboot of the Universal monster series that adheres most closely to its source material in of style and tone, mostly due to it being a period piece, but that's as close as it gets to capturing any of the original's eerie charm. The legendary Rick Baker was brought on board to do the werewolf effects and make-up, but the film ended up relying far more on CGI, which proved detrimental to the overall film's effectiveness. While Benicio del Toro is excellent in the lead role, The Wolfman is mostly dull and bereft of scares. Even Ronald Meyer, then-president of Universal Studios, said the "crappy" film was "one of the worst movies we ever made." Audiences agreed, and the film failed to recoup its lofty $150 million budget.
Dracula Untold
With Dracula Untold, Universal was once again ready to go all-in on a monsters franchise, and what better way to do it than by reviving the daddy of them all, Count Dracula? By 2014, Marvel clearly ruled the roost of blockbuster cinema, and every studio seemed eager to copy their formula. It made a lot of sense for Universal to want to follow suit, given that their original monster series relied heavily on a similar style of cross-overs, sequels, and familiar characters jumping from film to film.
The issue with Dracula Untold is that it seems far too keen to borrow from Marvel rather than Universal's own history. This paranormal historical action movie imagines Dracula as the historical figure of Vlad the Impaler, as played by Luke Evans, who then chooses to become a vampire to fight a war against the Ottoman Empire. The film sadly doesn't work as an Dracula wouldn't be returning to the big screen any time soon.
The Mummy (2017)
Universal was so confident that their latest reboot of The Mummy would be a hit and launch a whole new franchise that they even created a logo for the Dark Universe, which included Johnny Depp and Javier Bardem, made the financial disappointment of The Mummy all the more cringe-inducing.
