Dark Universe, the Universal Studios' take on the shared universes trend ended in true darkness. In this post we will review the history of this failed franchise.
The creation of shared universes has been the trend in recent years within film studios. It isn't a new concept but it has recently reached its peak as an attractive business model for studios due to the popularity of the Marvel Cinematographic Universe (MCU), which stands out as the main representative of this tendency at the moment and has gained critical and box office success. Some studios have tried to reproduce the current Marvel formula with mixed results.
In general, the formula could be summarized as follows: create individual films of several characters and then bring them together to face a common enemy that requires teamwork and the union of their different skills in a special event that manages to wipe out the box office. When this was achieved in phase 1 of the MCU, where a first group of heroes was introduced and then were successfully united in the first Avengers film (2012), others studios began to glimpse the possibilities in creating their own shared universes based on that model. The results have not always been the best for those who have tried to imitate and exploit what is popular. The Dark Universe is an example of this.
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With the success of the MCU, Universal Studios announced that it would create a shared universe with the classic monsters, of which it has long held cinematic rights. For those who don't know what characters this term refers to, these are the iconic monsters such as Dracula, the werewolf, the creature of Frankenstein, the mummy, the invisible man, etc., which were part of the classic cinema in black and white and somehow had their own shared universe at the time.
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According to the original plan it would begin with the release of Dracula Untold (2014), which would show the origin of the mythical vampire created by Bram Stoker in a film that fused the fictional character with the real historical figure that inspired him, Vlad Tepes, and then take him to a modern context at the end of the movie. The role was portrayed by actor Luke Evans.
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It was precisely in the last scene set in present time where the seeds of a shared universe were sown. After meeting a woman named Mina, a character also adapted from Stoker's novel and identical to his wife Mirena, a mysterious character appears and is actually the ancient vampire who gave Dracula the curse and his powers centuries ago but now looking normal. He pronounces the last words of the movie: Let the games begin! Words that announce that something big would happen soon.
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From there, the plan would continue with the release of solo films by other "monstrous" characters. However, the film was not well received by critics and the audience, although I personally liked it and was curious to see the development of the new shared universe that would start. The results of the film forced the studio to postpone their plans and finally decided not to use this film as a starting point for the franchise. After a couple of years the studio came up with a new strategy, starting with a new movie, which this time would mark the beginning of its cinematic universe and also with an ambitious marketing campaign.
Dark Universe would be the name of the brand and it was announced in advance some of the stars that would participate in the project, as can be seen in the promotional image. Sofia Boutella and Tom Cruise star in the first installment of the franchise, The Mummy (2017), accompanied by Russell Crowe playing Dr Jekyll. The studio didn't waste time in promoting the great plans it had with recognized actors. Johnny Depp would be the invisible man and Javier Bardem would play the role of Frankenstein's monster. As expected, the seeds of a shared universe were planted in the form of an organization led by Dr. Jekyll, called Prodigium, dedicated to tracking, studying and containing threats of supernatural origin.
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The intention of introducing a secret organization in the style of S.H.I.E.L.D. and directed by a character who would took the role of Nick Fury to later reunite the monsters in a super team to deal with a greater threat was evident, at least for me. Personally I found the movie entertaining, not great but entertaining, however it wasn't well received by the audience and the critics. It earned just enough to prevent financial losses to the studio and received a Rotten Tomatoes score even lower than Dracula Untold, unfavorable results to ensure the future of a franchise and truly embarrassing after such bold announcements.
After this failure and some news about the development of a Bride of Frankenstein film the studio went into a "sepulchral" silence and has not shared any announcement about the Dark Universe. Is this project doomed?
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In general, the formula could be summarized as follows: create individual films of several characters and then bring them together to face a common enemy that requires teamwork and the union of their different skills in a special event that manages to wipe out the box office. When this was achieved in phase 1 of the MCU, where a first group of heroes was introduced and then were successfully united in the first Avengers film (2012), others studios began to glimpse the possibilities in creating their own shared universes based on that model. The results have not always been the best for those who have tried to imitate and exploit what is popular. The Dark Universe is an example of this.
With the success of the MCU, Universal Studios announced that it would create a shared universe with the classic monsters, of which it has long held cinematic rights. For those who don't know what characters this term refers to, these are the iconic monsters such as Dracula, the werewolf, the creature of Frankenstein, the mummy, the invisible man, etc., which were part of the classic cinema in black and white and somehow had their own shared universe at the time.
According to the original plan it would begin with the release of Dracula Untold (2014), which would show the origin of the mythical vampire created by Bram Stoker in a film that fused the fictional character with the real historical figure that inspired him, Vlad Tepes, and then take him to a modern context at the end of the movie. The role was portrayed by actor Luke Evans.
It was precisely in the last scene set in present time where the seeds of a shared universe were sown. After meeting a woman named Mina, a character also adapted from Stoker's novel and identical to his wife Mirena, a mysterious character appears and is actually the ancient vampire who gave Dracula the curse and his powers centuries ago but now looking normal. He pronounces the last words of the movie: Let the games begin! Words that announce that something big would happen soon.
From there, the plan would continue with the release of solo films by other "monstrous" characters. However, the film was not well received by critics and the audience, although I personally liked it and was curious to see the development of the new shared universe that would start. The results of the film forced the studio to postpone their plans and finally decided not to use this film as a starting point for the franchise. After a couple of years the studio came up with a new strategy, starting with a new movie, which this time would mark the beginning of its cinematic universe and also with an ambitious marketing campaign.
Dark Universe would be the name of the brand and it was announced in advance some of the stars that would participate in the project, as can be seen in the promotional image. Sofia Boutella and Tom Cruise star in the first installment of the franchise, The Mummy (2017), accompanied by Russell Crowe playing Dr Jekyll. The studio didn't waste time in promoting the great plans it had with recognized actors. Johnny Depp would be the invisible man and Javier Bardem would play the role of Frankenstein's monster. As expected, the seeds of a shared universe were planted in the form of an organization led by Dr. Jekyll, called Prodigium, dedicated to tracking, studying and containing threats of supernatural origin.
The intention of introducing a secret organization in the style of S.H.I.E.L.D. and directed by a character who would took the role of Nick Fury to later reunite the monsters in a super team to deal with a greater threat was evident, at least for me. Personally I found the movie entertaining, not great but entertaining, however it wasn't well received by the audience and the critics. It earned just enough to prevent financial losses to the studio and received a Rotten Tomatoes score even lower than Dracula Untold, unfavorable results to ensure the future of a franchise and truly embarrassing after such bold announcements.
After this failure and some news about the development of a Bride of Frankenstein film the studio went into a "sepulchral" silence and has not shared any announcement about the Dark Universe. Is this project doomed?
