Not all movie series are created equal, and it looks like Universal’s attempt to parlay its movie classics into the Dark Universe just isn’t working…yet.
Well, that certainly didn’t last too long, did it? According to The Hollywood Reporter, the Dark Universe has a slimmer chance than ever of continuing, but doesn’t completely shut the door on the movies.
In the interest of seeing this idea have a chance at succeeding, as THR quotes an analyst saying that it’s still possible that this’ll work out, we’re taking a look at three ways that the Dark Universe could not only survive, but thrive.
Cut the name
Sorry, but Culturess has disliked the name from basically the beginning, and Dark Universe just isn’t that inspiring. It’s possibly the laziest name that Universal could have come up with. First and foremost, doesn’t really say anything about who or what is in the universe. The Marvel Cinematic Universe neatly sums it up — it’s Marvel characters, in an Earth represented on-screen (to distinguish from the many Earths of the comics). The Dark Universe just doesn’t have the same punch.
One film writer, Scott Weinberg, has gone a step further and suggested the following:
The movies are dominated by franchises right now, so it makes sense that Universal would try and weld everything together. But how refreshing could it be if they were connected only loosely or just not connected at all, as Weinberg proposes? Instead, it might lure a fanbase into trying to put everything together, which would make for higher engagement.
Make the stars
We remember who Boris Karloff and Bela Lugosi are because of what they did for the monsters they portrayed. Did they have other roles on film? Of course, but when we think of Frankenstein’s monster and Dracula, odds are you’ll come up with Karloff and Lugosi. (Okay, maybe you have another Dracula in mind, but it all really comes back to Lugosi in the end.)
To this end, maybe hiring big-name stars shouldn’t be the go-to method. Hire younger or lesser-known actors, ones who might end up staying around for years upon years. This would not only help with budgetary issues (at least in the beginning), but it could also provide something fresh for moviegoers.
About the only person I might keep would be Javier Bardem as Frankenstein’s monster, since he lends a bit of credibility to the whole operation, which might be a concern for Universal. (The Oscar helps.) THR reports that Angelina Jolie is already not planning on playing the Bride of Frankenstein, so there’s an opening there, at least.
Keep it fresh
This really goes hand-in-hand with the above idea, since we do regard the original Universal horror films as so iconic. Collectively, they’re a tough act to follow, and so what matters is making something new out of these old concepts. Making Sofia Boutella the Mummy was not in and of itself a bad concept. What needed work was execution (and perhaps not mashing quite so many things together, as our movie reviewer, Kristen Lopez, pointed out in her own review of the film earlier this year).
Start with the basics. Look for something interesting or a way to turn it all on its head. Then go from there.
The box office could use a little more scaring, especially as writers for outlets like GQ have called this a “golden age of horror” (and even mention the Dark Universe in an aside that sounds an awful lot like a “this is what not to do”). Naturally, some things that we’ve covered here, like the money idea, come up in GQ as well.
Next: 20 best badass women of horror movies
But, even as we like the “golden age” of films like Get Out, we wish the monsters could get in on the action.