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Dark Universe to add Hunchback of Notre Dame & Phantom of the Opera to its roster.

uh this is hilarious. I kind of really want this to succeed now even though I was so against it and particularly the modern day take on everything.

i actually love this idea, but the execution going with Mission Impossible: Mummy as the beginning is doing this concept such a huge disservice.
 

DeathyBoy

Banned
...really?

Phantom of the Opera?

I know it's part of the Universal legacy and all, but wtf would Eric do in this universe? He's just a guy with a freak face.

b433773331a3751373d1d54bc2ffe6329df87d848505fa713e3a871c2ed6ffa9.jpg
 

Markitron

Is currently staging a hunger strike outside Gearbox HQ while trying to hate them to death
So is Dracula Untold still part of this universe?
 

davepoobond

you can't put a price on sparks
Are they all going to just show up in some mega monster movie or something? I don't understand the point other than carrying a theme throughout independent movies
 

j.rob

Member
I swear everything is trying to be a "Cinematic Universe" these days ahaha.

Surely "X Cinematic Universe" is borderline meme level now right?
 

thetrin

Hail, peons, for I have come as ambassador from the great and bountiful Blueberry Butt Explosion
Are they all going to just show up in some mega monster movie or something? I don't understand the point other than carrying a theme throughout independent movies

They're going to cross over like in Frankenstein meets The Wolf Man.

I was watching this YT video where Kurtzmann explains what they're looking to do.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oevUS1Nun-M
 
I would be surprised if "The Mummy" ends being a success. This dark universe bullshit might be dead on arrival.

Mighty big talk for a universe that hasn't even started yet.

I think Benicio del Toro's The Wolfman was supposed to be the beginning of this. And then Dracula Untold was the next effort at kick-starting this cinematic universe that nobody asked for. And now it's all resting on a Tom Cruise film, whose work (besides M:I) has consistently disappointed at the box office for quite a few years now.

Are they all going to just show up in some mega monster movie or something? I don't understand the point other than carrying a theme throughout independent movies

At some point they'll probably all unite to battle some other supernatural being like the Sandman or something. If they make it through three team-up movies then Universal will have to keep raising the stakes so they'll probably battle the Devil.
 
Why didn't they just do this in the 00s with The Mummy, Van Helsing, and The Wolfman?

Mummy was great, I liked Mummy Returns, and I thought Wolfman was good too. Van Helsing was just ok
 

Branduil

Member
It gives me so much schadenfreude when these cinematic universes fail. It just feels so absurdly arrogant and cynical to plan out this shit before you've had one successful movie.
 
If there's not a movie where Seth Rogan and James Franco meet all of these characters while standing in for Abbott and Costello, then I find it tough to care about this universe.
 
I think Benicio del Toro's The Wolfman was supposed to be the beginning of this. And then Dracula Untold was the next effort at kick-starting this cinematic universe that nobody asked for. And now it's all resting on a Tom Cruise film, whose work (besides M:I) has consistently disappointed at the box office for quite a few years now.

Yeah, and those plans were abandoned. So they're going to start from square 1. Hence "hasn't started yet," because this will be the start of their dark universe, as those previous attempts were abandoned.
 
No wolfman? Lame.

I'm actually looking forward to these movies along with the King Kong, Godzilla universe.

I love monster movies and welcome this resurgence.
 

Rydeen

Member
Ah that's good, not sure what to think of Dwayne starring though. It depends on the tone of the movie, if they want to go for something similar to Fraser Mummy films then yea I see it working with him.
It would be cool if he's a globetrotting monster hunter with laycanthropic tendencies who plans his hunting of monsters around the full moon so he can fight them in his wolf form.

But that's probably cooler/more interesting than what the final movie will be.
 

Tom_Cody

Member
There's not much to lose in trying to make any monster movies they do come out with the launching pad for a cinematic universe. They might put it on ice for a few years but inevitably one of these properties will come up again, and if it's a hit, then they might a well try to keep going.
I agree.

I think a lot of people are missing the point that this "Dark Universe" talk is a relatively low-risk way to build buzz for The Mummy specifically. If it's a hit, they can make more, if not, this will be the last we hear of the Dark Universe. I mean, it's not like any of these movies have already gone into production.
 

Blader

Member
The Dark Universe is an ambitious project in its infancy and casting rumours are already beginning to swirl around the franchise. There has been talk, for instance, that Angelina Jolie may pick up the Bride of Frankenstein role. Kurtzman does nothing to dismiss this when asked who he’d like to bring into the Dark Universe.

“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…” he says.

So he wants to work with movie stars.

What a visionary.
 

Sephzilla

Member
Like, what is the objective of this cinematic universe? With the MCU it was to build up the The Avengers, where all of the individual heroes are going to team up to fight a super threat. With the Monsterverse, it's to build up to Kong vs Godzilla.

What is this going to build up to? A monster justice league?
 

HStallion

Now what's the next step in your master plan?
The greatest monster of them all is... MAN!

Mankind is this cinematic universes Thanos.
 

cr0w

Old Member
I hope they stick with Dracula Untold as part of the universe. Such a fun movie, and a good jumping off point with the ending being in modern day.
 

Ithil

Member
“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…” he says.

The worst kind of stunt casting. "These are some big names, find a role for them so we can put their names on the posters".

Instead of casting the right person for the role.
 

Kaizer

Banned
It's absolutely hilarious they're announcing all of this stuff before The Mummy even hits theaters. This shit will never happen if that movie ends up being a massive disappointment. At most they'll make the next one or two movies in the "DU" before calling it quits.
 

milanbaros

Member?
I kind of love how all in they have gone on this universe when there is a good chance it just flops. I admire it.

Have they done some market research which says this is a sure fire winner?
 
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