Seven years on from the disastrous Tom Cruise-led reboot of The Mummy, Universal is ready to try again with a new take from Evil Dead Rise director Lee Cronin. Blumhouse/Atomic Monster will produce the new horror-centric version that follows in the footsteps of the recent The Invisible Man and the forthcoming Wolf Man.
We can all agree that Universal launched its Dark Universe a little hastily. More specifically, announcing Javier Bardem (Dr Frankienstien), Johnny Deep (The Invisible Man), and Russell Crowe as the Nick Fury-styled Dr Jekyll assembling a universe of monsters. In 2017, when The Mummy hit cinemas, it did so under a wealth of middling reviews and an uninspired opening weekend. A final worldwide box office of $409 million is more of a testament to the box office power of Tom Cruise than a reflection of the movie.
The 1932 version starring Boris Karloff remains a classic, but the 1999 action-adventure romp starring Brendan Fraser is the go-to for fans. While plot details are under wraps (sorry), Cronin has teased this will be ramping up the horror;
“This will be unlike any Mummy movie you ever laid eyeballs on before. I’m digging deep into the earth to raise something very ancient and frightening.”
Even in 2017, audiences where getting fatigued with another shared cinematic universe. I maintain that the Dark Universe could have worked if they were making lower-budget R-rated horror movies. The mega-budget attempt led by Cruise brought too many expectations for the movie to be a massive hit. As Uncle Ben from Spider-Man said, "With great budgets comes unrealistic expectations." I'm pretty sure that's what he said.
Meanwhile, after Cronin did a great job with taking on a beloved franchise (Evil Dead), the iconic horror is readying a new spin-off. Newcomer Sébastien Vanicek will direct Evil Dead Burn, a massive achievement as he’s only made one feature film with Infested (2023). Production is due to start sometime early in 2025 for a 2026 release.
Wolf Man will be unleashed in cinemas on January 17, 2025.