While a couple of shared cinematic universes have successfully aped the Marvel formula, there have been more that couldn’t. For every MCU, there is a DCEU; for every Conjuring Universe, there is a Dark Universe. Initiated in 2017 (depending on who you listen to), the Dark Universe was Universal’s grand attempt to launch a franchise uniting its famed monsters. They even released a publicity still, teasing Johnny Depp and Javier Bardem as stars of future films. The franchise kicked off with a reboot of The Mummy, starring Tom Cruise in the lead role. The film tanked so badly both critically and financially that all plans for follow-up features were scrapped.
However, The Mummy is witnessing a spike in interest on streaming, claiming a spot on the domestic HBO Max charts on October 11. According to FlixPatrol, it was the eighth-most-watched movie on HBO Max on October 11, edging past Practical Magic and Warfare. The leader board was topped by James Gunn‘s Superman, which grossed over $600 million at the global box office earlier this year. Released in 2017, The Mummy made more than $400 million worldwide, but was considered not successful enough. The film was produced on a budget that has been reported to be as high as nearly $200 million.
It served as the directorial debut of Alex Kurtzman, who now runs several of Paramount’s Star Trek shows, and was co-written by Cruise’s longtime collaborator Christopher McQuarrie. Dune and Dune: Part Two writer Jon Spaihts contributed to the story, while Jurassic Park writer David Koepp was credited for having co-written the script. The film’s cast also included Russell Crowe as Dr. Jekyll, and Sofia Boutella as the titular villain. The Mummy boasted A-list talent not only on camera, but also behind it. Despite this, the movie could only manage a “rotten” 15% score on the aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes.
‘The Mummy’ Is Being Resurrected by Lee Cronin
The studio chose to abandon the shared universe plans and decided to produce smaller, director-driven films, with several coming from low-budget, high-concept horror giant Blumhouse. Leigh Whannell delivered The Invisible Man and Wolf Man, and Chris McKay made the Dracula spin-off Renfield. Meanwhile, thanks to the source material being in the public domain, Netflix is preparing to release Guillermo del Toro‘s Frankenstein, while Warner Bros. is set to release The Bride!, directed by Maggie Gyllenhaal and inspired by Bride of Frankenstein. The Mummy, on the other hand, is being rebooted (again) by Evil Dead Rise filmmaker, Lee Cronin. Stay tuned to Collider for more updates.
