Mystery Monster Movie Announced By Universal For 2017

Universal’s plans to revive their vintage monster movie universe are in motion, as The Hollywood Reporter announce the studio have scheduled an as-yet unspecified movie for release in 2017.

The new Universal monster movie universe was (sort-of) launched with this year’s prequel 'Dracula Untold,' and will properly get into motion with the 2016 reboot of ‘The Mummy.’

Reportedly the studio plan to bring back most if not all of their iconic monsters from the 1930s to 1950s, including ‘Frankenstein,’ ‘The Bride of Frankenstein,’ ‘The Wolf Man’ and ‘The Creature From the Black Lagoon.’

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This is not the first time Universal have attempted to relaunch their monster movie brand. 2004’s ‘Van Helsing’ and 2010’s ‘The Wolfman’ both set out to do this, but failed to win over audiences.

Today, of course, we can’t hear tell of plans for overlapping movies to form a ‘cinematic universe’ without assuming the parties in question are ripping off Marvel Studios, However, Universal pioneered this idea over 70 years ago.

Their 1943 movie ‘Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man’ with Lon Chaney Jr and Bela Lugosi (the latter actor’s one appearance in the role made famous by Boris Karloff) showcased two of the studio’s most iconic creatures side-by-side for the first time.

Further films would bring more monsters into the mix, including ‘House of Frankenstein,’ ‘House of Dracula,’ and finally the comedic ‘Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein.’

In the years since, Tristar’s 1987 comedy horror ‘The Monster Squad’ brought the Universal monsters together again, whilst tip-toeing around the studio’s copyrights.

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This revival of the franchise is being overseen by producers Alex Kurtzman and Chris Morgan. Kurtzman, previously part of one of the most profitable screenwriting duos of modern times with Roberto Orci, is set to make his directorial debut on ‘The Mummy.’

The recent ‘Dracula Untold,’ which cast Luke Evans (who may yet play another horror icon, ‘The Crow’) as the Count, is known to have undergone reshoots, adding a modern day epilogue scene to hint at further films to come.

As for which monster is most likely to arrive in 2017; obviously we can only speculate, but something tells us it probably won’t be ‘The Wolf Man’ given how recently Universal last revived that one. ‘Frankenstein’ could be tricky too, given 2015 will see 20th Century Fox release their own new take, ‘Victor Frankenstein,’ starring James McAvoy and Daniel Radcliffe.

Our money, then, is on ‘The Creature from the Black Lagoon.’ A new take on this property is known to have been in development for many years, with directors Guillermo del Toro and Breck Eisner being attached at different points.

Still, all we know for sure right now is that ‘The Mummy’ will be reborn on 24 June 2016, whilst its as-yet unspecified monster cousin will arrive on 21 April 2017.

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Picture Credit: Universal