In 2017, The Mummy with Tom Cruise was supposed to be the starting point of an extended cinematic universe, among the greatest ever conceived by cinema. With the ambition to compete with Marvel’s MCU, the Dark Universe was born. The goal: to bring together the iconic monsters from Universal studios – Dracula, Frankenstein, The Invisible Man… and give birth to a massive interconnected saga. Unfortunately, instead of launching a sprawling franchise, The Mummy caused the downfall of one of Hollywood’s most ambitious projects. Let’s look back at a spectacular failure.
Tailored to rival the MCU Eager to tap into the past success of its horror cinema, Universal envisioned an extended franchise inherited from its cult monsters of the 1930s and 1940s. With the Dark Universe, the studio aimed to resurrect the creatures that made its fame (The Invisible Man, Dracula, Frankenstein…) by creating an interconnected saga in the style of the MCU.
For this ambitious project, Universal spared no expense. A star-studded cast was announced with Tom Cruise, Russell Crowe (Dr. Jekyll), Johnny Depp (The Invisible Man), Javier Bardem (Frankenstein), and even Angelina Jolie as Frankenstein’s fiancée. At the time, a promotional image featuring these stars was even unveiled, along with an official logo, and the announcement of a first film focused on the character of the Mummy.
A resounding failure Released in 2017, The Mummy was supposed to be the cornerstone of the Dark Universe. However, from its release, the film received a frosty critical reception. The film’s tone oscillated between horror and action without ever finding its balance, and the story seemed more like a forced introduction to a shared universe than a standalone narrative. Despite a decent box office of $409 million, the film was deemed too costly (with a budget of $195 million, excluding marketing) to be profitable. Worse still, barely introduced to the cinema, the Dark Universe suffered from a shaky vision. Tom Cruise, who had the lead role, was notably accused of making major changes to the film, turning the project into a disjointed cinematic mishmash.
Faced with the resounding failure of The Mummy, Universal quickly put its Dark Universe on hold. The announced projects (Frankenstein, The Wolf Man, The Invisible Man) were suspended. Alex Kurtzman and Chris Morgan, who were in charge of the extended universe, left the ship. In 2019, the project was officially abandoned.
The return of The Mummy? With much ambition and little recognition, Tom Cruise’s The Mummy marks the birth and death of the Dark Universe. The film will be broadcast this Sunday, March 22, on TFX, and while it is certainly not memorable, it was supposed to mark the beginning of a new cinematic era.
