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Jason Blum Wants To Oversee The Dark Universe
Jason Blum is interested in trying to save Universal's Dark Universe. Cinematic universes are now what all studios hope to achieve after seeing the 10 years of success Marvel Studios has had with the MCU. Universal boldly proclaimed another cinematic universe was on the way that would bring together several classic monsters and figures. The Dark Universe was going to be kickstarted with the help of Tom Cruise in last year's The Mummy. The studio was confident enough that it was going to be a hit that they shared a photo confirming the involvement of several actors.
Those plans are being completely reworked following the reception of The Mummy. Although it wound up performing admirably at the box office thanks to Cruise's star power overseas, the critical reception to it was poor. As a result, Bill Condon's Bride of Frankenstein was delayed and the two architects of the Dark Universe are no longer involved. If the Dark Universe is looking for a guiding hand, Jason Blum wants a crack at it.
Jason Blum, the CEO of Blumhouse Productions, was doing an AMA on Twitter recently and the topic of the Dark Universe was brought up. A fan asked Blum if he'd be willing to take control of the Dark Universe to help give it another life and he simply said, "Yes!!!!"
Over the last decade, Blum has transformed Blumhouse into being the go-to production house for low-budget and wildly successful genre films. They made their name through horror movies, but they're also diving into thrillers, dramas, and action movies. Their filmography and mindset would make them a great place for the Dark Universe to land. Blumhouse and Universal are also only a few years in on a first-look deal, one that has provided Universal with some major surprise hits, so a relationship exists that could make this possible.
Universal clearly still has plans for the Dark Universe, too. Just a few months ago, an artist teased work was underway on more Dark Universe films. Frequent Angelina Jolie producer Holly Goline was part of this meeting of the minds, so she could be taking on a larger creative role in this new direction for the universe. That said, getting Blum involved wouldn't hurt. Fans of these monsters want to see the horror elements spotlighted and not have them be part of $100 million blockbuster action films. Blum and his team have the sensibilities to get the job done and likely keep the budget low. If they can do that, then movies making $400M worldwide will be deemed massive successes. Since Blum is interested, Universal should definitely give him a call.
