Universal Monsters Cinematic Universe

Universal Epic Universe Dark Universe

…Yes. Anyway, concept art:

I feel like this will really start to take off after dark. Get the full experience.

Edited by BigBadShadow25 on Jan 30th 2024 at 11:41:57 AM

Universal presents Universal Studios' Dark Universe at Universal Epic Universe in Universal Orlando Resort, Orlando.

Anyway, this seems fun. Considering the name I kind of get the impression that this was pitched to tie into the planned "Dark Universe" film franchise, which is kind of funny if you think about it in terms of building an entire theme park for a franchise that only had one movie... But the classic horror aesthetic they're giving it is such an enduring part of pop culture that the fact that they failed to reboot the franchise is pretty much irrelevant.

Made a thread for the park itself:

https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/posts.php?discussion=17066250180A22467300&page=1#1

But yeah. One wonders if they’ll be doing anything special for Halloween Horror Night.

…Or if Uni will take a page from Disney and let the park influence a new Frankenstein movie.

I notice they’re referring to Dr. Frankenstein as Victoria. So she’s a woman in this version… interesting.

Edited by BigBadShadow25 on Jan 30th 2024 at 4:51:03 AM

My guess is they still have the license to the Dark Universe name and are still using it because of that.

Is it just me or does Dracula here look like his Van Helsing variant?

I think that’s just the concept art. It’ll probably vary depending on who plays him at the park.

-sees the pictures of the Dark Universe-

Looks fearsome.

Footage of Leigh Whannell's The Wolf Man played at CinemaCon.

Copying the relevant text into spoiler tags.

CinemaCon got the very first look at Leigh Whannel’s Wolfman, which is still in the earliest days of shooting. Christopher Abbott plays a troubled father who is trying to protect his young daughter in a remote cabin in the woods. Ozark‘s Julia Garner seems to be playing the mother role, as no other characters are shown besides these three. Abbott is extremely paranoid about a danger that seems to be stalking his family from outside of their home. It’s teased that it’s some kind of large dog, which Abbott is eventually bit by on the arm.

As Christopher Abbott starts to slowly transform for the first time out of the frame, Julia Garner’s mother character grabs her daughter away slowly in fear. There’s a real sense of irony as Abbott is now becoming the very threat he is trying to protect his daughter from. It’s implied that this story then takes a turn as mother and daughter vs father. This is a totally modernized take on Universal’s classic Wolfman tale, and even though Cinema Con didn’t get to see the creature, it is teased via a shadow that it could be more in line with the traditional design of the Wolfman walking upright.

Edited by GrandmasterKiramidHead on Apr 12th 2024 at 5:02:41 AM

Abigail is oodles of fun. I just wish that the advertising hadn't been so revealing(although it is pretty funny, in the dramatic irony sense, to see its cast of shitheads react to what they think is going on), and that it had leaned less on the exploding bodies, a gag that Radio Silence has already played out to a huge degree.

Will see Abigail sometime this week. In the meantime, stumbled upon a podcast trying to imagine a Dark Universe that was actually successful (but with some differences, like The Invisible Man becoming a comedy...). Although I only saw the episode regarding video games, just to hear what the guys had to say on the one good thing of the Dark Universe, The Mummy Demastered.