Alex Kurtzman And Chris Morgan Depart Universal’s Monster Movies

There was much excitement from Universal when the studio unveiled its big plan to bring its classic monsters (your Mummy, your Invisible Man, your Frankenstein's Monster and his Bride etc.) back to screens in a shared universe cinematic setup handed the umbrella title of Dark Universe. But now, following the disappointing box office of Tom Cruise-focused The Mummy and the departure of creative overlords Alex Kurtzman and Chris Morgan, the Dark Universe seems to be headed for entropy.

Launched with great fanfare – and a shot of the big names the studio had reportedly hired going forward, including Russell Crowe (whose Dr. Jekyll turned up in The Mummy, aimed as a Nick Fury-style connection between the films), Sofia Boutella (the first version of the Mummy), Javier Bardem (the Frankenstein creature) and Johnny Depp (the Invisible Man) – things seemed to be proceeding full speed ahead with this new linked franchise. Then came the trouble with The Mummy (which Kurtzman directed) and now the first follow-up, Bill Condon's Bride Of Frankenstein on an indefinite hiatus (that was supposedly to allow for script re-writes, but now the release date has been erased and there's no sign of a deal for Angelina Jolie to star yet), and things are looking about as healthy as the Wolfman in a silver bullet firing range. Lots of cash had been splashed to renovate old offices for the monster team, but now they stand empty, with Kurtzman focusing on his TV work and Morgan instead busying himself writing Fast & Furious scripts.

As The Hollywood Reporter notes, there are still options for the studio, including handing off the property to people such as Jason Blum, who can make stand-alone movies, or finding someone to step in and run the whole monster shebang."We've learned many lessons throughout the creative process on Dark Universe so far, and we are viewing these titles as filmmaker-driven vehicles, each with their own distinct vision," Universal president of production Peter Cramer tells the Reporter. "We are not rushing to meet a release date and will move forward with these films when we feel they are the best versions of themselves." Translation: "Whoops!"

Tom Cruise, Javier Bardem, Johnny Depp And More Feature In a Dark Universe Group Shot

Alex Kurtzman On The Mummy

Bride Of Frankenstein Shut Down For Script Rewrites