--- description: To compete with Disney, Warner Bros. and Sony's superhero franchises, Universal mines its classic characters to create a monster universe. title: How 'The Mummy' Sets Up a Massive New Monster Movie Franchise image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt72908857ef042883/6988ce7dbc6cfcf4313e17cb/dark-universe.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [Entertainment](/section/entertainment/) ## Entertainment Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close * [movies](/tag/movies/) ## movies Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # How _The Mummy_ Sets Up a Massive New Monster Movie Franchise  by [Eliana Dockterman](/author/eliana-dockterman/)  ## Eliana Dockterman Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Correspondent Updated: Jan 24, 2024 11:59 AM CUTPublished: May 23, 2017 6:27 PM CUT  by [Eliana Dockterman](/author/eliana-dockterman/)  ## Eliana Dockterman Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Correspondent Updated: Jan 24, 2024 11:59 AM CUTPublished: May 23, 2017 6:27 PM CUT In a cinematic world [chock full of superheroes](http://time.com/4767162/rotten-tomatoes-best-superhero-teams/ "undefined"), Universal is taking the scarier route. To compete with Disney, [Warner Bros.](http://time.com/4437696/suicide-squad-dc-extended-universe/ "undefined") and [Sony’s](http://time.com/4705169/spider-man-venom-movie-spinoff/ "undefined") ever-expanding and ridiculously lucrative superhero franchises, Universal is mining its cache of classic characters to create an interconnected universe filled with monsters. Dubbed the “Dark Universe,” the series kicked off this summer with a reboot of [_The_ _Mummy_ starring Tom Cruise](http://time.com/4590070/the-mummy-movie-trailer-tom-cruise/ "undefined"). Universal made its name as a studio 1930s, 40s and 50s with delightfully schlocky films like _Bride of Frankenstein_, _The Invisible Man_ _, Wolf Man_, _Dracula_ and _Creature From the Black Lagoon_. The studio now plans to reboot many of these movies with overlapping characters to create an _Avengers_\-like franchise. Russell Crowe as Dr. Jekyll (and, presumably, Mr. Hyde) appears to be the glue: He drops into _The Mummy_ for a cameo and his overture at the beginning of the film promises he will introduce a “new world of gods and monsters” in future movies. The universe has been [long in the works](https://www.theverge.com/2016/12/5/13848462/the-mummy-universal-monsters-cinematic-universe-explained "undefined"), though it’s still unclear whether The Invisible Man and Frankenstein’s Monster can battle Superman and Iron Man at the box office. Here’s what you need to know. ### This _Mummy_ has nothing to do with Brendan Fraser’s _Mummy_ In 1999, Fraser and Rachel Weisz starred in a movie also called _The_ _Mummy_ about a group of 1920s explorers who accidentally unearth a very angry undead priest. Reviews were mixed. (The late, great Roger Ebert [wrote](http://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/the-mummy-1999 "undefined"): “There is hardly a thing I can say in its favor, except that I was cheered by nearly every minute of it.”) But it was a hit at the box office and spawned two sequels and a spinoff starring Dwayne Johnson, then billed as The Rock. Fraser’s Rick O’Connell does not appear in the Tom Cruise film, nor do any other characters from the original movies. The new movie takes place in present day, and the Mummy is female instead of male. Some [original _Mummy_ fans](http://observer.com/2017/04/brendan-fraser-the-mummy-tom-cruise-new/ "undefined") are upset that Fraser was replaced as the franchise’s star, but he [seems to be okay with it](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QIbdRQHINMI "undefined"). ### _The Mummy_ will set up the universe…again Technically, the “Dark Universe” already exists. Originally the 2014 film _Dracula Untold_ starring Luke Evans was supposed to set up the franchise. But the movie flailed at the box office, so Universal is betting on Tom Cruise to launch the extended universe instead. (Their faith may be misplaced: _Wonder Woman_, in its second weekend, [is set](http://variety.com/2017/film/news/box-office-wonder-woman-the-mummy-tom-cruise-1202457429/ "undefined") to bury _The Mummy_ at the box office.) In Alex Kurtzman’s _The Mummy_, Tom Cruise plays a new character named Nick Morton. The titular mummy (Sofia Boutella) was mummified and buried alive after trying to incite a coup when her pharaoh father gave her birthright to her baby brother 5,000 years ago. She was interrupted mid-casting of an evil curse that would have imbued her mortal boyfriend with the powers of the god of death. When a bumbling Nick wakes her up in the present day, she decides that he would be the perfect new vessel for these deadly powers and pursues him across the world in hopes of stabbing him with a magic dagger that will turn him into a monster (and [give him two pupils, apparently)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LAWo9%5FV2qOg "undefined"). It’s safe to assume that Cruise will make it out of this movie alive — if not unscathed — so he can wreak havoc in a sequel that unites him with the monsters from other films. ### There will be at least seven other films Universal has revealed plans to make _Frankenstein_, _Bride of Frankenstein_, _Dracula_, _Creature from the Black Lagoon_, _Phantom of the Opera_, _Hunchback of Notre Dame_ and _Invisible Man_. It’s unclear whether Cruise’s character will somehow become one of these monsters or be a separate monster without his own film beyond _The Mummy_.  (l-r) Russell Crowe, Javier Bardem, Tom Cruise, Johnny Depp and Sofia Boutella Universal Pictures ### Javier Bardem and Johnny Depp are onboard Javier Bardem has signed on to play Frankenstein’s monster and Johnny Depp the Invisible Man. No word yet on who might play the other characters. Kurtzman recently rattled off a number of other A-listers he would like to see in the films. “I’d love to bring Michael Fassbender in. I’d love to bring Jennifer Lawrence in. I’d love to see Charlize Theron in there, Angelina Jolie,” [he told](http://fandom.wikia.com/articles/mummy-producer-says-phantom-hunchback-added-dark-universe "undefined") _Fandom_. ### Russell Crowe’s Dr. Jekyll is the glue Think of Dr. Jekyll as the Nick Fury of the Dark Universe. Samuel L. Jackson’s Fury ties together the [Marvel movies as the head of SHIELD](http://time.com/4754930/guardians-galaxy-vol-2-marvel-movies/ "undefined"), the government organization that deals with superhuman threats. Crowe appears in _The Mummy_ to introduce the SHIELD-like organization Prodigium, which has been charged with tracking the world’s monsters. Dr. Jekyll’s has a complicated relationship with the eradication of monsters, considering his alter-ego. Here’s Universal’s description of Prodigium: --- > “” --- ### _Bride of Frankenstein_ will be the second film After _The Mummy_, audiences will have to wait another year and a half for a second monster flick. _Bride of Frankenstein,_ directed by [_Beauty and the Beast’_s Bill Condon](http://time.com/4715468/beauty-and-the-beast-time-loop-theory/ "undefined"), hits theaters on Feb. 19, 2019 — just in time for a very spooky Valentine’s Day. The movie will presumably star Bardem as the monster and a yet-uncast actor as the bride. While _The Mummy_ is a traditional action movie, _Bride of Frankenstein_ will likely be more of a drama, which means the Dark Universe will vary genre depending on the monster. Universal will also skip the traditional Frankenstein story, at least for now. Over the years Frankenstein has been featured in a whopping 52 films, so perhaps the studio thinks that audiences are as sick of watching the bolt-necked monster come to life as they are of [watching Uncle Ben die](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9cm1cEo8SKM "undefined"). ### “Extended universes” are the future of cinema For better or worse, studios have learned that audiences will pay not only to see sequels but prequels, spinoffs and crossovers. Marvel (owned by Disney) was the first studio to prove how fruitful the relationships among its characters could be. Iron Man left his solo movies to join forces with the rest of the Avengers, and soon that cohort of heroes will join up with the [Guardians of the Galaxy](http://time.com/4761978/guardians-of-the-galaxy-vol-2-easter-eggs/ "undefined") to save the universe in next year’s _Avengers: Infinity War._ The upshot: Marvel’s Cinematic Universe is the [most lucrative franchise of all time.](http://www.boxofficemojo.com/franchises/chart/?id=marvelcomics.htm "undefined") Warner Bros. is putting together a Justice League movie after last year’s [_Batman v. Superman_](http://time.com/4268724/batmanvsuperman-review-movie-ben-affleck-henry-cavill/ "undefined") and this year’s [_Wonder Woman_](http://time.com/4606107/wonder-woman-breaks-through/ "undefined"). They’ll also build their world with bad guy spinoffs: After last summer’s [_Suicide Squad_](http://time.com/4447995/suicide-squad-move-review/ "undefined"), [Harley Quinn](http://time.com/4438824/harley-quinn-evolution-joker-suicide-squad/ "undefined") will headline a [female villain movie](http://time.com/4437696/suicide-squad-dc-extended-universe/ "undefined"). Meanwhile, Sony [recently announced](http://time.com/4786608/venom-sony-tom-hardy-spider-man/ "undefined") plans to launch its first movie in the Spider-Man universe that won’t focus on Spidey himself but rather the villain Venom. More Spider-Man spinoffs are in the pipeline. And studios aren’t just capitalizing on superheroes. The [_Star Wars_ universe](http://time.com/4784685/star-wars-machete-order-rogue-one-force-awakens/ "undefined") (Disney) grows ever larger with a new movie premiering every year, including sequels (_The Force Awakens_) and spinoffs ([_Rogue One_](http://time.com/4594017/rogue-one-star-wars-timeline/ "undefined")). Dwayne Johnson and Jason Statham may get a _Fast and Furious_ [spinoff](http://www.thedrive.com/a-list/927/fast-furious-spinoffs-are-in-the-works-bro "undefined") (Universal). And _Harry Potter_ is getting a related series in [_Fantastic Beasts_](http://time.com/4572382/fantastic-beasts-harry-potter-timeline/ "undefined") (Universal). ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4790471/the-mummy-dark-universe-monster-franchise/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4790471/the-mummy-dark-universe-monster-franchise/"},"headline":"How The Mummy Sets Up a Massive New Monster Movie Franchise","datePublished":"2017-05-23T18:27:15.000Z","dateModified":"2024-01-24T11:59:13.000Z","description":"It's called the 'Dark Universe'","url":"https://time.com/4790471/the-mummy-dark-universe-monster-franchise/","keywords":["movies"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt72908857ef042883/6988ce7dbc6cfcf4313e17cb/dark-universe.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Eliana Dockterman","jobTitle":"Correspondent","url":"https://time.com/author/eliana-dockterman/"}],"articleSection":"Entertainment","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt72908857ef042883/6988ce7dbc6cfcf4313e17cb/dark-universe.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"dark-universe","caption":"dark universe","creditText":"Universal Pictures","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/entertainment/","name":"Entertainment"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/movies/","name":"movies"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/4790471/the-mummy-dark-universe-monster-franchise/","name":"How The Mummy Sets Up a Massive New Monster Movie Franchise"}}]},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"VideoObject","name":"This Video Is No Longer Available","description":"It's called the 'Dark Universe'","thumbnailUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/v2/media/fKodeUO6/poster.jpg?width=720","uploadDate":"2026-06-23T15:00:44.000Z","contentUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/fKodeUO6.m3u8","embedUrl":"https://time.com/4790471/the-mummy-dark-universe-monster-franchise/","duration":"PT10S","potentialAction":{"@type":"SeekToAction","target":"https://time.com/4790471/the-mummy-dark-universe-monster-franchise/?jw_start={seek_to_second_number}","startOffset-input":"required name=seek_to_second_number"}}] ```