It’s not just superheroes who get their own cinematic universes anymore. Universal is about to get into the game by launching their collection of gothic monsters into a new shared movie franchise. As recently revealed, it’s officially called Dark Universe and will kick off with The Mummy. Starring Tom Cruise, Russell Crowe and Sofia Boutella, the film will rise from its tomb on June 9th, and make no mistake about it, there will be plenty more where that came from.
The following movie will be Bride of Frankenstein, starring Javier Bardem as Frankenstein’s Monster and directed by Bill Condon. Johnny Depp is also on board to play the Invisible Man in a separate project, while other films floating around will focus on the Wolf Man, the Creature from the Black Lagoon and Van Helsing.
Anyone wondering whether a bunch of monsters can carry their own shared universe should look to the original Universal Monsters franchise that ran throughout the 1930s, 40s and 50s. Drawing from those many, many movies, we’ve come up with eight characters we’d like to see turn up in Dark Universe. And while we’re at it, we’ve also suggested some actors who would be perfect to play them, too.
Take a look at our picks and as always, be sure to share your thoughts with us in the comments section down below.