As Universal powers full steam ahead with its plans to relaunch its library of classic movie monsters, red-hot writer Jay Basu (Monsters: Dark Continent) has become the latest scribe to join a brain trust being set up to mastermind the studio’s ambitious endeavor. It’s unclear which entry in Universal Monsters Basu will be personally heading up (if any), but his feedback will be incorporated into all projects under the banner.
Super-producers Alex Kurtzman (Transformers, The Amazing Spider-Man) and Chris Morgan (the Fast & Furious franchise) are serving as the architects of Universal Monsters, which will expand and join together a network of classic monsters. So far, Universal has also recruited Fargo scribe/creator Noah Hawley, Prisoners screenwriter Aaron Guzikowski and Now You See Me scribe Ed Solomon to help with the effort. Out of those writers, only Guzikowski has been tasked with a specific script – for The Wolfman.
First, however, Kurtzman will direct The Mummy, working from a script by Doctor Strange scribe Jon Spaihts and Captain Phillips writer Billy Ray. The plot, outside of a leaked and possibly inaccurate synopsis, is being kept under wraps (couldn’t resist). That title has already been dated for June 24th, 2016. After The Mummy, a pic will land on April 27th, 2017, but its title has not yet been announced. Most think Guzikowski’s Wolfman movie is a likely suspect.
Though Basu hasn’t yet been assigned a project, it’s exciting to see the young, talented scribe come aboard. Basu’s action-adventure film The Pier, which he co-wrote with David Bowers, was recently voted runner-up in the annual Brit List of best unproduced screenplays, but he’s been on our radar since 2008, when his script GBH made the Brit List.
We’ll keep you posted as his Universal Monsters pic is revealed – with plans to bring Frankenstein, the Invisible Man, the Bride of Frankenstein and vampire hunter Van Helsing to the big screen, Basu certainly has an exciting roster of projects to pick from.