Universal Classic Monsters

Universal Classic Monsters
File:Universal Classic Monsters logo.jpg Official franchise logo as displayed on home video releases
Production company	Universal Pictures
Distributed by	Universal Pictures
Country	United States

Universal Classic Monsters is a name given to the horror, fantasy, thriller and science fiction films made by Universal Pictures during the decades of the 1920s through the 1950s. They were the first shared universe in the entire movie industry in Hollywood and around the world. They began with The Hunchback of Notre Dame and The Phantom of the Opera, both silent films starring Lon Chaney. Universal continued with talkies including monster franchises Dracula, Frankenstein, The Mummy, The Invisible Man, The Wolf Man and Creature from the Black Lagoon. The films often featured Bela Lugosi, Boris Karloff and Lon Chaney Jr.

Development

In 1923, Universal produced the drama The Hunchback of Notre Dame, starring Lon Chaney as Quasimodo. The production sets were built to evoke 15th-century Paris, including a re-creation of the Notre Dame de Paris cathedral.

Chaney stars as The Phantom in 1925's horror film, The Phantom of the Opera, based on the mystery novel by Gaston Leroux. The interior of the Opéra Garnier was recreated to scale and was used again in the 1943 remake with Claude Rains.

In 1931, Bela Lugosi starred in Universal's Dracula and Boris Karloff portrayed the monster in Frankenstein. Actors Dwight Frye and Edward Van Sloan, who played major supporting roles in both films, made several film appearances in this decade. Make-up artist Jack Pierce created several monsters' make-up starting in the 1930s.

The Mummy, starring Karloff, was produced in 1932. This was followed by a trilogy of films based on the tales of Edgar Allan Poe: Murders in the Rue Morgue (1932) starring Lugosi, The Black Cat (1934), and The Raven (1935), the latter two of which teamed Lugosi with Karloff. Universal began releasing sequels including Bride of Frankenstein (1935), Dracula's Daughter (1936) and sequels for The Invisible Man (1933). The first mainstream werewolf picture, Werewolf of London (1935) starring Henry Hull, was not a box office triumph despite being revered by audiences today.

The end of Universal's first run of horror films came in 1936. The monster movies were dropped from the production schedule altogether and would not re-emerge for another three years. In the meantime, a theatre owner revived Dracula and Frankenstein as a resoundingly successful double feature, prompting the studio to re-release the original movies. Son of Frankenstein (1939), starring Basil Rathbone, Boris Karloff, and Bela Lugosi, was filmed as a result of the unexpected resurgence.

During the 1940s, Universal released The Wolf Man (1941), with Lon Chaney Jr. The junior Chaney became the studio's leading monster movie actor in the 1940s, just as his father had been two decades earlier, supplanting the 1930s' Karloff and Lugosi by a wide margin in terms of the number of leading roles that he played. Chaney Jr. physically resembled his father apart from usually being somewhat overweight, which the senior Chaney never was. The studio dropped the "Jr." from the junior Chaney's billing almost immediately to confuse some in the audiences into assuming that this was the same actor.

In 1943, the studio created a remake of Phantom of the Opera, this time starring Nelson Eddy and Susanna Foster with Claude Rains as the Phantom.

The Frankenstein and Wolf Man series continued with The Ghost of Frankenstein (1942), in which Chaney Jr. played Frankenstein's monster and Lugosi reprised his role as Ygor, and Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man (1943) with Lugosi as the Frankenstein monster and Chaney Jr. as the Wolf Man. Son of Dracula (1943) featured Chaney Jr. in Lugosi's original role as the Count. The Mummy series was also continued with The Mummy's Hand (1940), The Mummy's Tomb (1942), The Mummy's Ghost and The Mummy's Curse (both 1944) with Chaney Jr. as the Mummy in the last three films. House of Frankenstein (1944) and House of Dracula (1945) featured many of the monsters from the studio's previous films. As the decade drew to a close, the comedy Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein (1948) features Lugosi in only his second film as Count Dracula, alongside Chaney Jr. as Larry Talbot (the Wolf Man), and Glenn Strange as Frankenstein's monster. Abbott and Costello also appeared in films featuring characters such as the Mummy and the Invisible Man.

Creature from the Black Lagoon, directed by Jack Arnold, was released in 1954. Dracula and Frankenstein were re-released as double features in theatres, and were later broadcast in syndication on American television in 1957 as part of the Shock Theater package of Universal Monster Movies. Magazines such as Famous Monsters of Filmland covered the monster films. Universal spent the last half of the decade issuing a number of one-shot monster films.

Films

1920s

Film	U.S. release date	Director(s)	Screenwriter(s)	Story by	Producer(s)
The Hunchback of Notre Dame	September 2, 1923 (1923-09-02)	Wallace Worsley	Edward T. Lowe, Jr. & Perley Poore Sheehan		Carl Laemmle
The Phantom of the Opera	November 25, 1925 (1925-11-25)	Rupert Julian	Walter Anthony, Elliott J. Clawson, Bernard McConville, Frank M. McCormack, Tom Reed, Raymond L. Schrock, Jasper Spearing & Richard Wallace
The Cat and the Canary	September 9, 1927 (1927-09-09)	Paul Leni	Alfred A. Cohn	Alfred A. Cohn & Robert F. Hill	Paul Kohner
The Man Who Laughs	November 4, 1928 (1928-11-04)		J. Grubb Alexander, Walter Anthony, Mary McLean & Charles E. Whittaker
The Last Performance	November 17, 1929 (1929-11-17)	Paul Fejos	Walter Anthony, James Ashmore Creelman & Tom Reed		Carl Laemmle and Carl Laemmle Jr.

1930s

Film	U.S. release date	Director(s)	Screenwriter(s)	Story by	Producer(s)
The Cat Creeps	November 10, 1930 (1930-11-10)	Rupert Julian	William J. Hurlbut & Gladys Lehman		Carl Laemmle, Jr.
La Voluntad del muerto	December 12, 1930 (1930-12-12)	George Melford & Enrique Tovar Avalos	Baltasar Fernández Cué	Gladys Lehman & William Hurlbut	Paul Kohner
Dracula	February 14, 1931 (1931-02-14)	Tod Browning	Garrett Fort		Tod Browning and Carl Laemmle, Jr.
Dracula (Spanish Version)	April 24, 1931 (1931-04-24)	George Melford	Baltasar Fernández Cué and Garret Fort	Garret Fort	Carl Laemmle Jr. and Paul Kohner
Frankenstein	November 21, 1931 (1931-11-21)	James Whale	Francis Edward Faragoh & Garrett Fort	John L. Balderston	Carl Laemmle Jr.
Murders in the Rue Morgue	February 21, 1932 (1932-02-21)	Robert Florey	Tom Reed & Dale Van Every	Robert Florey
The Old Dark House	February 21, 1932 (1932-02-21)	James Whale	R. C. Sherriff & Benn W. Levy
The Mummy	December 22, 1932 (1932-12-22)	Karl Freund	John L. Balderston	Nina Wilcox Putnam & Richard Schayer
The Secret of the Blue Room	July 20, 1933 (1933-07-20)	Kurt Neumann	Willim J. Hurlbut
The Invisible Man	November 13, 1933 (1933-11-13)	James Whale	R. C. Sherriff
The Black Cat	June 7, 1934 (1934-06-07)	Edgar G. Ulmer	Peter Ruric	Edgar G. Ulmer & Peter Ruric	E. M. Asher
The Mystery of Edwin Drood	February 4, 1935 (1935-02-04)	Stuart Walker	Leopold Atlas, John L. Balderston, Bradley King & Gladys Unger		Carl Laemmle Jr. and Edmund Grainger
Bride of Frankenstein	April 20, 1935 (1935-04-20)	James Whale	William Hurlbut	William Hurlbut & John L. Balderston	Carl Laemmle Jr.
Werewolf of London	May 13, 1935 (1935-05-13)	Stuart Walker	John Colton, Robert Harris, Harvey Gates, Edmund Pearson, James Mulhauser & Aben Kandel	Robert Harris	Stanley Bergerman
The Raven	July 8, 1935 (1935-07-08)	Louis Friedlander	David Boehm		Carl Laemmle Jr. and David Diamond
The Invisible Ray	January 20, 1936 (1936-01-20)	Lambert Hillyer	John Colton		Carl Laemmle Jr. and Edmund Grainger
Dracula's Daughter	May 11, 1936 (1936-05-11)	Lambert Hillyer	Garrett Fort	Oliver Jeffries	E. M. Asher
Night Key	May 2, 1937 (1937-05-02)	Lloyd Corrigan	Tristram Tupper & John C. Moffitt	William Pierce	Robert Pressnel
The Phantom Creeps	January 7, 1939 (1939-01-07)	Ford Beebe & Saul A. Goodkind	George Plympton, Basil Dickey & Mildred Barish	Willis Cooper	Henry MacRae
Son of Frankenstein	January 13, 1939 (1939-01-13)	Rowland V. Lee	Wyllis Cooper		Rowland V. Lee
Tower of London	November 17, 1939 (1939-11-17)		Robert N. Lee

1940s

Film	U.S. release date	Director	Screenwriter(s)	Story by	Producer(s)
The Invisible Man Returns	January 12, 1940 (1940-01-12)	Joe May	Kurt Siodmak & Lester Cole	Kurt Siodmak & Joe May	Ken Goldsmith
Black Friday	April 12, 1940 (1940-04-12)	Arthur Lubin	Curt Siodmak and Eric Taylor		Burt Kelly
The Mummy's Hand	November 20, 1940 (1940-11-20)	Christy Cabanne	Griffin Jay and Maxwell Shane		Ben Pivar
The Invisible Woman	December 12, 1940 (1940-12-12)	A. Edward Sutherland	Robert Lees, Frederic I. Rinaldo & Gertrude Purcell	Curt Siodmak & Joe May	Burt Kelly
Man-Made Monster	March 28, 1941 (1941-03-28)	George Waggner	Joseph West	H.J. Essex, Len Golos & Sid Schwartz	Jack Bernhard
Horror Island			Maurice Tombragel & Victor McLeod	Alex Gottlieb
The Black Cat	February 5, 1941 (1941-02-05)	Albert S. Rogell	Robert Lees & Robert Neville	Robert Lees & Robert Neville	Burt Kelly
The Wolf Man	December 12, 1941 (1941-12-12)	George Waggner	Curt Siodmak		George Waggner
The Mad Doctor of Market Street	February 12, 1942 (1942-02-12)	Joseph H. Lewis	Al Martin		Paul Malvern
The Ghost of Frankenstein	March 13, 1942 (1942-03-13)	Erle C. Kenton	W. Scott Darling	Eric Taylor	George Waggner
The Strange Case of Doctor Rx	April 17, 1942 (1942-04-17)	William Nigh	Clarence Upson Young	Alex Bottlieb	Jack Bernhard
The Mystery of Marie Roget	April 23, 1942 (1942-04-23)	Phil Rosen	Michel Jacoby		Paul Malvern
Invisible Agent	April 17, 1942 (1942-04-17)	Edwin L. Marin	Curtis Siodmak		Frank Lloyd
Night Monster	October 20, 1942 (1942-10-20)	Ford Beebe	Clarence Upson Young		Ford Beebe
The Mummy's Tomb	October 23, 1942 (1942-10-23)	Harold Young	Griffin Jay & Henry Sucher	Neil P. Varnick	Ben Pivar
Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man	March 5, 1943 (1943-03-05)	Roy William Neill	Curt Siodmak		George Waggner
Captive Wild Woman	June 4, 1943 (1943-06-04)	Edward Dmytryk	Griffin Jay & Henry Sucher	Ted Fithian & Neil P. Varnick	Ben Pivar
Phantom of the Opera	August 12, 1943 (1943-08-12)	Arthur Lubin	Samuel Hoffenstein & Eric Taylor	John Jacoby	George Waggner
Son of Dracula	November 5, 1943 (1943-11-05)	Robert Siodmak	Eric Taylor	Curtis Siodmak	Ford Beebe and Donald H. Brown
The Mad Ghoul	November 12, 1943 (1943-11-12)	James Hogan	Paul Gangelin & Brenda Weisberg	Hans Kraly	Benjamin Pivar
Calling Dr. Death	December 17, 1943 (1943-12-17)	Reginald LeBorg	Edward Dein		Ben Pivar
Weird Woman	March 1, 1944 (1944-03-01)	Reginald Le Borg	Brenda Weisberg	W. Scott Darling	Ben Pivar and Oliver Drake
Jungle Woman	March 1, 1944 (1944-03-01)	Reginald LeBorg	Henry Sucher, Bernard Schubert & Edward Dein	Henry Sucher	Will Cowan
The Invisible Man's Revenge	June 9, 1944 (1944-06-09)	Ford Beebe	Bertram Millhauser		Ford Beebe
The Mummy's Ghost	July 7, 1944 (1944-07-07)	Reginald LeBorg	Griffin Jay, Henry Sucher & Brenda Weisberg	Griffin Jay & Henry Sucher	Ben Pivar
The Climax	October 20, 1944 (1944-10-20)	George Waggner	Curt Siodmak, Lynn Starling & George Waggner	Curt Siodmak	George Waggner
Dead Man's Eyes	November 10, 1944 (1944-11-10)	Reginald Le Borg	Dwight V. Babcock		Ben Pivar and Will Cowan
The Mummy's Curse	December 22, 1944 (1944-12-22)	Leslie Goodwins	Bernard Schubert	Leon Abrams & Dwight V. Babcock	Oliver Drake
The House of Frankenstein	February 16, 1945 (1945-02-16)	Erle C. Kenton	Edward T. Lowe	Curt Siodmak	Paul Malvern
The Frozen Ghost	June 1, 1945 (1945-06-01)	Harold Young	Bernard Schubert & Luci Ward	Harrison Carter & Henry Sucher	Will Cowan
Jungle Captive	June 29, 1945 (1945-06-29)		Dwight V. Babcock & M. Coates Webster	Dwight V. Babcock	Morgan B. Cox
Strange Confession	October 5, 1945 (1945-10-05)	John Hoffman	M. Coates Webster	Jean Bart	Ben Pivar
House of Dracula	June 29, 1945 (1945-06-29)	Eric C. Kenton	Edward T. Lowe	Dwight V. Babcock & George Bricker	Paul Malvern
Pillow of Death	December 14, 1945 (1945-12-14)	Wallace Fox	George Bricker	Dwight V. Babcock	Ben Pivar
The Spider Woman Strikes Back	March 22, 1946 (1946-03-22)	Arthur Lubin	Eric Taylor		Howard Welsch
House of Horrors	March 22, 1946 (1946-03-22)	Jean Yarbrough	George Bricker	Dwight V. Babcock	Ben Pivar
She-Wolf of London	March 29, 1946 (1946-03-29)
The Cat Creeps	May 17, 1946 (1946-05-17)	Erle C. Kenton	Edward Dein & Jerry Warner	Gerald Geraghty	Will Cowan
The Brute Man	October 1, 1946 (1946-10-01)	Jean Yarbrough	George Bricker & M. Coates Webster	Dwight V. Babcock	Ben Pivar
Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein	June 15, 1948 (1948-06-15)	Charles T. Barton	Robert Lees, Frederic I. Rinaldo & John Grant		Robert Arthur
Abbott and Costello Meet the Killer, Boris Karloff	August 22, 1949 (1949-08-22)		Hugh Wedlock Jr., Howard Snyder & John Grant	Hugh Wedlock Jr. & Howard Snyder

1950–1960

Film	U.S. release date	Director(s)	Screenwriter(s)	Story by	Producer(s)
Abbott and Costello Meet the Invisible Man	March 19, 1951 (1951-03-19)	Charles Lamont	Robert Lees, Frederic I. Rinaldo & John Grant	Hugh Wedlock Jr. & Howard Snyder	Howard Christie
The Strange Door	December 8, 1951 (1951-12-08)	Joseph Pevney	Jerry Sackheim		Ted Richmond
The Black Castle	November 20, 1952 (1952-11-20)	Nathan Juran	Jerry Sackheim		William Alland
It Came from Outer Space	May 27, 1953 (1953-05-27)	Jack Arnold	Harry Essex	Ray Bradbury
Abbott and Costello Meet Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde	August 12, 1953 (1953-08-12)	Charles Lamont	Lee Loeb & John Grant	Sidney Fields & Grant Garrett	Howard Christie
Creature from the Black Lagoon	February 12, 1954 (1954-02-12)	Jack Arnold	Harry Essex & Arthur Ross	Maurice Zimm	William Alland
Revenge of the Creature	May 13, 1955 (1955-05-13)	Jack Arnold	Martin Berkeley	William Alland
Cult of the Cobra	May 30, 1955 (1955-05-30)	Francis D. Lyon	Jerry Davis, Cecil Maiden & Richard Collins	Jerry Davis	Howard Pine
This Island Earth	June 10, 1955 (1955-06-10)	Joseph Newman & Jack Arnold	Franklin Coen & Edward G. O'Callaghan		William Alland
Abbott and Costello Meet the Mummy	May 23, 1955 (1955-05-23)	Charles Lamont	John Grant	Lee Loeb	Howard Christie
Tarantula!	November 23, 1955 (1955-11-23)	Jack Arnold	Robert M. Fresco & Martin Berkeley	Jack Arnold & Robert M. Fresco
The Creature Walks Among Us	April 26, 1956 (1956-04-26)	John Sherwood	Arthur Ross		William Alland
Curucu, Beast of the Amazon	December 1, 1956 (1956-12-01)	Curt Siodmak			Richard Kay and Harry Rybnick
The Mole People		Virgil Vogel	László Görög		William Alland
The Incredible Shrinking Man	February 22, 1957 (1957-02-22)	Jack Arnold	Richard Matheson & Richard Alan Simmons		Albert Zugsmith
The Deadly Mantis	May 26, 1957 (1957-05-26)	Nathan Juran	Martin Berkeley	William Alland
The Land Unknown	October 30, 1957 (1957-10-30)	Virgin Vogel	László Görög	Charles Palmer & William N. Robson	William Alland
The Monolith Monsters	December 18, 1957 (1957-12-18)	John Sherwood	Norman Jolley & Robert M. Fresco	Jack Arnold & Robert M. Fresco	Howard Christie
The Thing That Couldn't Die	May 7, 1958 (1958-05-07)	Will Cowan	David Duncan		Will Cowan
Monster on the Campus	December 17, 1958 (1958-12-17)	Jack Arnold	David Duncan		Joseph Gershenson
Curse of the Undead	May 1, 1959 (1959-05-01)	Edward Dein	Edward Dein & Mildred Dein
The Leech Woman	July 7, 1960 (1960-07-07)	Edward Dein	David Duncan	Ben Pivar & Francis Rosenwald

Recurring cast and characters

List indicator(s)

• This table only includes characters which have appeared in multiple films within this shared universe.
• A dark grey cell indicates the character was not in the film.
• A ^G Cedric Hardwicke played the son of Henry Frankenstein, he also played the ghost of Henry Frankenstein.
• A ^P indicates the character was shown in a photograph.
• A ^U indicates a uncredited role.
• A ^V indicates a voice-only role.

Character	Films
	Dracula	Frankenstein	The Invisible Man	Bride of Frankenstein	Dracula's Daughter	Son of Frankenstein	The Invisible Man Returns	The Wolf Man	The Ghost of Frankenstein	Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man	Son of Dracula	House of Frankenstein	House of Dracula	Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein	Abbott and Costello Meet the Invisible Man
The Frankenstein Monster		Boris Karloff		Boris Karloff		Boris Karloff			Lon Chaney Jr.	Bela Lugosi		Glenn Strange
Count Dracula	Bela Lugosi										Lon Chaney Jr.	John Carradine		Bela Lugosi
The Wolf Man Larry Talbot								Lon Chaney Jr.		Lon Chaney Jr.		Lon Chaney Jr.
Van Helsing	Edward Van Sloan				Edward Van Sloan
Henry Frankenstein		Colin Clive		Colin Clive					Cedric Hardwicke
The Invisible Man Jack Griffin			Claude Rains				Claude Rains								Claude Rains
Elizabeth		Mae Clarke		Valerie Hobson
Ygor						Bela Lugosi			Bela Lugosi
The Invisible Man Geoffrey Radcliffe							Vincent Price							Vincent Price
Maleva								Maria Ouspenskaya		Maria Ouspenskaya
Elsa Frankenstein									Evelyn Ankers	Ilona Massey

Remake era

Film	U.S. release date	Director	Screenwriter(s)	Story by	Producer(s)
Dracula	July 13, 1979 (1979-07-13)	John Badham	W. D. Richter		Marvin Mirisch and Walter Mirisch
The Mummy	May 7, 1999 (1999-05-07)	Stephen Sommers		Stephen Sommers and Lloyd Fonvielle & Kevin Jarre	James Jacks and Sean Daniel
The Mummy Returns	May 4, 2001 (2001-05-04)	Stephen Sommers
The Scorpion King	April 19, 2002 (2002-04-19)	Chuck Russell	Stephen Sommers and William Osborne and David Hayter	Stephen Sommers and Jonathan Hales	Sean Daniel, James Jacks, Vince McMahon, Kevin Misher and Stephen Sommers
Van Helsing	May 7, 2004 (2004-05-07)	Stephen Sommers			Stephen Sommers and Bob Ducsay
The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor	August 1, 2008 (2008-08-01)	Rob Cohen	Alfred Gough & Miles Millar		Stephen Sommers, Sean Daniel, James Jacks and Bob Ducsay
The Wolfman	February 12, 2010 (2010-02-12)	Joe Johnston	Andrew Kevin Walker and David Self		Sean Daniel, Scott Stuber, Benicio del Toro and Rick Yorn

Reboot era

Film	U.S. release date	Director	Screenwriter(s)	Story by	Producer(s)
Dracula Untold	October 10, 2014 (2014-10-10)	Gary Shore	Mark Sazama & Burk Sharpless		Michael De Luca
The Mummy	June 9, 2017 (2017-06-09)	Alex Kurtzman	David Koepp, Christopher McQuarrie & Dylan Kussman	Jon Spaihts, Alex Kurtzman & Jenny Lumet	Alex Kurtzman, Chris Morgan, Sean Daniel and Sarah Bradshaw
The Invisible Man	February 28, 2020 (2020-02-28)	Leigh Whannell			Jason Blum and Kylie Du Fresne
Dark Army	TBA	Paul Feig			Paul Feig and Laura Fischer
Renfield	TBA	Dexter Fletcher	Ryan Ridley	Robert Kirkman and Ryan Ridley	Robert Kirkman, David Alpert, Bryan Furst and Sean Furst
Frankenstein	TBA	TBA	TBA	TBA	James Wan
The Invisible Woman	TBA	Elizabeth Banks	Erin Cressida Wilson	Elizabeth Banks	Elizabeth Banks and Max Handelman

Dark Universe

File:Dark Universe official logo.jpg

Official logo of the Dark Universe label as released by Universal Pictures

Dark Universe was the term given by Universal Pictures to their planned cinematic universe, which was to be based on the classic Universal Monsters film series. The studio's first attempt at this universe was with the film Dracula Untold. Released on October 10, 2014, with Luke Evans in the eponymous role, the film was developed prior to plans for a shared universe of horror films. However, it was retooled to be a part of the franchise. The film's mixed financial and critical reception resulted in the film's presence within the franchise to be downplayed. Evans has remained attached to the role, with potential to return in a future film.

Universal, which had announced plans to reboot The Mummy franchise in 2012, decided to market the new installment as the first film in the series. The Mummy was set to be released in 2017 with Alex Kurtzman as director. Also, Kurtzman and Chris Morgan were announced as co-runners of the Dark Universe, with collaborations from David Koepp and Christopher McQuarrie. Along with the crew, Universal announced the casting of Russell Crowe as Dr. Henry Jekyll / Mr. Edward Hyde, Javier Bardem as the Frankenstein Monster, and Johnny Depp as The Invisible Man. They would join Tom Cruise and Sofia Boutella, as Nick Morton and Princess Ahmanet / The Mummy. Bill Condon was announced as the director of the franchise's Bride of Frankenstein, originally set to be released on February 14, 2019. David Koepp wrote the film's script. Even though various sources stated that Evans would reprise his role in a cameo in The Mummy, in the universe, Kurtzman denied these claims, stating that he had considered the film to no longer be canon to the Dark Universe. Despite this, Evans confirmed that he was contractually signed to reprise the role, and believed that he would appear in further films. Additional rebooted versions of their characters were announced to have films in development as well including: the Wolf Man, the Creature from the Black Lagoon, the Phantom of the Opera, and The Hunchback of Notre-Dame. The shared film universe's official theme music was composed by Danny Elfman.

The Mummy was released on June 9, 2017 to predominantly negative reviews from critics, as well as an underwhelming performance at the box office. By November, The Bride of Frankenstein was pulled from its initial release, and lead producers/co-architects of the Dark Universe, Alex Kurtzman and Chris Morgan, left Universal and departed from the franchise. Universal has put a hold on future projects while they create a plan for future releases. Universal Pictures released an official statement reading:

"After thoughtful consideration, Universal Pictures and director Bill Condon have decided to postpone Bride of Frankenstein. None of us want[s] to move too quickly to meet a release date when we know this special movie needs more time to come together. Bill is a director whose enormous talent has been proven time and again, and we all look forward to continuing to work on this film together."

In January 2018, development on the film progressed with Condon hiring a production team consisting of cinematographer Tobias A. Schliessler, production designer Sarah Greenwood, composer Carter Burwell, and costume designer Jacqueline Durran. In May of the same year, artist Robert Vargas announced from his social media account that he had attended a meeting with the studio and would collaborate on the Dark Universe films moving forward. By November 2019, Condon confirmed that though the film had entered pre-production at one point, the film was halted, owing it to the failure of The Mummy. The director also confirmed that Koepp remains involved with re-working the rebooted franchises.

Return to stand-alone projects

In January 2019, Universal announced that all future movies based on the characters, would focus on standalone stories as opposed to inter-connectivity. Successful horror film producer Jason Blum, founder of production company Blumhouse Productions, had at various times publicly expressed his interest in reviving and working on future installments within the Dark Universe franchise. The Invisible Man, a reboot of the classic 1933 film, was announced to be the next film in development, written and directed by Leigh Whannell with Blum signed on as producer. By March 2019, Elisabeth Moss was cast as the female lead, Cecilia Kass. Storm Reid, Aldis Hodge and Harriet Dyer joined the cast in the following months. By July 2019, Oliver Jackson-Cohen was cast as the titular character. Filming began in July 2019, and continued into September 2019. The Invisible Man is scheduled to be released on February 28, 2020.

In September 2019, it was announced that a film titled Dark Army is in development. The film will feature monsters from the original movies, as well as new characters. Paul Feig will serve as director, from a script of his own. He will serve as co-producer with Laura Fischer. The project will be a joint production between Universal Pictures and Feigco Productions. The filmmaker stated that The Bride of Frankenstein will be a major influence on his project.

In November 2019, it was announced that a film centered Count Dracula's henchman, R. M. Renfield is in development. The project was greenlit following a pitch to the studio from Robert Kirkman. Dexter Fletcher signed on as director, with a script by Ryan Ridley. The film will be a joint-venture production between Universal Studios, and Skybound Entertainment. Kirkman, David Alpert, Bryan Furst, and Sean Furst serving as producers. In the same press-release, James Wan was announced to serve as producer on a Frankenstein reboot film. The project will be developed under his production company, Atomic Monster Productions. Elizabeth Banks was later announced to star in, direct and produce The Invisible Woman, based on her own original pitch. The screenplay, a reboot of the titular character, is being written by Erin Cressida Wilson. Max Handelman will also serve as producer.

In other media

Theme-park attractions

Universal Classic Monsters have been used as mazes a dozen times for Halloween Horror Nights at Universal Parks & Resorts since 1991, when the special event was introduced at Universal Studios Florida and has appeared every year in any Universal theme park around the world. They also have appeared in the year-round attraction, Universal's House of Horrors, at Universal Studios Hollywood from 2006 to 2014.

Television

• Monster Force (1994) (TV series)
• The Mummy: The Animated Series (2001-03) (TV series)
• Van Helsing: The London Assignment (2004) (DTV)

See also

• Monster Squad (1976)
• The Monster Squad (1987)