Wolf Man director reveals why he thinks The Dark Universe failed | Films | Entertainment

Leigh Whannell, the acclaimed director of The Invisible Man and Wolf Man, has shared his perspective on why Universal Pictures’ ambitious Dark Universe project ultimately failed.

In an exclusive interview with LADbible, Leigh discussed the studio’s challenges while trying to emulate the success of Marvel’s cinematic universe.

Universal first announced the launch of its Dark Universe in 2017. It was to feature monsters such as Dracula, Frankenstein’s Monster, the Invisible Man, and the Wolf Man.

The franchise was to begin with The Mummy, and Universal planned to continue the project with a series of other horror films, including The Invisible Man, Bride of Frankenstein, and Wolf Man.

The characters in these flicks would exist within one shared universe, meaning actors who starred in one film could be brought back as side characters in another.

However, The Mummy was met with critical backlash and had an underwhelming performance at the box office, which prompted Universal to give up on the Dark Universe concept.

Instead, they opted to develop standalone films, beginning with Leigh’s The Invisible Man in 2020. This year, Leigh’s next film, Wolf Man, premiered on January 17.

Reflecting on the Dark Universe’s failure, Whannell explained: “I mean, it’s interesting, because these characters individually, you know, they were never written as a team.

“Obviously, originally you know Dracula and Frankenstein, they’re these great works of literature. It’s been over the years that they’ve started to be lumped together.”

He added: “I’m sure when Frankenstein was first released as a book, there was no intention of putting it next to Dracula.

“But all of a sudden in pop culture, it seeped in so far that, you know, my kids watch these animated movies like Hotel Transylvania, where all the monsters are all together in the cast. In a weird way, culture is the thing that’s grouped them together.”

Leigh actually seems to disagree with the concept of the Dark Universe altogether, as he believes it does a disservice to the individuality of each monster.

He shared: “I don’t want to see Frankenstein team up with Dracula. I want to see a movie about Frankenstein and Frankenstein’s monster, and now that I know Guillermo del Toro is doing that movie, I’m so excited because he’s obsessed.

“Focus is best, because once you start putting too many people together, I feel like your focus gets split up.

“In a visit to del Toro’s house to paint monster masks, he showed me a room entirely devoted to Frankenstein. His life is so devoted to the art of these that I definitely don’t want to see him kill two or three birds with one stone. I want to see his Frankenstein movie exactly.”

Leigh’s latest film Wolf Man focuses on the psychological struggles of its protagonist, Blake, who is played by Christopher Abbott.

The horror explores the issues with toxic masculinity and the fear of inheriting destructive characteristics from your father.

A critic at the Vulture praised the film, saying: “Whannell is taking advantage of the way horror allows you to literalize anxiety.”