Universal and Blumhouse’s “Wolf Man” howls into theaters on Friday.
Co-written and directed by Leigh Whannell, who also made 2020’s update of “The Invisible Man,” this “Wolf Man” follows a young family (Christopher Abbott, Julia Garner and their daughter Matilda Firth), who encounter something horrifying in the woods and attempt to survive the night.
But is “Wolf Man” part of a larger cinematic universe? Let’s break it down.
Is “Wolf Man” part of a Universal Monsters universe?
It is not. At least not in the way that you’re imagining.
What does that mean?
A few years ago, Universal got very ambitious about what they referred to as the Dark Universe – a series of interconnected movies, much like Marvel Studios’ Marvel Cinematic Universe, that would feature Universal’s line-up of big screen beasts.
The first movie out of the gate was 2017’s “The Mummy,” a very expensive action movie starring Tom Cruise that underperformed at the box office. By this point Universal had already released a photo, with actors who were meant to star in subsequent films – Johnny Depp was the Invisible Man, Cruise would continue as the Mummy, Javier Bardem would be Frankenstein’s monster and, later, Angelina Jolie was eyed the Bride of Frankenstein. This approach was quietly retired, those actors were released from their contracts, and Universal has adapted a more one-off approach to the characters.
But you said that the universe isn’t the same in “the way that you’re imagining.” Care to explain?
Whannell has been very open about his approach to “Wolf Man” and how it mimicked “The Invisible Man.” He wanted to take a classic archetype and retrofit it for the modern day. To that end, both films feel very similar tonally and he did toy with the idea of reference the events of “The Invisible Man” in “Wolf Man” but eventually backed off. They are not specifically part of the same universe but there does feel like there is a link. At the very least, they both take place in a world much like our own. And that is exciting indeed.
Are there plans to do more of these modestly budgeted updates of classic Universal horror movies?
There are, sort of.
What does that mean?
Jason Blum, who produced both “Wolf Man” and “Invisible Man,” has another monster movie in the works – “The Mummy,” from “Evil Dead Rise” director Lee Cronin. (Cronin will also write.) Now, what’s weird about this is that the movie is coming out from New Line Cinema, not Universal. This doesn’t mean much; anybody can make a mummy movie and plenty of people have. It just means that Cronin won’t be able to use elements of the mummy that are proprietary to Universal. (1999’s “The Mummy” and its two sequels, along with the 2017 Cruise movie, were.) Cronin’s untethered-to-Universal “Mummy” arrives in theaters, wrapped in bandages, on April 17, 2026.
But there aren’t any more proper Universal remakes announced?
No. Not yet. But they’re about to devote a whole land in Universal’s Epic Universe theme park to them, so the franchise, beyond being an important legacy brand, will be kept alive (or is it undead?) Epic Universe opens as part of the Universal Orlando Resort, this summer.
Anything else?
Nope! That’s it! Enjoy “Wolf Man” with the knowledge that it doesn’t fit into an interconnected series of films and that you don’t have to watch a seven-part made-for-Peacock prequel series to enjoy it! Bliss!
