As the quest for the next great movie ‘universe’ continues, Universal Pictures has been planning a deep dive back into their archive. Their goal? To resurrect some of the most famous monster movies and pop culture icons, all with the goal of creating a shared ‘Monster-verse’. Tom Cruise of all people has been tasked with kicking off this mass re-hashing with The Mummy, which is released later this year (check out the trailer at the bottom of the page). After that, no fewer than five classic Universal monster movies will be getting reimagined for a new generation. New Van Helsing, Invisible Man, and Wolf Man movies are all well on the way to becoming a reality, with lead actors and/or creative talent secured. Now, it looks like we can add Creature from the Black Lagoon to that because, according to a new report, Universal have just hired a surprisingly apt screenwriter to move the project forward.
Deadline reports that Will Beall has been tasked with writing a new adventure for the ‘Gillman’, who is arguably one of Universal’s greatest ever monster creations. Beall’s appointment is made doubly interesting by the fact he’s coming fresh from crafting the script for another water-based blockbuster, Warner Bros. and DC Comics’ Aquaman.
While some monster movies seem to lend themselves well to the idea of a modern remake, it’s hard to see what direction a new ‘Creature’ movie would take. The original 1954 movie’s appeal stems mainly from its lo-fi charm. I would assume that this modern day version would not have the Gillman appearing in a rubber suit, nor would it have those wonderfully organic and small-scale underwater scenes.
Regardless of any cautious concern, the proof of the pudding is always in the eating, so get a little taste of what’s in store with the new trailer for The Mummy, which was released this weekend.
Image Credit: Universal Pictures
