Universal is apparently so confident their Mummy reboot will be a hit that they’re already planning the next several years of their Dark Universe franchise. Not long after announcing The Bride of Frankenstein as the next release in the series, with Javier Bardem signing on to portray Frankenstein’s Monster, comes the news that the studio is on the hunt for their Wolfman — and they’ve got their sights set on Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson.
While it’s unclear if any negotiations have begun, The Hollywood Reporter suggests that Johnson “could resurface in the ‘monsterverse’ for a Wolfman reboot.” It’s not entirely surprising that the actor would be on Universal’s wishlist. He’s one of the biggest actors in Hollywood at the moment, he already headlines the studio’s multi-billion dollar Fast & Furious franchise, and Johnson’s involvement with Universal monster movies actually goes back quite a ways, as well. His film debut was in The Mummy Returns, and his first leading role was in that film’s spin-off The Scorpion King. So maybe he feels he owes the franchise now that he’s the King of Hollywood.
Honestly though, The Rock would make for a pretty strange Lawrence Talbot. The character, when not transformed into the wolfman, should have a quiet rage but shouldn’t be a hulking superman, and I’m not sure Johnson can pull that off. He also has a ton of projects at the moment. He’s currently filming the video game adaptation, Rampage, he just wrapped Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle, pre-production is underway for his action flick, Skyscraper, while activity is ramping up on Disney’s Jungle Cruise. All in, he has over a half-dozen other projects that have been announced. So if he does sign on for The Wolfman, there’s a good chance we won’t be seeing it for several years. We just hope the Dark Universe lasts that long.
