Rumor: Universal Wants Dwayne Johnson to Play ‘Wolfman’ in Their Dark Universe
Universal was initially taking more of a “wait and see” approach to their burgeoning monster movie franchise, but that changed last week when the studio formally announced plans to kick things into high gear. The newly-dubbed and somewhat ambitious “Dark Universe” (not to be confused with Warner Bros.’ long-developing DC film) will feature long-rumored reboots like Bride of Frankenstein and The Wolfman, and rumor has it Universal is eyeing another one of their franchise super-stars to take the lead in the latter.
That star is, of course, Dwayne Johnson. THR casually mentioned the rumor in a new feature on Universal’s Dark Universe, which kicks off this summer with The Mummy. Coincidentally, one of Johnson’s early film roles was as the Scorpion King in The Mummy Returns, which led to a pretty terrible spinoff. Although the piece makes it clear that Universal’s interest in Johnson leading The Wolfman is mere rumor, it makes plenty of sense — why wouldn’t the studio approach one of their biggest actors for a role in another upcoming franchise, especially when said franchise could use all the star power it can get?
(That said, as much as I enjoy watching Johnson, he doesn’t seem like the best pick for Wolfman.)
Starring Tom Cruise, Russell Crowe and Sofia Boutella, The Mummy will introduce audiences to a new world of “gods and monsters,” an interconnected franchise of horror-action flicks featuring Javier Bardem as Frankenstein’s monster and Johnny Depp as the Invisible Man. These plans are rather presumptuous: As THR notes, The Mummy is a “risky” introduction to a franchise Universal isn’t even certain that audiences want, and yet they’re moving pretty quickly to assemble what amounts to the monster movie version of the Avengers.
Alex Kurtzman (who also directed The Mummy) and Fast and Furious vet Chris Morgan are spearheading the Dark Universe, which recently tapped Beauty and the Beast director Bill Condon to helm Bride of Frankenstein. Slated to hit theaters on February 14, 2019, Bride of Frankenstein is the only other film on the docket with a release date, arriving almost two years after The Mummy. THR confirms that Universal is still interested in landing Angelina Jolie for the title role in that film, though no negotiations have taken place as of yet.
The Mummy hits theaters on June 9.