Shared Universe for Classic Movie Monsters On the Way

Recently, Universal set out on a course of rebooting their line of classic movie monsters such as Frankenstein's monster, Dracula, and the Mummy. Their first act was hiring ex-creative partners Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci to spearhead this effort, and the plan they hinted at was to create a cinematic universe similar to what Disney has done with The Avengers. And now that plan is going into effect courtesy of the folks who brought you Transformers and The Fast and the Furious.

Alex Kurtzman, a writer on Star Trek and two of the Transformers movies will be teaming up with Fast & Furious franchise writer/producer Chris Morgan to craft an "interconnected slate" of monster flicks beginning with 2016's The Mummy reboot. Len Wiseman had been attached to direct that film but he dropped out and now it seems to be in a state of flux. Also considered to be part of the group of classic creatures up for a redo are The Invisible Man, Bride of Frankenstein, and The Creature from the Black Lagoon, basically every monster that made up Universal's popular run of horror films in the 1920s through the 1950s.

If recent history is any guide Universal have a tough road ahead of them. It wasn't that long ago they attempted a remake of The Wolfman led by Benicio Del Toro and audiences stayed clear. The Mummy franchise, once lucrative in the days of Brendan Fraser (how often you hear something like that??) are now just a bunch of lame straight-to-DVD spinoffs. It's also unclear if the Van Helsing remake, which once had Tom Cruise attached, is a part of this whole deal.

A better gauge for how this could turn out will be the performance of Universal's Dracula Untold, starring Luke Evans and opening October 17th. [Deadline]

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Blu-Ray Deal of the Week: 64% Off Universal Classic Monsters

If you're a fan of classic movie monsters and some of the great horrors of all-time, then now is your chance to stock up on the works of Bela Lagosi, Boris Karloff, and Lon Chaney. This week's Blu-Ray deal is 64% off Universal Classic Monsters: The Essential Collection, an 8-disc set that includes Dracula, Frankenstein, Creature from the Black Lagoon, The Wolf Man, and more! This set can be yours for only $54.49, or less than $7 per disc, which is quite the steal.

Click on the above link or go here to order yours today! We appreciate the support you continue to show our sponsors. Punch Drunk Critics earns a small fee every time one of our readers buys from any of our links.

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'Les Miserables' Star Samantha Barks Joins 'Dracula' with Luke Evans

Vampire movies aren't going away any time soon, but there does seem to be an effort to make them interesting and thrilling again, and more than just fodder for teen romance movies. After kicking around in various stages of development for years, a film based on the origin of king vamp Dracula finally took a big step forward when Luke Evans came aboard, and now the latest addition if Samantha Barks, coming off her breakthrough performance in Les Miserables.

Barks is set to play Baba Yaga, which is a powerful witch from Eastern European folklore. Others joining the already announced duo of Dominic Cooper and Sarah Gadon are Art Parkinson (Game of Thrones) as Dracula's son, Charlie Cox (Boardwalk Empire) in an unknown role, and Icelandic actor Thor Kristjansson as a slave boy who grows into an assassin for the Ottoman Empire.

With Gary Shore directing, the film will chronicle how Transylvanian prince Vlad became Dracula by risking eternal damnation to save his family from a Turkish army's onslaught. Dracula hits theaters on August 8th 2014. [THR]

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Sure Shots: Sarah Gadon; Annette Bening; David Slade

* Having appeared in three movies by David Cronenberg (A Dangerous Method, Cosmopolis) and his son Brandon (Antiviral), Sarah Gadon has not only proven herself a favorite of theirs, but she's also becoming a staple of really creepy films. Which makes her the perfect choice to join Dracula with Luke Evans. Directed by Gary Shore, the origin story will combine mythology and history to tell how Prince Vlad made the ultimate sacrifice to become the world's first vampire, and the inspiration for Bram Stoker's novel. [Variety]

* There are some changes afoot for Imagine, the directorial debut by Crazy Stupid Love scribe, Dan Fogelman. Last October it was reported that Julianne Moore and Jeremy Renner would be joining Al Pacino in the story of an aging rocker who discovers he has an adult son after reading an unopened letter from John Lennon. But those two are now out, and it looks as if they'll be replaced by Annette Bening and Bobby Cannavale. Cannavale will play Pacino's son, taking on a role that had also been circled by Steve Carell, who is still on board as a producer. It's a big move for Cannavale, who made his breakthrough in The Station Agent opposite Peter Dinklage and Michelle Williams.  Even so, this is a severe drop in star-wattage that hopefully won't derail the film from getting made.

* David Slade (30 Days of Night) had been slated to helm a Daredevil reboot, but he gave it up to direct NBC's Hannibal. Wise move, sir. But he's heading back to the big screen now to direct The Widow, which centers on "a young woman who befriends a lonely widow only to discover that their encounter was not a coincidence." [THR]

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Sure Shots: Kaya Scodelario; Luke Evans; Jessica Lucas

* Clearly an actress on the rise, Kaya Scodelario has been drawing attention not by appearing in big blockbusters, but by flexing her dramatic muscles. After starring in Andrea Arnold's ballsy adaptation of Wuthering Heights, she turned at Sundance for Emmanuel and the Truth About Fishes. But Hollywood beckons, and director Wes Ball recently tweeted that Scodelario was on board for his big screen version of The Maze Runner. Based on the YA novel by James Dashner, the story sci-fi story follows Thomas, who wakes up with no memory of his past life. Welcomed into an area called The Glade, he joins a community of 60 or so young boys who call themselves Gladers, and have been trying for two years in a giant maze. Scodelario will play Theresa, Thomas' best friend and the only female Glader. The Maze Runner hits theaters next Valentine's Day.

* Once with Sam Worthington set to star and Alex Proyas lined up as director, Dracula Year Zero has been brewing over at Universal for a long time. Last year Gary Shore stepped in to helm the picture, reportedly an origin story about the real life Prince Vlad the Impaler, mixing in mythology to tell the story of his transformation into the first vampire. After getting a look at his skills in Fast & Furious 6, the studio has chosen Luke Evans to lead the bloodthirsty pic, which now simply goes by Dracula. The hope is to have cameras rolling later this year for a likely release in 2014.[THR]

* It's been a banner week for Evil Dead co-star, Jessica Lucas. Not only did the horror scare up a huge debut at the box office, but now she's landed a role in Paul W.S. Anderson's upcoming historical disaster film, Pompeii. Taking place during  the famous eruption of Mt. Vesuvius that leveled the city, the story follows a slave who must race to save the woman he loves and his gladiator best friend.  Emily Browning, Kit Harington, Jared Harris, Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje and Kiefer Sutherland star, with Lucas playing a personal slave.

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Eli Roth in talks to direct 'Harker', with Russell Crowe as Dracula

It's been awhile since Eli Roth directed a feature film, with 2007's Hostel 2 being the last one. He's kept busy, though, turning up in Inglourious Basterds and having his hands in numerous other films, such as RZA's The Man with the Iron Fists and The Last Exorcism. But he may be about to step behind the camera for a film that would bring him back to his favored horror genre, and already has a big name to headline.

Deadline reports that Roth is in talks to direct Harker, Warner Brothers' reimagining of Bram Stoker's Dracula. When last we heard about it, Jaume Collet-Serra(Orphan) was set to direct it, coming off losing the live-action Akira gig. Russell Crowe has been attached to the film for awhile, but it was expected he would play Jonathan Harker, the Scotland Yard detective who tracks down the vampire lord. Instead, it looks like like Crowe will play Dracula himself, which should be friggin' awesome! Lee Shipman and Brian McGreevey wrote the script on spec, transplanting the Dracula story to England.

The plan is to turn this into a franchise following the Harker character, with Crowe only signed on for the first film. So it's possible that Harker will be taking on other supernatural mysteries if the film proves to be a hit.  If Roth signs and everything falls into place, the hope is to begin production early next year.

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Sure Shots: Dracula; 'Mary Poppins'; Lea Seydoux

* Somebody has sucked dry all the creative juices running through Hollywood. With a handful of Dracula projects already in development, Sony Pictures is looking to add one more, only they hope to turn theirs into a period piece franchise. Written by Jason Keller(Mirror Mirror), his take will focus on the the vampire's origin story, but other details remain scarce. With Gary Shore's Dracula Year Zero already out there, this makes two origin stories competing to see which gets completed first. Do I get a vote? Hopefully neither will see the light of day. Vampire movies have been overused to the point where they need to be buried for at least a decade. [Deadline]

* The Blind Side director John Lee Hancock is in early talks to direct Saving Mr. Banks, based on the true story behind Disney's attempts to get author P.L. Travers to sell them the film rights to her 1934 novel, Mary Poppins. Written by Kelly Marcel, with the screenplay appearing on the Black List of the best unproduced screenplays, the story will detail Travers' deeply personal connection to the story of the mystical nanny, leading to her resistance in selling the rights. Travers is a fascinating figure, so I'm pretty excited about this one, especially since it's being housed by Walt Disney who already own many of the Mary Poppins rights. Travers(real name Helen Goff) idolized Peter Pan author J.M. Barrie, and his influence is felt on the Poppins story. [Deadline]

* Last year proved to be huge for rising French actress, Lea Seydoux. Appearing in two of 2011's most acclaimed films of wildly different genres, Midnight in Paris and Mission: Impossible-Ghost Protocol, Seydoux is looking like a star to keep a close eye on. Variety reports she has now joined the cast of Blue is a Hot Color, from Tunisian director Abdellatif Kechiche(Games of Love and Chance) and starring Adele Exarchopoulos, the story follows a young woman who unexpectedly falls in love with another female and must face the judgement of her friends of family. Seydoux has two films due out later this year, and recently signed on to star opposite Vincent Cassell in a new version of Beauty and the Beast.

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Brad Pitt to Produce Dracula's Origin Story

Summit Entertainment is looking at bringing the bloody origin of Dracula to the big screen, and Brad Pitt is along to co-produce. Vlad is being written by and likely will star actor Charlie Hunnam, who I thought was brilliant in Undeclared(best Judd Apatow ever) and Green Street Hooligans. I didn't know the guy was a writer, too. The title comes from the real life inspiration for the Dracula character, Vlad the Impaler. Anthony Mandler is aboard to direct.

Given that the original Dracula story by Bram Stoker doesn't really deal with Dracula's early days, it's likely that this is going to a fictionalized account of Vlad's real life exploits. Expect big battles, plenty of dudes impaled on sticks, and probably very few references to him being a vampire.

This looks like a promising film, but I'm awaiting some casting details before I get too excited.

Slashfilm has more on the story here.

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