Will Luke Evans reprise his role as Dracula in Dracula Untold 2, and what is the Dark Universe’s future? Dracula Untold began as Dracula: Year Zero, a project that portrayed the genesis tale of the title monster.
Alex Proyas was slated to direct, and Sam Worthington (Avatar) was slated to star; however, Universal shelved the project due to budget constraints. After the film was retooled, Gary Shore was brought on as director, and Luke Evans was cast as Dracula.
Following the success of the MCU, studios began to prioritize building future shared cinematic worlds. Universal Studios unveiled a proposal to create a cinematic world centered on famous monsters such as Frankenstein’s Monster and the Invisible Man.
To that aim, the makers chose to reimagine Dracula Untold to weave it into this new universe. New sequences were shot with Charles Dance’s Master Vampire, intended to serve as a linking figure similar to Samuel L. Jackson’s Nick Fury. Charlie Cox (Daredevil) was originally cast in this part, but his scenes were deleted when the character was chosen to be considerably older.
While Dracula Untold was a critical and commercial triumph, there has been no indication of a sequel after that. The following information pertains to Dracula Untold 2 and its Dark Universe ties.
Dracula Untold Was Replaced By The Mummy As The “First” Dark Universe Film
Dracula Untold’s standing as the beginning of the Dark Universe has always seemed precarious, with the picture retooled at the last minute and the studio unclear of its future ambitions.
When Alex Kurtzman was hired to helm Tom Cruise in The Mummy, the decision was made to disregard Dracula Untold and establish The Mummy as the beginning of the newly called Dark Universe.
It would have given the filmmaker carte blanche to reimagine Dracula, but The Mummy’s generally bad reviews and tepid movie office instantly jeopardized plans for the Dark Universe.
A Bride Of Frankenstein film starring Angelina Jolie and Javier Bardem was put on hold, and in the months that followed, it appeared as though the project had been discreetly scrapped.
With The Invisible Man, Blumhouse Reconfigured The Dark Universe
Blumhouse released filmmaker Leigh Whannell’s low-budget version of The Invisible Man in 2020, a critical and economic triumph.
One of the primary criticisms leveled against The Mummy, and the Dark Universe concept was that it transformed character-driven horror stories into flashy action films; hence, Whannell’s picture was a return to the character’s horror roots.
Elisabeth Moss appeared in Whannell’s Invisible Man as a woman tortured by her purportedly deceased scientific ex-boyfriend, who developed a technique to become invisible.
Additionally, Universal and Blumhouse are developing a Frankenstein revival, an Invisible Woman feature, a mysterious crossover film dubbed Dark Army, and a solo film about Dracula’s henchman Renfield.
However, it appears as though aspirations for an interconnected monster world have been abandoned, with each picture remaining a standalone entity.
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Dracula Untold 2: Will It Ever Happen?
Dracula Untold 2 was lost in the shuffle of Universal’s ever-changing plans, but it feels as though the project was shot in the heart when the company determined The Mummy would be the Dark Universe’s debut film. The original concluded with a clear setup for a sequel.
Still, given Dracula Untold’s poor sales and its rejected tie to the now-defunct Dark Universe, a sequel is highly improbable. Luke Evans has declared his willingness to return, but little has been heard regarding the sequel since 2014, and each year that passes diminishes the likelihood of a sequel.
In 2021, the outlook for a potential Dracula Untold 2 became even bleaker, as Universal announced plans to have Eternals director Chloe Zhao direct a western sci-fi adaptation of Dracula while also continuing development on a more straightforward adaptation of Bram Stoker’s iconic novel, directed by Karyn Kusama and produced by Blumhouse.
That last project was revealed in 2020. Universal committing to two new Dracula projects and the Renfield mentioned above spinoff about Dracula’s servant, Dracula Untold 2 appears to be even more doomed than it always was.