Speaking exclusively with Screen Rant, Kao explained how the new Wolf Man reboot will tie in with Universal’s monster franchise. Suggesting that Universal’s previous plans for their shared Dark Universe were largely a reaction to the major superhero franchises, he explained that Blumhouse’s next movie is a self-contained piece more akin to DC’s Joker. Check out his comments below:

Well, I think you've probably got to set an interview with the powers that be at Uni to get a clear answer on that one. That's above my pay grade, truly. But as an outsider, I would say that the Mummy's Dark Universe, in my humble opinion, felt like it was reactive to what was going on with all the superhero stuff — the MCU and DC universe. And we know there's been a lot of talk about what happened with all that [in] the last year or so. I guess you could call it maybe more like the Joker approach. In my opinion, especially if you're going to do it for contained pieces, like Blumhouse is really good at doing, [it] makes a lot more sense to me. So that's a good playbook.

Is There Still Hope For A Dark Universe Revival?

Universal's Previous Plans Reached Too Far, Too Fast

Despite suggesting that Universal would need to be the ones to provide a definitive answer about whether the new Wolf Man movie will connect with their other monster movies, it appears this new movie will follow in the footsteps of Leigh Whannel’s previous horror movie, 2020’s The Invisible Man. Much like his 2020 movie, a smaller, self-contained tale will allow him to focus on the Wolf Man story rather than getting bogged down by attempts to lay the groundwork for future movies.

While this may come as a relief to audiences who have grown weary of Universal’s failed attempts to build an interconnected monster universe, it also does not necessarily discount the possibility of future Universal Monster crossovers. With Universal’s collection of classic horror characters responsible for creating crossover movies decades before Marvel and DC ever attempted it, it seems inevitable that Universal will eventually overcome their hesitations and plan to reunite their monsters onscreen again.

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However, when that time does come, it would be best if any potential crossover events evolved organically from a collection of well-written solo movies. Rather than working toward a predetermined team-up event, characters like Dracula, the Mummy, Frankenstein's monster and the Wolf Man all need their respective time to shine. It is only with a solid foundation of self-contained tales like the new Wolf Man reboot that Universal can ever hope to successfully revive plans for possible crossovers later in the future.

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Release Date

January 15, 2025

Runtime

103 minutes

Director

Leigh Whannell

Cast

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  Christopher Abbott

  Blake
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  Julia Garner

  Charlotte

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Wolf Man, released on January 15, 2025, follows Blake and his wife Charlotte as they visit his secluded childhood home in rural Oregon. After a mysterious animal attack, they become trapped inside, and Charlotte is forced to confront Blake's disturbing transformation amidst growing tension and fear.

Writers

Leigh Whannell, Rebecca Angelo

Franchise(s)

Universal Monsters

Studio(s)

Blumhouse Productions

Distributor(s)

Universal Pictures

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