Movies
‘Overlord’ Filmmaker Julius Avery Directing New Take on ‘Van Helsing’ for Universal With James Wan Producing
Universal’s monsters are returning to life and so too is monster-slayer Van Helsing, with Deadline reporting today that Universal is working on a brand new movie for the character.
James Wan is producing, and Julius Avery (Overlord) is on board to direct!
The site notes, “Sources tell Deadline that Universal is developing an original horror/thriller inspired by the studio’s classic monster legacy set in the world of Van Helsing.”
“The logline for the script is being kept under wraps,” the report adds.
Eric Pearson wrote the script, which Avery is rewriting.
Wan and Michael Clear will produce through Atomic Monster.
The character of Van Helsing notably got his own solo movie back in 2004, with Hugh Jackman in the title role. More recently, 2017’s The Mummy ended with the suggestion that Tom Cruise was going to become a Van Helsing-like figure for Universal’s failed “Dark Universe,” but the film’s box office underperformance forced the studio to start over from scratch.
And then there’s of course Syfy series “Van Helsing,” which actually centers on new character Vanessa Van Helsing (Kelly Overton), a descendant of Abraham Van Helsing.
‘Overlord’
Filming is underway on The Invisible Man director Leigh Whannell’s Wolf Man for Universal and Blumhouse, which will be howling its way into theaters on January 17, 2025.
Deadline reports that Matilda Firth (Disenchanted) is the latest actor to sign on, joining Christopher Abbott (Poor Things), Julia Garner (The Royal Hotel), and Sam Jaeger.
The project will mark Whannell’s second monster movie and fourth directing collaboration with Blumhouse Productions (The Invisible Man, Upgrade, Insidious: Chapter 3).
Wolf Man stars Christopher Abbott as a man whose family is being terrorized by a lethal predator.
Writers include Whannell & Corbett Tuck as well as Lauren Schuker Blum & Rebecca Angelo.
Jason Blum is producing the film. Ryan Gosling, Ken Kao, Bea Sequeira, Mel Turner and Whannell are executive producers. Wolf Man is a Blumhouse and Motel Movies production.
In the wake of the failed Dark Universe, Leigh Whannell’s The Invisible Man has been the only real success story for the Universal Monsters brand, which has been struggling with recent box office flops including the comedic Renfield and period horror movie The Last Voyage of the Demeter. Giving him the keys to the castle once more seems like a wise idea, to say the least.
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