'The Mummy' producer Chris Morgan suggests that monster movies are different with superheroes films, in a way that monsters 'are always exaggerations of human attributes or human fears.'
- Apr 12, 2017
AceShowbiz - Universal Monster Universe, MCU and DCEU are all focusing on a large and interconnected universe, but Monster Universe seemingly will see a lot of different things. Speaking to Collider, "The Mummy" producer Chris Morgan explains that Universal's monster movies will be much darker, with more complex characters people can identify with.
"I think why people will love these monster films is the they are an homage to the originals, which means you're gonna get complex characters. And the thing that I think is interesting about monsters is that they are always exaggerations of human attributes or human fears," says Morgan.
The director takes Frankenstein and Wolfman as an example, suggesting that their stories have a deep philosophical message behind it. "For example, Frankenstein was a result of the kind of industrial and scientific revolution-are we playing God? Should we be playing God?" says Morgan. "And with the Wolfman there's that worry of what happens if I lose control? What happens if I hurt the things around me that I love? There's very human questions and worries and fears and darkness and cravings," he adds.
With superhero movies, Morgan says that while he loves them, he "can't identify" with the characters. "We live in a world of superhero movies now-and by the way, I love them and I see them all and I have a great time, but I can't identify with them as closely as I want to because I know I'll never be perfect like that," Morgan explains.
Monster movies, meanwhile, feature the darker side of human beings, something that they always bury inside themselves. "...everyone has secrets and things they are ashamed of and don't want to say or something that feels monstrous and dangerous about them," explains Morgan.
He goes on saying, "We're just kind of embracing that and saying, 'That's ok.' The films are just gonna be interesting, emotional, action-y, largely global sorts of films. I think 'The Mummy' trailer sets up, in a really good way, kind of the tone of these films."
Universal Monster Universe will have "The Mummy" as its first installment. The movie starring Tom Cruise as Nick Morton and Russell Crowe as Dr. Henry Jekyll will hit U.S. theaters on June 9. The following installments of the universe will include "Frankenstein (2017)", "Creature from the Black Lagoon", "The Wolfman Reboot" and "The Invisible Man (2018)". Johnny Depp will star in "Invisible Man" while "Frankenstein" will possibly feature Javier Bardem.
