Universal's New Park/Site B Blue Sky Thread

[JungleSkip]

Well we know the Dark Universe sure as hell ain't goin anywhere in this park

Alex Kurtzman Casts Doubt on His Future With Dark Universe Films

 

[Alicia]

Well we know the Dark Universe sure as hell ain't goin anywhere in this park

Alex Kurtzman Casts Doubt on His Future With Dark Universe Films

Maybe if they made horror movies instead of action movies out of their horror properties they'd be having better luck.

Also, the reason the original Universal Monster movies worked was because they were made on low budgets as cheap alternatives to expensive blockbusters in an attempt to get out of a slump Universal was in back then. Turning them into big-budget summer blockbusters kinda goes against the very point of their existence.

Blumhouse should be making things like the mummy and wolfman for like $10 million using practical effects in the middle of the woods. Then maybe they'd get somewhere.

/end rant

 

[Scott W.]

Well we know the Dark Universe sure as hell ain't goin anywhere in this park

Alex Kurtzman Casts Doubt on His Future With Dark Universe Films

A veteran writer and producer whose credits include Transformers, Star Trek and The Amazing Spider-Man 2.

What did they expect?

 

[JungleSkip]

Maybe if they made horror movies instead of action movies out of their horror properties they'd be having better luck.

I think there was a way to make the concept work. But 1) It had to be set in Victorian/Gothic times, not modern day and 2) You have to get someone with vision leading it, aka someone like Guiellrmo Del Toro, not someone like Kurtzman

 

[zg44]

Maybe if they made horror movies instead of action movies out of their horror properties they'd be having better luck.

Also, the reason the original Universal Monster movies worked was because they were made on low budgets as cheap alternatives to expensive blockbusters in an attempt to get out of a slump Universal was in back then. Turning them into big-budget summer blockbusters kinda goes against the very point of their existence.

Blumhouse should be making things like the mummy and wolfman for like $10 million using practical effects in the middle of the woods. Then maybe they'd get somewhere.

/end rant

Yeah, every studio is trying to launch a new Marvel-style universe, but the ingredients aren't there for most of them to start off with big budget features.

They've now tried twice to launch Dark Universe with a $50+m budgeted feature and both times fallen short (Dracula Untold and Mummy).

If they had launched this with 2-3 Blumhouse $5-10m features (aiming for $50-150m boxoffice), then they could have considered going for bigger budget crossover/universe style films. This can be easily rectified by just going that route anyways at this point. Start with low budget horror and then build up...

 

[JungleSkip]

Start with low budget horror and then build up...

This isn't a bad way to go either. Start with horror/thrillers, building up to an anti-Avengers where the monsters team up against a Van Helsing-type of monster hunter

 

[belloq87]

I'm totally fine if there's no "Dark Universe" representation. I just hope that doesn't end up being a definitive nail in the coffin for any Classic Monsters representation. I still think a Haunted Mansion-style (or Mystic Manor-style) dark ride featuring the iconic original versions of the characters could be a ton of fun, but I worry that Universal's inability to relaunch the Monsters basically four times now (VAN HELSING, THE WOLFMAN, DRACULA UNTOLD, and THE MUMMY) will give them the impression that the characters no longer have any value, and are therefore unworthy of having their own attraction.

 

[jseal777]

I'm totally fine if there's no "Dark Universe" representation. I just hope that doesn't end up being a definitive nail in the coffin for any Classic Monsters representation. I still think a Haunted Mansion-style (or Mystic Manor-style) dark ride featuring the iconic original versions of the characters could be a ton of fun, but I worry that Universal's inability to relaunch the Monsters basically four times now (VAN HELSING, THE WOLFMAN, DRACULA UNTOLD, and THE MUMMY) will give them the impression that the characters no longer have any value, and are therefore unworthy of having their own attraction.

This is how I feel. It isn't that the characters aren't relevant or still great characters. They've just done a pathetic job at using them in the current generation. Get better writers. Do a full partnership with Blumhouse and bring in somebody like Del Toro and a few unknown directors and make this a classic horror universe. Not a Tom Cruise vehicle.

 

[Alicia]

I couldn't help but notice how many writers and revisions were on the cover of the shooting script for the new mummy movie when I saw it on display at Horror Make-Up lobby. Usually not a good sign when something is designed by committee in Hollywood.

 

[Disneyhead]

Anyone think a low budget series of gothic/horror shorts on the El Rey Network as a sort of graphic novel series would work?

A very '70s Saturday at midnight kind of thing. Campy and gory. Maybe Universal can find the new Elvira to host.

 

[quinnmac000]

Anyone think a low budget series of gothic/horror shorts on the El Rey Network as a sort of graphic novel series would work?

A very '70s Saturday at midnight kind of thing. Campy and gory. Maybe Universal can find the new Elvira to host.

They already do this well with the syfy genre shows like Channel Zero and Blood Drive. I think more so the film executives are just losing their touch in terms of quality mainstream films. They do great a speciality films but live action tentppole films tend to be more so rather weak story/plot.

 

[Paulio]

I couldn't help but notice how many writers and revisions were on the cover of the shooting script for the new mummy movie when I saw it on display at Horror Make-Up lobby. Usually not a good sign when something is designed by committee in Hollywood.

Why would they hire two persons like Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci to make the movie in the first place? Everyone in the movie industry knows they're two mediocre people in the movie industry who are mostly into shoot them action adventure storyline with less emphasis for the story like Transformers and Amazing Spider-Man II. I get that Universal wants a Marvel-like universe for its own, but horror movies for stand alone especially for lack of story are really poorly executable.

 

[Alicia]

Why would they hire two persons like Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci to make the movie in the first place? Everyone in the movie industry knows they're two mediocre people in the movie industry who are mostly into shoot them action adventure storyline with less emphasis for the story like Transformers and Amazing Spider-Man II. I get that Universal wants a Marvel-like universe for its own, but horror movies for stand alone especially for lack of story are really poorly executable.

I honestly don't know how those guys keep getting work. I guess cause some of their projects made hundreds of millions people think they're good at their jobs. But I absolutely hate their terrible writing style..

As Red Letter Media points out, for some reason, all of their stories involve magic healing blood. Because... Well, just because.

 

[quinnmac000]

Why would they hire two persons like Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci to make the movie in the first place? Everyone in the movie industry knows they're two mediocre people in the movie industry who are mostly into shoot them action adventure storyline with less emphasis for the story like Transformers and Amazing Spider-Man II. I get that Universal wants a Marvel-like universe for its own, but horror movies for stand alone especially for lack of story are really poorly executable.

They weren't hired to write. Just produce and then it lead to Kurtzman directing etc. Essentially according to most directors, Producers are taking over the films from the people the projects were actually given to due to their money being on the line. Blumhouse is best at being handsoff but it comes at the price of not as much funding.

As for them getting jobs, that is due to JJ Abrams. Abrams vouched for him while he was working on Mission Impossible as well as Spielberg when they were working on transformers and now he is a hot commodity.

 

[JPRA513]

I really hope they get the Dark Universe figured out. I'm a fan of horror movies and the classic Universal Monster movies. Would love to see them show up in the new park, but the new Mummy did not appeal to me at all. I haven't seen it and honestly don't know if I will. Looks more like a bad action movie than a horror movie.

Fingers crossed that they can figure things out, but I'm honestly not holding my breath. I get that Marvel has made a fortune off their cinematic universe, but I don't see the necessity for that with monster films...

 

[Mike S]

I really hope they get the Dark Universe figured out. I'm a fan of horror movies and the classic Universal Monster movies. Would love to see them show up in the new park, but the new Mummy did not appeal to me at all. I haven't seen it and honestly don't know if I will. Looks more like a bad action movie than a horror movie.

Fingers crossed that they can figure things out, but I'm honestly not holding my breath. I get that Marvel has made a fortune off their cinematic universe, but I don't see the necessity for that with monster films...

It can be done. Look at how WB is doing their monster movies.

 

[mainejeff]

They need to stop trying to reinvent the wheel.

 

[Magic-Man]

I'm trying to create my own blue sky proposal for the new park, but I have a few questions

1: What's the over-under on water rides?
2:What's the over-under on all rides?

 

[Scott W.]

I'm trying to create my own blue sky proposal for the new park, but I have a few questions

1: What's the over-under on water rides?
2:What's the over-under on all rides?

What do you mean over-under?

 

[Magic-Man]

What do you mean over-under?

Like how much