We know that DRACULA UNTOLD was the kickoff of a new wave of Universal monster movies, in their attempt to create a Marvel-like extended universe where all those classic characters exist side-by-side. It's being followed up by Alex Kurtzman's THE MUMMY in June 2016, and now, Universal has staked out a date for the third movie of this classic monster resurgence.
We don't know what will be coming out on April 21st, 2017, but we know what it won't be: namely a DRACULA or MUMMY film. Of the bigs, that leaves FRANKENSTEIN, THE WOLF MAN, THE CREATURE FROM THE BLACK LAGOON, and THE INVISIBLE MAN. Presumably, they don't want to get a FRANKENSTEIN movie out there so soon on the heels of Paul McGuigan's take with James McAvoy and Daniel Radcliffe (set for next October). They also may be hesitant to do another WOLFMAN this quickly after the financial failure of the Joe Johnston/Benicio Del Toro flick from 2010. Of the two remaining monsters, my guess would be THE INVISIBLE MAN: there hasn't been a truly iconic Jekyll/Hyde-type flick in a minute, and the last movie with a similar setup (HOLLOW MAN) is already 14 years old. Also, unlike his peers, INVISIBLE MAN always stays human, and I could imagine them setting him up as the most relatable one of the bunch early on to ground the omnibus movies to come.
But who knows. I wouldn't have bet on another Universal MUMMY this quickly, so to be sure, we just have to wait and see the studio's plan, and hope for the best.
THE MUMMY unravels on June 24th, 2016, and the as-yet-untitled Universal monster movie will be released on April 21st, 2017.
