Remember Universal’s short-lived Dark Universe that died an agonizing death when The Mummy opened in theaters to lower than expected numbers? It may have had a short lifespan, but it looks like the Dark Universe could potentially be rising from the grave. Jason Blum, founder and CEO of Blumhouse, says he is interested in bringing the Dark Universe back to life. More on the story here below.

Let’s face it, Universal’s Dark Universe was a very ambitious plan that no one really was on board for. Though contemporary takes on the classic Universal monsters sounded like a good idea on the surface, the results were anything but that. It all started with The Mummy, the Tom Cruise-starring vehicle that was supposed to launch the universe. The film performed well-below expectations, and what followed made things even worse for the potential universe. Bride of Frankenstein, directed by Bill Condon and starring Javier Bardem as the Monster and possibly Angelina Jolie as the title character, had been put on hold. Reports stated that it was to fix some of the script issues. While that may be true, it was a sign that things weren’t going well. And this latest bit may be the final nail in the coffin.

According to a new report, the Dark Universe may be dead as key figures like Alex Kurtzman and Chris Morgan are now leaving it behind, forcing Universal to rethink the interconnected monster world that they are creating. More on the story below.

The Mummy: Volume 1: Palimpsest TPB
Written by Peter Milligan
Art by Ronilson Freire
Colors by Ming Sen & Dijjo Lima
Letters by Simon Bowland
Titan Comics
Release Date: June 28, 2017
Cover Price: $19.99

Cycles. Everything in existence seems to be cyclical. Take this comic for instance. The Mummy: Volume 1: Palimpsest is a rebirth of the mummy movie franchise that Hammer Films brought to the silver screen in 1959. These were, to some extent, a rebirth themselves from the old black and white films decades earlier. But what Hammer Films did was modernize the characters and connect to a whole new generation of fans.

So, in the spirit of it all, Titan Comics has partnered with Hammer to create this all new adventure. Originally a five issue mini-series, this trade paperback combines all of Ronilson Freire‘s sequential art with a whole lot more in the way of galleries, history, and commentary. With each resurrection of our iconic main character, we see some subtle (and not so subtle) differences that reflect the times in which we live. This concept is explored by Peter Milligan in the comic script in such a way as to make as obvious point of different life is today than what it once was.

Universal’s Dark Universe will reintroduce those classic Universal Monster films that terrified us as kids to a younger generation of audiences who might not be familiar with them. In this world of gods and monsters, the shadowy organization Prodigium works hard to find, examine, and contain these evil monsters. With Alex Kurtzman’s The Mummy opening in theaters this weekend, the film opens the door to an all new terrifying universe where those same gods and monsters that used to scare us now exist and live amongst us today.

In The Mummy, the first Dark Universe installment, Annabelle Wallis plays Jenny, an archeologist who uses two soldiers of fortune, Nick (Tom Cruise) and Vail (Jake Johnson), to find an ancient sarcophagus that has sealed away one of the most powerful evils on earth, Princess Ahmanet (Sofia Boutella). But Nick’s reckless behavior unleashes that evil, and it is up to Nick, Jenny, and the rest of Prodigium to find out how to stop Ahmanet from succeeding with her plans to complete her ritual.

We were fortunate enough to participate in a phone interview with Wallis prior to the film’s release, where she talked about what it was like to film with Tom Cruise, the physicality of the shoot, doing her own stunts, what monsters scared her as a kid, and more. Find out what she had to say here below.

For New Girl star Jake Johnson, The Mummy was a way for him to expand his career into action films, though he still retains his small-screen witty and charming sense of humor. In Universal’s new reboot, the actor plays Vail, a soldier of fortune, who joins Tom Cruise’s Nick Morton on global quests to raid tombs and swipe treasures for profits. However, they come across one tomb they should have never unearthed, and without realizing it, they release a powerful evil bent on reclaiming what was once her’s.

We were recently invited to participate in a phone interview with Johnson to talk about his experience on set of The Mummy, his training, doing his own stunts, and more. Check out what he had to say here below.