‘The Mummy’ Star “Didn’t Fully Understand” the Dark Universe

After one and a half movies, the Dark Universe of Universal Monster reboots might have already ended, leaving fans to wonder what happened with the ambitious shared universe. Jake Johnson, who starred in The Mummy, admits that he wasn’t even fully aware of what plans for the Dark Universe were while he was making the movie.

“I have no idea. Even while I was doing that one, I was not really on the inside,” Johnson shared with UPROXX when asked about the Dark Universe’s future. “So, I have to be honest with you, I didn’t fully understand the whole bigger picture thing.”

He added, “But what I will say is, regardless of the fact that a lot of critics didn’t like that movie, it was a hell of a lot of fun shooting with Tom Cruise for four months.”

In The Mummy, Tom Cruise starred as Nick Morton, an Army sergeant who uncovers an ancient tomb, effectively awakening a nefarious spirit in the form of a mummy. Johnson’s character was a friend who died during the mission, with the supernatural forces resurrecting his character, extending his friendship with Morton from beyond the grave. The film ended with the duo seeking out other treasures, hinting at many more adventures to come.

Unfortunately, the film was a disappointment both critically and financially, sitting at 15 percent positive reviews on Rotten Tomatoes and taking in $80 million domestically on a reported budget of $125 million. Previously, Universal attempted to start their reboot franchise with Dracula Untold in 2014, yet didn’t directly confirm those plans ahead of release. Once that film was also met with a poor critical and financial reception, Universal seemingly tried to forget it ever happened, instead promoting The Mummy as the official launch of the Dark Universe.

Johnson might not have understood the concept of the Dark Universe, but he still remembers the experience of shooting the film fondly.

“I’ve got some movies that I made and the critics hated it. But I read the reviews, goddammit I was right about this one, that would be a regret, not running around Africa with Tom Cruise. Thought it could’ve been anything, but man was it a great life experience,” the actor admitted. “That one goes to the grave with me. So if that’s the end of the Dark Universe, I’m sorry for fans, for Universal, but, man, I have memories of being on a helicopter with Tom Cruise flying over Africa.”

The last word about any Dark Universe project was the reveal that Bride of Frankenstein, which was potentially to begin shooting early this year, was being put on an indefinite hiatus so that the studio could find the right approach to the remake without feeling forced to hit an announced release date.

Stay tuned for details on the future of the Dark Universe.

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