Fan Points Out Invisible Man Trailer Lands Almost Two Years Exactly After Dark Universe’s Ending

While many Universal Monsters fans were thrilled to see the debut of the upcoming The Invisible Man trailer, one user on Twitter pointed out that the promo debuted almost two years to the day since word broke that the Dark Universe franchise was coming to an end. The shared universe was announced in 2017 and, while Universal Pictures has yet to officially say whether or not the entire endeavor has been scrapped, updates on the series have been few and far between since The Mummy launched, and ended, the planned universe. Despite many of the other endeavors being either delayed or scrapped entirely, the new Invisible Man trailer gives us hope that there’s still life left in the monsters.

Twitter user robtrench shared screenshots of a report about the end of the Dark Universe, dated November 8, 2017, and an image of the new trailer being released, while adding the caption, “Universal dropping the trailer for The Invisible Man virtually two years to the day the Dark Universe got cancelled, you love to see it.”

In The Invisible Man, “What you can’t see can hurt you. Emmy winner Elisabeth Moss (Us, Hulu’s The Handmaid’s Tale) stars in a terrifying modern tale of obsession inspired by Universal’s classic monster character. Trapped in a violent, controlling relationship with a wealthy and brilliant scientist, Cecilia Kass (Moss) escapes in the dead of night and disappears into hiding, aided by her sister (Harriet Dyer), their childhood friend (Aldis Hodge) and his teenage daughter (Storm Reid). But when Cecilia’s abusive ex (Oliver Jackson-Cohen) commits suicide and leaves her a generous portion of his vast fortune, Cecilia suspects his death was a hoax. As a series of eerie coincidences turns lethal, threatening the lives of those she loves, Cecilia’s sanity begins to unravel as she desperately tries to prove that she is being hunted by someone nobody can see.”

One of the bigger trends that movie studios have embraced in recent years is the creation of shared universes, with sequels, prequels, and spinoffs all set within the same universe of a recognizable property. Universal thought they could adopt the concept for their Universal Monsters, announcing in 2017 that The Mummy would launch the franchise, which would be followed by films featuring Frankenstein’s Monster, the Bride of Frankenstein, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, and the Invisible Man. The studio even confirmed some of the talent involved in those endeavors, which included Russell Crowe, Javier Bardem, and Johnny Depp.

Following The Mummy‘s financial and critical disappointment, The Bride of Frankenstein, which was planned to be the next film, suffered a number of delays before it was ultimately scrapped indefinitely.

Much like how Warner Bros. discovered it was more viable to deliver audiences standalone adventures featuring DC Comics characters instead of forcing the franchise, it would seem as though Universal could embrace a similar approach, if The Invisible Man becomes a success, and the Dark Universe could come back from the dead.

The Invisible Man lands in theaters on February 28, 2020.

Do you hope the new movie revives the Dark Universe? Let us know in the comments below or hit up @TheWolfman on Twitter to talk all things horror and Star Wars!