The Walking Dead's Robert Kirkman Teases More Universal Monsters Projects Are Possible

As he first proved with The Walking Dead, Robert Kirkman knows a thing or two about taking classic monsters and reinventing them in compelling ways, which he similarly did by crafting the story for Renfield. With that project serving as a new take on classic Dracula lore, Kirkman recently confirmed that, while there is nothing official at this point, the relationship Kirkman has established with Universal Pictures could result in the development of more unconventional explorations of iconic figures in their beloved roster. While Renfield incorporated the proper Dracula, the focus of the storyline was more on his servant. Renfield is in theaters now.

When asked by Screen Rant about plans for future Universal Monsters movies, Kirkman replied, "Nothing that I could talk about publicly or anything. There's not anything 100% in the works, but with working with Universal and having the relationship with them that I do, it's something that's always constantly being talked about. It's something that I'd definitely love to do."

Renfield is described, "In this modern monster tale of Dracula's loyal servant, Nicholas Hoult (Mad Max: Fury Road, X-Men franchise) stars as Renfield, the tortured aide to history's most narcissistic boss, Dracula (Oscar winner Nicolas Cage). Renfield is forced to procure his master's prey and do his every bidding, no matter how debased. But now, after centuries of servitude, Renfield is ready to see if there's a life outside the shadow of The Prince of Darkness. If only he can figure out how to end his codependency. The film also stars Awkwafina as Rebecca Quincy, Ben Schwartz as Teddy Lobo, and Adrian Martinez as Chris Marcos."

The last few years have been both an exciting and confusing time for Universal Monsters fans, as there have both been disappointments and fulfilling reveals for its future.

After decades of various reboots and remakes, Universal announced its Dark Universe in 2017, which was set to be a shared universe of iconic reboots, kicking off with The Mummy. When that film was both a critical and financial disappointment, the entire Dark Universe was delayed, with most planned projects being scrapped or delayed indefinitely.

In 2020, Leigh Whannell's The Invisible Man reimagined the famous story to both critical acclaim and promising reaction from audiences, resulting in the announcement of various other Universal Monsters projects. With Renfield having just landed in theaters, later this summer will see the release of The Last Voyage of the Demeter, which adapts a single chapter from Bram Stoker's Dracula.

Whatever the future holds for the Universal Monsters, it seems more likely that filmmakers will find new angles to explore as opposed to straightforward reboots.

Renfield is in theaters now.

Would you like to see Kirkman develop a film for the franchise? Let us know in the comments or contact Patrick Cavanaugh directly on Twitter to talk all things Star Wars and horror!