New Universal Monster Movie Adds Ant-Man, X-Men, and Euphoria Stars, Release Date Confirmed

The secretive new Universal Monster movie from filmmaking team Tyler Gillett, Matt Bettinelli-Olpin, and Chad Villella just got fans even more excited, as Deadline confirmed that Kathryn Newton (Freaky, Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania), Kevin Durand (X-Men Origins: Wolverine), Angus Cloud (Euphoria), and Will Catlett (Lovecraft Country) have all joined the project. Details about the project, such as the characters these new additions will be playing, have been kept tightly under wraps, with previously announced stars including Melissa Barrera, Dan Stevens, and Alisha Weir. The project also earned a release date, as it's now set to hit theaters on April 19, 2024.

Despite the project being shrouded in secrecy, a previous casting update from The Hollywood Reporter claimed that the project was previously known as Dracula's Daughter. The outlet noted, "That project centered on a group of kidnappers who abduct a band of young people, one of whom ends up being the titular character. Woe then betides the kidnappers."

This would assuredly honor the trend that Universal Pictures has been exploring in recent years, as projects like The Invisible Man and Renfield found unconventional ways to embrace the mythology of the Universal Monsters without being direct remakes of the source material. Back in 2017, the attempt to launch their Dark Universe of reboots was met with immediate disappointment, as The Mummy underperformed with both audiences and critics alike.

Gillett and Bettinelli-Olpin previously shared what audiences could expect from the outing.

"It's a Universal Monster movie and that, for us, is insane that we're making a Universal Monster movie," Bettinelli-Olpin shared with ComicBook.com. "We are, as the guys who brought you Scream 5 and 6, very much fans of original, standalone movies. Kids of the '80s and '90s, we miss that. Obviously, that's not really where the world is right now, especially with studio movies, and that's fine, because there's other ways to do that. And I think our approach is always, it sounds weird, but that's our approach on Scream 5 and Scream 6 and that's our approach on this one. Let's make this original movie, it's a standalone movie, there is a monster in it, that much is for sure."

He continued, "It's Universal doing their thing, where they're giving different filmmakers, 'Here, take this and run with it.' That, for us, is exciting as filmmakers to be going into making this movie. It's also really exciting to watch other filmmakers put their stamp on something we know from growing up."

Gillett added, "It's a weird, original way into a classic universe."

Stay tuned for details on the project before it hits theaters on April 19, 2024.

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