DISASTER strikes Universals’ Dark Universe monster movie plans: Is it DEAD and buried?

Not even Tom Cruise could breathe life into The Mummy earier this year.

In fact, the movie’s disappointing performance seems to have been the kiss of death for ambitious plans to create a huge interconnected world of classic big screen monsters.

Luke Evans’ similarly underwhelming Dracula Untold gave the fledgling franchise a very wobbly start back in 2014 but a whole raft of projects were optimstically in pre-production this year hoping for a explosive start from the Cruister.

Instead a rather damp squib has been followed by the next movie being put on hold and the two men behind the whole franchise walking away.

Earlier this year Universal trumpeted a stellar line-up of Hollywood royalty attached to a thrilling roster of moster movies.

Johnny Depp, Tom Cruise, Russell Crowe and Javier Bardem were pictured with The Mummy herself, Sofia Boutella. Iconic characters like the Invisible Man, Wolf Man and Frankenstein were slated for big screen returns.

The next movie was expected to be The Bride of Frankenstein, with Angelina Jolie talked about as the lead.

The latest news from Hollywood is that the Dark Universe producers, Alex Kurtzmann and Chris Morgan, are no longer invloved in the franchise.

The follow-up movie to The Mummy is also now in serious doubt as The Hollywood Reporter revealed the current fate of the Dark Universe today.

It said: “In early October, Universal pulled the plug on preproduction that had started in London for Bride of Frankenstein — which was to have followed The Mummy as the second entry in the series — partly because execs felt the script by writer-director Bill Condon wasn’t ready.

“Angelina Jolie had been courted for the lead but is now not attached. Insiders insist Condon (Beauty and the Beast) remains attached, but no date has been set to resume work, and a February 2019 release has been shelved.”