LAS VEGAS, NV - APRIL 23: Actor Dwayne Johnson, recipient of the Action Star of the Decade Award, arrives at a Paramount Pictures and DreamWorks Animation event at Caesars Palace during the opening night of CinemaCon, the official convention of the National Association of Theatre Owners, April 23, 2012 in Las Vegas, Nevada. Johnson is promoting his upcoming movie, "G.I. Joe: Retaliation." (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)
Shared cinematic universes are all the rage in Hollywood right now thanks to the blockbuster breaking numbers they put up at the box office. As such, Universal Studios is looking to get in on the action with an interconnected monster movie franchise they’ve titled the “Dark Universe.” This interwoven web of classic monster movies will kick off next month with Tom Cruise’s The Mummy and will be followed by some combination of Johnny Depp as the Invisible Man, Javier Bardem as Frankenstein’s monster and Russell Crowe as Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. Now, word is coming down the pipeline that Universal is closing in on another classic monster: Dwayne Johnson as the Wolfman.
According to THR, “there are rumors” that The Rock could be howling at the full moon in a Wolfman reboot that fits in nicely with the other planned Dark Universe chapters (though much of this depends on the box office performance of Mummy). Universal has a long-standing relationship with Johnson as they put him front and center in his first film roles The Mummy Returns and The Scorpion King (the latter of which did not fare so well) and brought him into the Fast & Furious series.
Before we start drafting up fan art of an ultra hairy Johnson, let’s remember that this is nothing more than a rumor at this point. THR has not confirmed this with Johnson or the studio, though it does make sense given Johnson’s immense box office appeal (sans Baywatch). Cruise, Depp, Crowe and Bardem have 12 total Oscar nominations and two wins between them; Johnson brings the franchise bankability.
But does Johnson even have time for all this? He’s already leading a Jumanji reboot, a Jungle Cruise film, and an original action flick titled Skyscraper all in the next year. Plus, with Wonder Woman looking like a much-needed win for Warner Bros. and the DC Extended Universe, Johnson will likely be appearing as Black Adam in the near future. How he can fit another franchise into that schedule is beyond me.
But, hey, we’re still all for it. Just as long as The Rock doesn’t forget to put us in his cabinet when he’s named president.
