Will Dracula Untold 2 Happen?

Will Luke Evans return for a second bite as the titular vampire in Dracula Untold 2, and what is the future of the Dark Universe? Dracula Untold started as a project dubbed Dracula: Year Zero, which told the origin story of the monster. Alex Proyas was set to direct while Sam Worthington (Avatar) would play the lead, but Universal canceled the project over budget issues (via IndieWire). After it was retooled, Gary Shore came on as director, while Evans signed up as Dracula. It's been a constant question if Dracula Untold 2 is happening, and how classic characters like Mina and Renfield would fit into Dracula Untold's Dark Universe.

Universal announced a plan for a Dark Universe — a cinematic universe featuring classic monsters like Frankenstein's Monster and the Invisible Man. To that end, producers decided to rework Dracula Untold, so it could be tied into this new universe. New scenes were filmed with Charles Dance's Master Vampire, who was being set up as a connecting character like Samuel L. Jackson's Nick Fury. Charlie Cox (Daredevil) originally played this role, but his scenes were cut when it was decided to make the character much older (via GameRant). Discounting unsubstantiated online rumors, there have been few actual signs of a Dracula Untold sequel since.

Will Dracula Untold 2 Ever Happen?

Dracula Untold 2 got lost in the shuffle of Universal's ever-changing plans, but it feels like the project received a stake through the heart once the studio decided The Mummy was the first movie of the Dark Universe. The original movie ended with a clear setup for a sequel, but since Dracula Untold was only a modest success and its rejected connection to the now-failed Dark Universe are part of its legacy, it seems Dracula Untold 2 is very unlikely. Dracula Untold producer Alissa Phillips stated that they hoped to have a sequel with Evans returning to the role (via HeyUGuys), but little has been heard about it since 2014

In 2021, things began to look even direr for Dracula Untold 2, as Universal announced plans to have Eternals helmer Chloé Zhao direct a Western sci-fi take on Dracula. Along with 2023's Renfield, director Robert Eggers is also developing a remake of Nosferatu starring Lily-Rose Depp, Willem Dafoe, and Bill Skarsgård that could touch on many of the same story aspects, making the cinematic Dracula market a bit saturated.

The Mummy Replaced Dracula Untold As The "First" Dark Universe Film

Dracula Untold's status as the start of the Dark Universe always felt tenuous, and when Alex Kurtzman came on board to direct Tom Cruise in The Mummy, it was decided to ignore Dracula Untold and make The Mummy the start of the freshly dubbed Dark Universe (via Collider).

This would have given the filmmakers free rein to reinvent Dracula again, but the mostly negative reviews and lukewarm box office of The Mummy immediately put plans for the Dark Universe in danger. Before Cruise moved on to set new box office records with Top Gun: Maverick, a Bride Of Frankenstein movie that was set to star Angelina Jolie and Javier Bardem was placed on hold (via Variety), and since then, it seems the enterprise has been quietly canceled

The Invisible Man Was The Second Attempt To Restart The Dark Universe

Blumhouse produced a low-budget reboot of The Invisible Man from director Leigh Whannell in 2020, which was a critical and commercial success. One of the major issues The Mummy and the Dark Universe critics had was taking character-driven horror stories and turning them into flashy action movies, so Whannell's film was a return to the character's horror roots. Whannell's Invisible Man starred Elisabeth Moss as a woman tormented by her supposedly dead scientist ex-boyfriend, who'd discovered a way to make himself invisible

Renfield Is The Latest Dark Universe Launch Pad (Which Is Bad News For Dracula Untold 2)

Dracula Untold 2 may never see the light of day, especially as Renfield's Dracula could reboot the Dark Universe. The horror-comedy also didn't blow away critics away, but Nicolas Cage's performance as Dracula was praised. His take on the classic vampire highlights the new direction the Dark Universe could take with a lot of humor mixed in with the scares and gore. It is easy to see other monster movies, with the likes of The Wolfman or Frankenstein, take on a similar tone

Unfortunately, this is another blow to hopes of Dracula Untold 2 ever happening. The tonal difference between Dracula Untold and Renfield makes it clear that these two movies cannot exist in the same universe. It also suggests there might be more interest in a fun and humorous tone rather than the dark and brooding route the Dark Universe seemed to be heading down with its early entries.

Dracula Untold Wasn't That Bad

Dracula Untold 2 may not ever be in the works, but Dracula Untold as a standalone movie isn't all that bad. The originally intended first Dark Universe film should be seen through the lens of a historical fantasy epic, and it acts as a grounded approach to a Dracula origin story. And for all its criticisms too, Dracula Untold featured some pretty solid action sequences. In addition, the cinematography, costuming, and sets are a wonder to behold in and of themselves. It's an entirely fresh way to look at the origins of Dracula, as he fights to save his wife, family, and country.

Dracula Untold may have failed as the foundation of a Dark Universe franchise, but it was a brand-new take on the classic tale, and Dracula Untold should be recognized for its efforts. It also is worth noting that Vlad the Impaler, upon whom Dracula is based, is still considered a bit of a folk hero in Romania. Dracula Untold carefully focuses on pre-vampire Dracula, and provides a fascinating backstory for the monster that everyone has grown to know. So, even though Dracula Untold 2 isn't in the cards, the first film isn't a bad installment at all

Source : screen rant