Universal is possibly making another attempt at a cinematic universe of monsters with a new film, Monster Mash. The studio is known for a run of classic horror movies featuring characters like Dracula, The Mummy, and The Wolfman. At various points, they've even attempted to launch a combined universe of famous monsters, a la The Avengers, called Dark Universe. The concept never got off the ground, and Universal seemed like it was abandoning the idea altogether, but Monster Mash could give the studio another shot at assembling their collection of creatures in one movie.
If the name of the movie symbolizes a tie to the famous Boris Pickett song of the same name, then Universal's Monster Mash might tell a similar story. The novelty song has become a Halloween staple, played ad nauseam throughout the month of October. The song tells the story of a Dr. Frankenstien-like scientist whose "monster" rises to life and begins to dance. The dance, called "the monster mash," sweeps the nation and becomes a hit, so much so that even Dracula shows up and joins the band. If the forthcoming film has ties to the song, it's easy to see opportunities to incorporate more Universal monster characters in unique ways.
Deadline reports the film will be an original musical motion picture, adding credence to its possible connection with the 58-year-old song. Matt Stawski is set to direct in what will be his feature directorial debut. Stawski is best known for directing music videos, including Train's "Hey, Soul Sister," Cee-Lo Green's "F*** You" and Karmin's "Acapella," among others - his work has been nominated for a Grammy Award. He also directed the television movie Side Effects for Awesomeness TV.
Meanwhile, the Monster Mash script will come from Will Widger. He was set to write film adaptations of both Lumberjanes and Magic: The Gathering, but both are no longer in production. Widger did write The Munchkin in 2014, which ended up on the Black List but was ultimately unproduced, despite garnering some attention within the industry. Temple Hill Entertainment's Marty Bowen will be producing Monster Mash; he has previously served as a producer for First Man and The Maze Runner and recently served as an executive producer on Hulu's Looking for Alaska series.
As recently as last year, it appeared Universal would be straying away from connecting characters in their monster library and focus on standalone projects instead. The Invisible Man, set for release at the end of the month, is part of that desired trajectory. There are also Dark Army and The Invisible Woman films in production. But the name of Monster Mash alone suggests Universal may not be done trying to bring its iconic horror characters together.
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Source: Deadline
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