It’s Alive! The Dark Universe Returns at Universal’s Epic New Theme Park
Just when you thought the Dark Universe was dead, Universal has reanimated its corpse and given it a makeover. Universal has unveiled its Epic Universe, a new theme park that also includes areas devoted to How To Train Your Dragon, Super Mario Bros., and Harry Potter.
For a brief moment in time, Universal Pictures had big plans to revitalize its classic movie monsters with the Dark Universe, a franchise spearheaded by Alex Kurtzman (who worked with J.J. Abrams to reboot Star Trek) and Chris Morgan (the architect of the Fast and the Furious franchise). If you were tuned in to pop culture at the time, you probably remember the hilariously ambitious photo revealing the stars of the Dark Universe: Tom Cruise as an archaeological action hero, Russell Crowe as Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, Sofia Boutella as (a? the?) Mummy, Javier Bardem as Frankenstein’s monster (I still think that was a good call, actually), and Johnny Depp—who would evolve into his final form as a faceless collection of fashion accessories known as the Invisible Man.
Those plans hilariously imploded the moment The Mummy hit theaters in 2014. Well, almost. Universal Pictures kept up the charade for a bit, teasing us with a possible Bride of Frankenstein starring Angelina Jolie. But it was clear that audiences didn’t want a shared universe of action movies featuring classic monsters. Tom Cruise went off to pursue his ultimate dream of eventually forcing us to watch him die on the big screen. And Universal sort of figured out a new path forward, thanks in part to Leigh Whannell’s excellent modern take on The Invisible Man. (Universal has teamed with Blumhouse to shape its classic monster properties moving forward.)
In the 10 years since The Mummy, the Dark Universe has become a joke in the cinephile corners of social media. But now Universal is taking it back: Dark Universe is one of four worlds accessed through “portals” at Universal’s Epic Universe, the new theme park coming to Orlando, Florida in 2025. The centerpiece of Epic Universe is Celestial Park, a cosmos-themed, beautifully landscaped area that features rides and interactive experiences, an onsite hotel, shopping, and restaurants. As Universal describes it:
Epic Universe is made up of five different worlds, all connected through Celestial Park, the first world you’ll experience once you walk through the Emerald Gate and the Chronos device at the entrance to Epic. “In our story, Chronos is this giant machine used to harness the energy of the Universe that powers all of Celestial Park, allowing us to open the portals to other worlds,” explains Adam Rivest, executive producer for Celestial Park.
The four worlds that can be accessed through Celestial Park are The Wizarding World of Harry Potter – Ministry of Magic, which presumably does the tough work of teaching children about the wonders of bureaucracy—with wands; How To Train Your Dragon – Isle of Berk, which features dragons and vikings; SUPER NINTENDO WORLD, the only area designated in ALL CAPS; and Dark Universe, for which Universal writes, “From the experiments of Dr. Victoria Frankenstein to a shadowy landscape where monsters roam, Dark Universe is a world of myth and mystery.” Truly brave to introduce Dr. Victoria Frankenstein in Florida. We need more women in STEM!
While there aren’t many details about the four worlds just yet, Universal released a video exploring the different areas of the park, along with tons of info about Celestial Park (the carousel does look pretty cool).
I’m not even a real theme park-head, and even I was charmed by this video and the enthusiasm from the people involved in bringing Epic Universe to life (they are definitely media trained).
It’s unclear how much it costs to visit Epic Universe, but I’m sure you’ll need to save up at least six months’ salary for the hotel stay alone.
(featured image: Universal Studios)
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