Universal Pictures is in the process of molding their very own cinematic universe, based on the classic monsters they first brought to the big screen in the early 20th century. The adventure begins this summer with Alex Kurtzman's The Mummy - but it seems that the film will feature no shortage of Easter eggs pointing towards the franchise's future. We already know that Russell Crowe will have a key role to play as Dr. Jekyll/Mr. Hyde, but a bit of viral marketing has revealed a touch of The Creature From The Black Lagoon:
This screengrab comes from The Mummy's official Facebook page, originating in a viral for the organization Prodigium (a group seemingly led by Dr. Jekyll responsible for discretely disposing of evil forces on Earth). In the video there are multiple shots exploring the Prodigium laboratory, and one item they apparently possess is the arm of the Creature From The Black Lagoon (or at least a creature that has very similar appendages). It's kind of hard to judge the scale of the body part, but there's no denying the familiarity of the design.
You can watch the full clip for yourself below:
Today is actually a significant day for Universal's Dark Universe franchise, as multiple official announcements were made by the studio - but it's worth noting that a new The Creature From The Black Lagoon movie was not mentioned in the news. In addition to having Tom Cruise and Sofia Boutella as the headliners of The Mummy, and Russell Crowe playing Dr. Jekyll/Mr. Hyde, the monster films have also locked in Javier Bardem as Frankenstein's monster, and Johnny Depp as The Invisible Man. If successful enough, the movies could eventually lead to a new Creature From The Black Lagoon, but apparently we're not there yet.
The full extent of universe building that will be featured in The Mummy is currently unclear, though the time for answers is coming up soon. The film - which co-stars Jake Johnson, Annabelle Wallis, and Courtney B. Vance - is set to arrive in theaters on June 9th. Until then: what would you like to see from a new version of Creature From The Black Lagoon? Hit the comments section below with your thoughts, feelings, and opinions.
