Wrath of the Titans’ Dan Mazeau is scripting the Universal Monsterverse Van Helsing movie
The new Universal Monsterverse is officially set to launch with this summer’s The Mummy and work is already well underway on several additional big screen projects that will tie into the same continuity. The Tracking Board today offers an update on one of those films, a Van Helsing movie that, according to the outlet, sees Wrath of the Titans scribe Dan Mazeau taking over scripting duties. Mazeau was part of Universal Pictures‘ Monsterverse writers room and takes over the Van Helsing movie from Arrival‘s Eric Heisserer and Doctor Strange‘s Jon Spaihts.
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Abraham Van Helsing was created in 1897 by Bram Stoker for his novel Dracula. The arch enemy of the undead count, Van Helsing was both a fount of occult knowledge and a fearless vampire slayer. Over the past century, the Van Helsing character has been reimagined time and again. As was the case with the 2004 film, Van Helsing is often depicted battling all manner of monsters.
“We all came in without putting a flag down on any of those certain monsters or films, just talking about how we saw the world working and what we wanted to explore,” Heisserer tells Collider of his experience in the writers room. “Sometimes we’d talk about themes, and Jon and I just found ourselves kind of on the same page in terms of what we wanted to see Van Helsing explore. It was a natural team-up, I think.”
Although plans for the Van Helsing movie may change now that Mazeau is taking the lead, Heisserer stresses that he very much wanted to avoid a superhuman version of the monster hunter.
“[I’ve been] frustrated by the number of films where we find an extraordinary character with superhuman abilities that becomes a hero to solve a problem that a normal person cannot solve,” he explains “And I was eager to try and buck that trend and showcase someone who had no extraordinary powers, just resourcefulness and will and kind of a stubbornness who’s able to tackle some of these bigger problems. Because I don’t like the idea that we’re infusing our public and our pop culture with the idea that only super people can solve the world’s problems. I like the idea of the everyday hero stepping up to the plate and getting things fixed.”
What do you want to see from a Van Helsing movie? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!
(Photo Credit: Dimitrios Kambouris / WireImage)
