Fresh off of writing one of the best film scripts of the year, receiving critical acclaim, and being nominated for the top award in the field, where does a screenwriter go from there?
If you’re the Academy Award-nominated scribe of Arrival, you get in on that sweet reboot action.
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And that’s exactly what Eric Heisserer is doing, teaming up with fellow writer Jon Spaihts on Van Helsing for the Universal Monsters shared movie universe, intended to kick off with this summer’s the Mummy remake starring Tom Cruise.
While speaking with Collider regarding the upcoming Blu-Ray release of Arrival, Heisserer offered a few interesting tidbits regarding his contribution to the Van Helsing reboot, intended to exist alongside works like the Invisible Man and the Wolf Man, among others.
One stood out in the discussion, being that Heisserer and his co-writer want to forgo the current tropes that dominate superhero films.
“I can talk about my emotional state of what I’ve been passionate about or sometimes frustrated by are 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,” Heisserer said.
He called the Van Helsing reboot a “contemporary… modern-day reimagining,” forgoing abilities for ingenuity.
“I was eager to try and buck that trend and showcase someone who had no extraordinary powers,” the screenwriter said, “just resourcefulness and will and kind of a stubbornness who’s able to tackle some of these bigger problems.”
Heiserrer wants to tell a story more grounded in the capabilities of human beings, and not those blessed with superpowers.
“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,” Heisserer said. “I like the idea of the everyday hero stepping up to the plate and getting things fixed.”
The writer will tackle his own version of superheroics, however it will take place on the printed page rather than on the screen. Heisserer is set to launch a new limited series for Valiant in June with Raul Allen and Patricia Martin called Secret Weapons.
Van Helsing is still in development with no director or actors attached yet.
Arrival is available on digital platforms and hits Blu-Ray on February 14.
Are you excited for the reboot of the Universal Monsters as a new shared universe for horror films? Let us know with your ranking of the Mummy!
[Embed id=52401]The Mummy (2017)[/Embed]
Thought safely entombed in a crypt deep beneath the unforgiving desert, an ancient queen (Sofia Boutella) whose destiny was unjustly taken from her is awakened in our current day, bringing with her malevolence grown over millennia and terrors that defy human comprehension.
From the sweeping sands of the Middle East through hidden labyrinths under modern-day London, The Mummy brings a surprising intensity and balance of wonder and thrills in an imaginative new take that ushers in a new world of gods and monsters.
The cast features Tom Cruise (Jack Reacher, Top Gun), Russell Crowe (The Nice Guys, Gladiator), and Sofia Boutella (Kingsman: The Secret Service, Star Trek Beyond), as well as Courtney B. Vance (The People Vs. O.J. Simpson), Annabelle Wallis (Annabelle, Peaky Blinders), Marwan Kenzari (Ben-Hur), and Jake Johnson (New Girl, Jurassic World).
MORE UNIVERSAL MONSTERS NEWS:
·Did The Mummy Stars Tom Cruise and Russell Crowe Feud on Set?
·The Mummy Image: Tom Cruise and Russell Crowe Finally Meet Onscreen
