8 Recently Teased Sequels That Probably Won't Happen
2. The Mummy 2
Universal may have one of the biggest franchises of modern times to their name in the form of Fast & Furious, but they could pretty much write the book on how not to launch a franchise with 2017's The Mummy.
To make matters worse, this wasn't the first time the studio had attempted to revive the classic monster movie properties on which they made their name way back in the 1930s. 2004's Van Helsing, 2010's The Wolfman and 2014's Dracula Untold had all been planned as franchise starters, but none hit home critically or commercially.
The studio pretty much literally went for broke on The Mummy, hiring seasoned megastar Tom Cruise in the lead and Oscar winner Russell Crowe for a key supporting role, and padding out the action with crystal-clear indications that this was only the first chapter in an ongoing series dubbed the Dark Universe.
Though the film managed a fairly respectable $409 million worldwide, this wasn't enough to offset the $125 million budget and however much more it cost to publicise. Nor was it enough to wipe off the stink of the most scathing reviews any Tom Cruise movie has ever been at the receiving end of (a mere 15% on RT).
Pre-production was abruptly halted on planned follow-up The Bride of Frankenstein, and the Dark Universe would seem to have been snuffed out before it even had a chance to come to life.