A Crossover Movie
Ah yes, the big one. Once you have all the pieces fit together, show the world the, erm, nine-piece jigsaw. But if you root the new monsters firmly in the subconscious and culture of a new generation of audience, this would do very well. And before people think Im taking the Avengers allegory, keep two things in mind- 1. Universal teamed up their monsters all the time! Dracula, Frankensteins monster and The Wolfman would go head-to-head quite a lot, and look at Van Helsing! and 2. Lets be honest, who hasnt thought to themselves who would win in a fight?. So, how to bring them all together? Well, remember my insistence that most of the films, or elements of them, were set in Victorian times? Ladies and gentlemen, the setting for this monster mash-up. Victorian London, land of Jack the Ripper and Sweeney Todd, familiar to the audience by now, with unlimited possibilities for exciting visuals, thrilling and horrific set-pieces and some terrific writing and performances. Plus, it is something different- sure, anyone could chuck them all together inNew Yorkfor a big battle, but this is an almost exotic world of the past. I have no idea how to bring everyone together, but imagine all the characters on the loose- The Hunchback from an earlier time lives for longer than he wants, The Creature from The Black Lagoon is prehistoric, so this can serve as a prequel. And we can focus on the original Invisible Man, thus adding depth to both his character and the original solo film. Everyone else can appear from any point in the timeline of their solo films. They can fight each other, the smarter characters team-up. Imagine The Invisble Man and Dr Jekyll teaming up, or The Phantom and The Hunchback! Now, who to helm this cinematic event? In my mind, like Marvel, whoever does the job should become almost the new godfather to the series afterwards, as Kevin Fiege has sort-of done with Joss Whedon for phase 2 of the MCU. I would suggest J.J. Abrams a ballsy, big-thinking director who appreciates practical effects an takes his time to produce quality product and can manage big ensemble casts (Lost, M:I 3, Star Trek). Super 8 and Cloverfield are great examples of how he can do horror well, and it is the sort of project I can imagine him being very passionate about. And having him on from day one in a producing capacity for the preceding films means the team-up wont seem so jarring, rather the audience have been prepped for this. Anyone who failed in their solo film has a chance to shine here and gain popularity,
á la Hulk, Black Widow and Hawkeye.