James Wan Producing New Universal Monster-Inspired Horror Thriller for Universal Pictures

The Hollywood Reporter revealed that superstar filmmaker James Wan (Saw, Aquaman) is developing a new monster movie for the Universal Monsters line for the studio. Robbie Thompson (Supernatural) is currently writing the script for the horror thriller, that’s still currently untitled.

THR sources stated that the story is taking cues from the classic Universal Monster legacy and will feature a “modern” take. The story follows a group of teens who discover their neighbor is building a monster in their basement, and the monster eventually gets loose. The concept sounds somewhat reminiscent of Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, though that title is not mentioned in the article.

Currently, James Wan is attached to produce the project under his Atomic Monster banner. The project comes off the heels of the strong opening weekend at the box office for Universal’s The Invisible Man, which was written and directed by Leigh Whannell. Whannell has actually collaborated in the past with Wan for the Saw franchise and Insidious. The Invisible Man drew an impressive $28 million for its opening weekend off a $7 million budget.

This is the latest project for Wan’s production company, which is also working on a new thriller called Malignant, which was directed by Wan and is due out later this August 14. Atomic Monster is also working on a new installment for The Conjuring franchise called The Devil Made Me Do It, which is due out on September 11. Additionally, Wan and Atomic Monster are producing a new live-action Mortal Kombat movie due to arrive on January 15, 2021.