Mattel and Universal are joining forces to bring Monster High to the movies: more on the film project here.
We’ve known for some time now that Mattel has a huge number of screen projects, based on its many toy lines, that are in various states of development. Whether it’s the oddly-appealing Daniel Kaluuya-starring take on Barney (we can’t be the only ones who are curious, can we?), Vin Diesel being attached to Rock ‘Em Sock ‘Em Robots, JJ Abrams making Hot Wheels or Amazon MGM’s Masters Of The Universe, the toy company has lots of potential projects in the pipeline.
All of that goes without mentioning the possibility of another Barbie film, whether that’s with or without the directorial talents of Greta Gerwig, we’d imagine.
However, it’s another line of dolls that have now joined the party with the announcement that Mattel has joined forces with Universal to produce Monster High, a film based on its toy line (and Nickelodeon show) which centres on ‘the teenage children of monsters such as Dracula, Frankenstein and the Wolfman, as they grow up and deal with the trials and tribulations of high school.’
The idea makes me wonder if this is what could have happened after the success of 1985’s Teen Wolf, if cinematic universes had been in vogue back then. Akiva Goldsman, writer and producer of many a franchise film, is shepherding the project towards production although as it stands, no director has yet been announced. We imagine that this we be a live action production but again, that isn’t confirmed.
Universal is partnering with Mattel on the project and given that the studio has a century of experience bringing monster movies to the screen, the logic here is obvious. Hopefully, its involvement means fans of classic Universal monsters will be treated to a few easter eggs and fun references.
It’s also worth noting that Mattel has done what the combined might of Tom Cruise and Russell Crowe couldn’t, managing to combine lots of Universal monsters into one film. Universal’s Dark Universe gambit may have spectacularly backfired but a few years later, it’s a toy company that is finally putting these iconic characters (or their children at least) on the screen together.
Is that further proof that the product movie is now the true unassailable force in Hollywood? Who knows, but when we do learn more about Monsters High, we’ll let you know.
