‘Van Helsing’ Reboot Hires Writers of ‘Prometheus’ and ‘The Thing’ Remake

It’s been a while since we had an update on Universal’s shared universe reboot of their classic monster characters, set to kick off with Alex Kurtzman’s redo of The Mummy in 2017. In addition to tackling famous monsters like The Wolfman and Dracula, the new cinematic universe also somewhat bizarrely includes a Van Helsing reboot, which has just tapped a pair of writers with sufficient experience in horror and sci-fi.

Variety reports that Universal has hired Jon Spaihts and Eric Heisserer to script the Van Helsing reboot, based on the character which first appeared as an avowed vampire-killer in Bram Stoker’s Dracula. The character was later portrayed by Hugh Jackman in 2004's Van Helsing, in which he was presented as a less discriminatory monster hunter.

Spaihts is best known for writing the screenplay for Prometheus and the upcoming sci-fi film Passengers, starring Jennifer Lawrence and Chris Pratt. Heisserer has written screenplays for remakes of A Nightmare on Elm Street and The Thing, as well as Sicario director Denis Villeneuve’s upcoming film Story of Your Life.

Kurtzman and Fast and Furious vet Chris Morgan are overseeing Universal’s classic monsters reboots, with a writing team that includes Fargo creator Noah Hawley, Prisoners scribe Aaron Guzikowski and Now You See Me writer Ed Solomon. The Mummy will hit theaters on March 24, 2017.