'Van Helsing': 'Overlord's' Julius Avery To Direct Universal's New Monster Film Produced By James Wan

Universal is dipping back into its classic horror mythos once again for a new potential franchise based on the legendary monster hunter, “Van Helsing.” And the studio reportedly knows exactly who is best to direct the new feature.

According to Deadline, Universal is handing over the reins of “Van Helsing” to filmmaker Julius Avery, who is set to direct the feature and take a pass at the original script which was written by “Black Widow” writer, Eric Pearson. In addition to Avery behind the camera, the new “Van Helsing” will be produced by James Wan and his Atomic Monster production company.

Debuting in the classic “Dracula” novel by Bram Stoker, Van Helsing is a monster hunter that is on a mission to rid the world of vampires. Of course, the name has been given to a number of fictional characters throughout novels, TV series, and films. In fact, the most famous attempt to turn “Van Helsing” into a feature film franchise happened in 2004 when director Stephen Sommers released “Van Helsing” starring Hugh Jackman. That feature was a bomb at the box office and savaged by critics, leading to a quick death for the character on the big screen.

However, with James Wan, a modern master of horror, helping Julius Avery craft a new “Van Helsing,” we have every reason to be optimistic. Avery is coming off the release of “Overlord,” which is an action-horror feature that surprised many with its solid story and plenty of scares. Unfortunately, we’re not quite sure what the actual hook of “Van Helsing” is going to be. Will it be modern? Will it be set in the classic time where we saw Hugh Jackman’s version? And will this film somehow interlink with the variety of other Universal Monsters films that are in the works at the studio?

Regardless, “Van Helsing” is returning and let’s see if Universal can turn it into the latest film franchise.