Van Helsing reboot writer says it will follow The Dark Knight model of blending fantasy and reality

June 27th 2012, 2:10pm

Last Updated on August 5, 2021

While talking about his upcoming release PEOPLE LIKE US, screenwriter/director Alex Kurtzman dropped some tidbits about the recently announced VAN HELSING reboot, which is set to star Tom Cruise as the titular character.

Here’s what he had to say about adapting rebooting the famous character:

“Well, I don’t want to give away too much, because we are actually at the very beginning of talking about what to do with it. But I do feel like the Van Helsing that Anthony Hopkins played in [Bram Stoker’s] DRACULA is sort of the parody version of it, and the Van Helsing that Hugh Jackman played was obviously in a different place as well,” said Kurtzman.

“I think that these kinds of movies have evolved a lot since then. You know, THE DARK KNIGHT was a major, major corner-turning moment in the way that genre and superhero stories could be told. Really grounded in reality. Really grounded in really cool things. That’s what I’d like to do without sacrificing the fantasy element. We aspired to do that as well on Trek, you know, keep it “real.” That’s such a different franchise than Batman, but that’s really what we wanted to do. And we’d love to do that with Van Helsing.”

Interesting stuff. I think most of us kind of groaned at the prospect of another take on the character, but this sounds like they may have a good direction in mind for the character. I actually thought Anthony Hopkins was great as Van Helsing, even if a bit one-dimensional. I don’t blame Hugh Jackman for the crapfest that was 2004’s VAN HELSING as I felt he could’ve delivered something great with the right material. As it stands, it’s just another Stephen Sommers circus.

I hope they find an inspired choice to direct this reboot as it could make all the difference. Cruise always brings his A-game, so he’s the least of my concerns. If Kurtzman and his longtime collaborator, Robert Orci, can deliver on a unique blend of fantasy and reality then we could be in for a suspenseful, creepy, and cool version of Van Helsing that hasn’t yet been seen.

More to follow as this develops.