Hugh Jackman’s Van Helsing Returns: Stream the Classic Monster Movie on Peacock!
In the year 2000, Hugh Jackman stepped into the role of Wolverine for the X-Men film. Four years after that, he brought yet another beloved character to life on screen, appearing as the lead in an action-horror movie with the same title.
Starting June 1st, Peacock subscribers can now enjoy the Universal Monsters film “Van Helsing”. Originally released in 2004, this action-packed movie features Hugh Jackman as the legendary monster hunter who journeys to Transylvania to aid Anna Valerious (Kate Beckinsale) in her battle against Count Dracula (Richard Roxburgh). Together with Frankenstein’s Monster (Shuler Hensley), Dracula is determined to carry out a centuries-old curse on Anna’s family. Although critics were generally unfavorable, “Van Helsing” managed to rake in over $300 million at the global box office.
The movie “Van Helsing” was Universal’s endeavor to transform another one of their Universal Monsters characters into a horror-infused action series, inspired by the achievement of the 1999 film, “The Mummy.” Notably, Stephen Sommers, director of “The Mummy” and its sequel “The Mummy Returns,” was tapped for writing and directing duties on “Van Helsing.” The studio was quite optimistic about the movie, as they started developing a follow-up before the initial film had even premiered in cinemas. Regrettably, despite its moderate box office performance, ideas for a sequel to “Van Helsing” were abandoned.
Van Helsing Was Almost Rebooted in the 2010s
Over the years following the 2004 movie, Universal has made several attempts to revive the film “Van Helsing” for the big screen, but none have been successful so far. In 2012, Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci were hired to create a contemporary adaptation, with Tom Cruise set to play Van Helsing. However, Cruise left the project in 2015 and instead joined Universal’s reboot of “The Mummy,” which aimed to kick off Dark Universe – a shared universe and modern-day reboot of the classic Universal Monsters characters.
After the film The Mummy failed to impress both critics and audiences, Universal Studios decided to close down their Dark Universe project and instead concentrate on creating individual films based on their collection of classic monster characters. Since then, four films have been produced: The Invisible Man (2020), Renfield, The Last Voyage of the Demeter (both 2023), and Wolf Man (2025). Unfortunately, despite receiving a high rating of 91% on Rotten Tomatoes, the film was not well-received by audiences. However, it still proved to be a significant financial success, earning over $144 million on a budget of only $7 million.
The revival of the Van Helsing character, originally played by Hugh Jackman in 2004, is still being worked on. Director Julius Avery has signed on to direct and rewrite the script penned by Eric Pearson. James Wan will produce this new version, with Universal Pictures and Wan’s Atomic Monster collaborating on its production. However, since 2020, there have been no new announcements about the revival, causing speculation as to whether this particular Van Helsing reboot will ever see the light of day in theaters.
Van Helsing arrives on Peacock on June 1.
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2025-05-26 21:24