Universal Pictures’ classic monsters — Frankenstein, the Wolfman, even Dracula — have taken many forms over the years, borrowing from classic literature and fairy tales to create truly terrifying creatures. And now, with the help of the team behind Fortnite, the supernatural favorites are making their way into video games. The Hollywood Reporter revealed that Universal is teaming up with Epic Games to give their classic monsters line a makeover, reimagining them for the twenty-first century in a new, animated mini-series.
The four-episode mini-series, titled We Will Be Monsters, sees classic Universal icons like the Bride of Frankenstein and the Mummy reimagined for modern times, taken out of their dusty, early twentieth-century films and given new looks and locations, planting the creatures all over the world, from Hong Kong to Los Angeles. Premiering on October 28 within Fortnite, as part of the game’s Shortnitemares Festival, the series will give new life to old tales, directed by The Mandalorian’s Rick Famuyiwa and featuring the voice talents of Chemon Theys as the Bride of Frankenstein, Victory Ndukwe as Frankenstein’s monster, and Emmy Saheki as the Mummy.
According to THR, episodes two through four won’t premiere until early next year, but even though fans will have to wait to see the rest of the monsters brought back to life, they’ll have something to tide them over — playable Fortnite skins of the redesigned monsters, available for purchase after the premiere of the first episode.
“This is us evolving and building our IP and content for different formats,” said Universal Filmed Entertainment Group president Abhijay Prakash. “This is another manifestation of our monsters and they have never been depicted this diverse...We’re merging narrative storytelling with gameplay.”
No information or release dates for episodes two through four have been announced, but fans can look forward to the whole slate of Universal monsters making their debut within Fortnite in the coming new year. Check out a teaser for the first short below: