Paul Feig to write and direct monster movie Dark Army

Paul Feig is to write and direct a new monster movie for Universal.

The Bridesmaids director is stepping away from his comedy roots to create Dark Army, a monster movie which is based on his own original idea and will reportedly feature original characters as well as ones from Universal Classic Monsters library, according to editors at Deadline. The plot is currently unknown, as well as its connection to other monster films.

Universal was known for its monster movies between the 1920s and 1950s, with films such as Dracula, Frankenstein, The Mummy, The Invisible Man, and Creature from the Black Lagoon. Studio executives hoped to reboot these films and create a shared universe similar to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, but they abandoned that idea after 2017's The Mummy was a box office failure. They subsequently decided to focus on individual monster stories that have less connection between films.

"Instead of prescribing a mandated updating of these monster stories and making them all part of a larger scheme, the studio loosened these restrictions and open-sourced to filmmakers who were inspired to create their own unique stories," a representative for Universal said to Variety.

Feig will also produce Dark Army under his Universal-based Feigco Productions banner alongside Laura Fischer.

He joins Saw and Insidious creator Leigh Whannell, who is currently directing a remake of The Invisible Man for Blumhouse Productions. The film, which stars Oliver Jackson-Cohen and Elisabeth Moss, is set to hit cinemas in February.

Feig, who has directed the likes of Spy, The Heat and the Ghostbusters reboot, is gearing up to release his next movie Last Christmas later this year. The romantic comedy features the songs of George Michael and Emilia Clarke and Henry Golding in the lead roles.