As Mattel looks to bring another of their iconic franchises to the big screen, director Gerard Johnstone previews his vision for the live-action Monster High movie adaptation. The multimedia doll franchise, which centers on the teenage offspring of iconic monsters and mythical creatures, including Frankenstein’s monster and Dracula, among many others, has been adapted for the screen across 15 animated films, two live-action films and an animated series. Johnstone, after making his directorial debut with the horror-comedy Housebound, quickly broke out internationally helming the viral horror hit M3GAN and co-writing and directing its upcoming sequel.

During an interview with ScreenRant‘s Ash Crossan to discuss M3GAN 2.0‘s release, Johnstone opened up about his upcoming Monster High movie. In addition to confirming the project is “just in the early stages” after being hired earlier this month, the director revealed Mattel and Universal have given him “free rein to reinterpret the characters as I saw fit“, with him feeling he has “found a way into those characters” and the “really rich world” of the franchise. Check out the rest of what Johnstone shared below:

I love horror – I come from horror and comedy – and obviously M3GAN is more on the sci-fi spectrum, but I’ve always loved those gothic, Universal monster movie characters. This felt like a way to play in that sandbox a little bit. And yeah, I’ve come up with a take on it that I’m really excited about. We’re just in the early stages.

What This Means For The Monster High Movie

Johnstone Is Getting The Same Creative Freedom As Mattel’s First Major Hit

Johnstone’s Monster High movie comes at an interesting point in the franchise as it continues to enjoy the success of its second relaunch, which included two well-received live-action films on Paramount+ and Nickelodeon. Even more, however, is that the film comes in the midst of Mattel Films building out their future in the wake of Barbie‘s $1.447 billion success. In addition to Monster High, the studio is currently working on 15 other adaptations of their franchises, including next year’s Masters of the Universe reboot and the Anthony Ramos-led Bob the Builder movie, among others.

However, arguably the most intriguing update to come from Johnstone’s comments above is that he’s being given free rein to adapt Monster High for the screen, a bold decision on the part of Mattel Films. Given the franchise is worth well over $1 billion, it’d be understandable for the studio to be cautious about how the filmmaker adapted the series. However, as Greta Gerwig’s innovative approach to Barbie netted it eight Oscar nominations, it’s clear they’re willing to take risks with their various properties.

What will also be interesting to see with the Monster High movie is how Johnstone plays with the classic tropes of Universal monsters, given said roster has been the subject of many recent film adaptations, all of which have seen a range of critical and commercial reception. For every Invisible Man success, there were disappointing responses to Blumhouse’s Wolf Man and The Last Voyage of the Demeter. With Johnstone’s previously well-received genre mixing, however, it may be just enough to help set it apart from other throwbacks to the horror genre’s gothic past.

Our Take On Johnstone’s Monster High Update

The Movie Adaptation Is In Good Hands

Johnstone has really been on a roll in the director’s chair since Housebound, and while Monster High may, on paper, seem like a franchise outside my demographic, I can’t deny that his comments on his approach to adapting the series for the screen make it a really promising one. Much like Gerwig did with Barbie, it sounds like he’s bringing his unique filmmaking vision to subvert expectations and deliver something that can appeal to a broader audience.