Universal’s attempt to jump on the cinematic universe bandwagon is in full swing. With the recent Dracula Unborn slotting in an end credits scene to serve as a prequel tie-in, their upcoming slate of rebooted monster pics looks set to rival comic book behemoths Marvel and DC. First up on their docket is their remake of The Mummy, which today we’ve learned could be quite a departure from the Brendan Fraser series.
According to the folks over at SuperHeroMoviesNews, who got their hands on a copy of the script, the story will shrug off the timeline and characters established in previous movies. Their paraphrased version follows, which may be riddled with spoilers if the script they read was indeed genuine:
The story follows Navy Seal Tyler Colt and his mission in the Iraqi dessert to find a group of terrorists hiding out in a bunker. To him and his teams surprise the terrorists within the bunker turn out be nothing more then some grave robbers who have all magically died. Upon entering the bunker Tyler and his team also succumb to some mystical forces out of their control. They soon realize the bunker they have infiltrated is actually a centuries old tomb. Mayhem erupts as all the Navy seal members start turning on one another and are captivated by the forces within the tomb. Tyler is the only one to make it all the way deep within the tomb alive to find an Black Iron Sarcophagus. It’s marked with Egyptian symbols like the Ankh and Eye of Horus. Here Tyler is entranced by the forces to open up and release what is inside. But after placing his hand onto the sarcophagus he is immediately stabbed in the palm with a star shaped symbol. From then on his mind is cursed with visions of Ashurbanipal, King of Assyria…..The Mummy.
Other character’s the movie include archeologist Jenny Halsey, shady billionaire Lorenzo Montanari, and Malik leader of the Temple Brothers.
That’s quite a departure from Universal’s earlier reboot series, which began with Stephen Sommers 1999 version. That take focused on the experiences of Fraser’s adventurer Rick, and Rachel Weisz’s bookish librarian Evelyn back in the 1920s. Looks like if this leaked script is the real deal, we’re unlikely to be seeing any period garb and clipped accents.
Could this plot synopsis hint at an entirely modern take on The Mummy? We’ve still got a long way to go until we find out for certain, as it’s scheduled to open on April 22nd, 2016. Until then, though, share your thoughts on the reboot in the comments section below!
