Universal has today unravelled our first sneak peek at The Mummy, Alex Kurtzman’s franchise overhaul that thrusts Sofia Boutella into the role of the ancient deity. Tom Cruise saw her and yes, she’s very, very real.
At only 15 seconds in length, this teaser is designed as more of a primer for Sunday’s big reveal than anything else, but even still, there’s plenty to digest. Opening with a shot of Tom Cruise’s former military man Nick Morton en route to the Middle East, we’re then given an all-too-brief – but no less terrifying – glimpse of The Mummy in the midst of what looks to be her crude awakening, dividing pupils and all. Boasting a power that “defies human comprehension,” Boutella’s ancient queen is truly a force to be reckoned with, and we’ll have a better understanding of that aura come Sunday.
Cracking open a brave new world of gods and monsters, Kurtzman’s reboot has been pitched as the first step in Universal’s grand monster universe, one which will, through time, host creature features starring the Creature from the Black Lagoon, the Invisible Man, and many more.
As for The Mummy, Universal has assembled a magnificent cast of talent to surround Cruise and Boutella, including Peaky Blinders star Annabelle Wallis, Jake Johnson, Marwan Kenzari, Courtney B. Vance and Russell Crowe as Dr. Jekyll/Mr. Hyde, which is a character that will surely spawn a spinoff movie of his own.
Universal will summon The Mummy into theaters on June 9, 2017. Jon Spaihts of Prometheus and Doctor Strange fame is behind the screenplay.
Thought safely entombed in a crypt deep beneath the unforgiving desert, an ancient queen (Sofia Boutella of Kingsman: The Secret Service and Star Trek Beyond) whose destiny was unjustly taken from her, is awakened in our current day, bringing with her malevolence grown over millennia and terrors that defy human comprehension.
From the sweeping sands of the Middle East through hidden labyrinths under modern-day London, The Mummy brings a surprising intensity and balance of wonder and thrills in an imaginative new take that ushers in a new world of gods and monsters.