Shortly after rolling out a bold statement of intent for an interconnected string of monster movies, all has gone quiet on the Universal front. On paper, the interwoven universe includes such iconic horrors as Frankenstein’s Monster, Dracula, the Invisible Man, the Creature from the Black Lagoon and the Wolf Man, with all signs pointing to the studio overhauling each legend with a new creature feature of their own. One of these reboots involves The Mummy, and The Hollywood Reporter has unearthed an intriguing report about the in-development retelling.
With casting now underway for the action flick, the outlet notes that director Alex Kurtzman and Jon Spaihts’ concept for the modern take stands at a crossroads, with one path leading to a female actress tackling the title role of the Egyptian god, while the other well-worn track would result in the pair casting a male version of the Mummy and essentially retreading a path blazed out by Stephen Sommers’ 1999 original.
At this stage, we can but wait until Kurtzman and Spaiths make a decision based on the casting call, though the fact that the idea for a gender swap has been tabled has us cautiously optimistic for the reboot. Indeed, this alternation is something we’re beginning to see more and more from Hollywood studios, with yesterday bringing news that Sony is on the verge of realigning its male-centric adaptation of The Gray Man to attract Mad Max: Fury Road star, Charlize Theron.
It’s a trend that we hope to see continue with The Mummy. Should Kurtzman and Spaiths cast eyes on an actress that can portray the rousing gravitas of an ancient Egyptian force, we see no valid reason that Universal couldn’t reshuffle its plans – so long as it isn’t just change for the sake of change.
