Tom Cruise (Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation) is reportedly in talks to star in Universal’s Mummy reboot, according to Variety.
The film was written by Jon Spaihts (Prometheus) and will be directed by Alex Kurtzman (People Like Us). Plot details are thin but the film will reportedly take place in modern times, unlike the previous iteration of the franchise that was set in the 1920’s and starred Brendan Fraser.
The move makes sense for Cruise as franchises have frequently replaced stars as a box office draw. The actor had success earlier this year with Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation but hasn’t had a box office hit outside of that franchise despite the great reception for Edge of Tomorrow. The actor has also signed on for Top Gun 2 and Jack Reacher: Never Go Back.
The film will also be the start of Universal’s attempt to create a shared monster universe using the monsters that were popular in the 20’s, 30’s, 40’s and 50’s that included Frankenstein’s Monster, Dracula, The Mummy, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, The Phantom of the Opera, The Wolfman, The Invisible Man, The Bride of Frankenstein and The Creature from the Black Lagoon. Universal also recently announced that they are bringing back Van Helsing as part of the universe with Spaihts writing that script as well.
While films starring their other monsters are surely in the pipeline, no other official announcements have been made for their films. Universal will likely gauge the success of The Mummy and Van Helsing before making moves on the other projects. Universal released a remake of The Wolfman in 2010 and tried to start their shared monster universe with 2014’s Dracula Untold with diminutive success.
We’ll have more on the film as it develops.