We all remember the The Mummy trilogy, a fun series of monster films made back when Brendan Fraser still had an acting career. While the third entry was lackluster compared to the other two films in the series, the trilogy as a whole was still generally entertaining, combining scares, one-liners and a ton of undead/mystic ass-kicking. However, most people seem to forget that the Mummy trilogy was actually a loose remake of the 1932 film The Mummy, in which famed horror icon Boris Karloff was cast in the role of Imhotep. This was one of many films made during the era of Universal Monsters, a series of horror-based films created by Universal Studios in the 1930s featuring some of pop culture’s most iconic movie monsters. With characters like Dracula, Frankenstein and the Wolfman, the Universal Monsters served as face for horror films, at least until Texas Chainsaw Massacre and Halloween replaced it with the slasher genre. And now, as part of Universal’s upcoming shared Monster universe, all these classic characters are getting brought back for the modern audience, including that of the Mummy.
#THEMUMMY in Africa. #Namibia, we are so excited to be here! @UniversalPics #TomCruise #JakeJohnson #CourtneyVance pic.twitter.com/AycmAyIuPI
— Annabelle Wallis (@WallisAnnabelle) July 29, 2016
A recent photo from the set of the new Mummy movie was tweeted by Annabelle Wallis, hanging out alongside co-stars Tom Cruise, Jake Johnson and Courtney B. Vance. While the image doesn’t show much regarding the plot of the film, the costumes they wear suggest that this film will take place in a modern-day setting, in comparison to the 1930’s setting that both the original film and trilogy resided within. Considering how the launching film for this universe, the not-so-well-received Dracula Untold, ended in modern times as well, it can be assumed that all these classic villains will be written to exist within the 21st Century. How they plan to adapt these stories will be quite the task, but it could provide for a rather unique setting. One thing’s for sure, when it comes to action or extreme amounts of running (especially from monsters and mummies), there’s no one better to have on your side than Tom Cruise.
The Mummy reboot will be directed by Alex Kurtzman and based on a script written by Jon Spaihts. The film is set for a release date next summer on June 9, 2017.