Universal is currently balls deep in plans to bring horror’s most iconic monsters back to the big screen, and at the forefront of this huge undertaking is none other than Alex Kurtzman and Chris Morgan. Essentially, the plan is to weave together a universe based on Universal’s classic movie monsters. This, however, is all old news to us as we caught wind of Universal’s big plans a few weeks ago. What isn’t old news is that Kurtzman has been tapped to direct THE MUMMY, which is due to be the first film of the bunch as it has been set for a May 22, 2016 release date. This is a pretty big deal because THE MUMMY is suppose to be the film that gets this whole new universe rolling. No pressure, Kurtzman.
They haven’t said what this version of THE MUMMY is going to be about, but THR reports that it is set in the present and is not a horror play but rather an action-adventure tentpole with horror elements. I must say, this kind of bums me out. I just hope that the whole "action-adventure" thing doesn't branch off into all the other Universal Monsters that they plan to bring back to life. Make them scary, they're monsters after all.
“Over the course of developing The Mummy, Alex has demonstrated such clarity and passion about this character and mythology," said co-president of production Jeff Kirschenbaum. "He knows why The Mummy has fascinated us for so long and how to bring that into an inventive, incredible new adventure. It became obvious that he is the perfect choice to be not only one of the narrative engineers of this new vision but its director as well.”
Jon Spaihts worked on the script, as did Kurtzman and Roberto Orci. Sean Daniel is also a producer on the project. Bobby Cohen is exec producer.