It has been a little while since we have heard anything about Alex Kurtzman‘s upcoming reboot of THE MUMMY for Universal. Part of a planned cinematic universe of monsters that began with DRACULA UNTOLD, THE MUMMY will be a distinct retelling of the classic Boris Karloff creature that shares no plot similarities to that film or the Brendan Fraser-starring trilogy.
Superhero Movie News claims to have gotten their hands on the screenplay for THE MUMMY and shared a fairly detailed synopsis for the opening of the film. There is no substantiation to whether these details are legitimate, but see what you think.
The story follows Navy Seal Tyler Colt and his mission in the Iraqi desert to find a group of terrorists hiding out in a bunker. To him and his teams surprise the terrorists within the bunker turn out be nothing more then some grave robbers who have all magically died. Upon entering the bunker Tyler and his team also succumb to some mystical forces out of their control. They soon realize the bunker they have infiltrated is actually a centuries old tomb. Mayhem erupts as all the Navy seal members start turning on one another and are captivated by the forces within the tomb. Tyler is the only one to make it all the way deep within the tomb alive to find an Black Iron Sarcophagus. It’s marked with Egyptian symbols like the Ankh and Eye of Horus. Here Tyler is entranced by the forces to open up and release what is inside. But after placing his hand onto the sarcophagus he is immediately stabbed in the palm with a star shaped symbol. From then on his mind is cursed with visions of Ashurbanipal, King of Assyria…..The Mummy.
The details do keep with the news from Kurtzman that the new movie would take place in modern times, but I am not sure if that is in keeping with the “family friendly” tone that we heard they were going for. It also sounds remarkably similar to the opening of the Stephen Sommers film with a modern twist.
The site also claims that despite the visions the main character has, he is not the Mummy but shares a mental bond with the undead creature. They also list additional characters that include archeologist Jenny Halsey, shady billionaire Lorenzo Montanari, and Malik leader of the Temple Brothers. The more I read about this, the more it sounds like a remake of the 1999 movie rather than a reboot. Hell, they might as well cast Oded Fehr and say he is a descendant of his previous character.
THE MUMMY is set to hit theaters on June 24, 2016