The reboot of THE MUMMY that Universal Studios is so intent on making just lost its second director, with MAMA helmer Andres Muschietti exiting the project due to creative differences, according to The Wrap. Muschietti is the second director to bail out on the project in the past year, with UNDERWORLD's Len Wiseman gracefully bowing out back in July of last year.
Jon Spaihts wrote the current draft of the script, which reimagined THE MUMMY franchise in modern day with new characters not seen in previous iterations and a protagonist imbued with a human personality.
Sean Daniel is producing the planned tentpole with Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci, who recently parted ways regarding feature projects, though their split is unrelated to Muschetti's amicable exit from the film.
When Len Wiseman was previously attached to direct THE MUMMY he indicated that Kurtzman and Orci were envisioning a darker, scarier take on THE MUMMY mythology that would still appeal to all audiences. Apparently, the project has changed direction, as Muschetti wanted to deliver a darker take rather than the four-quadrant, more family-friendly action-adventure blockbuster that Universal now has in mind.
Muschietti and Guillermo del Toro