The Remake Of ‘The Mummy’ Takes Its Title Literally, Considers Casting A Female Lead
Universal’s remake ofThe Mummyis set for a 2017 release date and is intended to help kick off an entire new cinematic universe starring the studio’s classic monsters. And while production has to begin soon-ish to hit that release date, the studio and directorAlex Kurtzmanstill have a major decision left on their plate – the gender of the Mummy itself.
Yes, the star of the new Mummy movie may very well be woman, giving a big injection of estrogen into one of the great horror boys' clubs. While we have raised a concerned eyebrow at much of the news coming out of these newUniversal Monstermovies, this one gets a tentative nod of approval. It’s certainly an interesting choice.
Everything you need to know about theMummyremake and the rest of the new Monster Universe can be found after the jump.
The news comes to us fromThe Hollywood Reporter, who say that Kurtzman and writerJon Spaihtshave two versions of the story ready to go. One version features a traditional male Mummy and the the other stars a lady, who will have her own “unique backstory.” Apparently, the final decision will come down to casting, as the production will see both men and women for the part and make their decision after that.
The greatBoris Karloffplayed the Mummy in the original 1932 version of this story andArnold Voslooplayed him in the 1999 remake and its sequel. Since another male actor will simply be treading on well-worn ground, why not shake things up and go for a female Mummy? It’s not like he’s going to top the genius of Karloff, so a totally different direction may be the way to go.
The big question now is if a female version of the Mummy would maintain the same motivations as her male counterpart. In both previous versions, the ancient Egyptian priest Imhotep rises from the grave and stalks around Cairo and beyond, searching for the reincarnation of his long-lost lover. That’s a story that could easily be gender-swapped, but Kurtzman and Spaihts may very well give it an update.
Honestly, this is one of the first reports about the new Universal Monster movies that hasn’t filled us with dread. Our worst fears were confirmed when we learned that these horror iconswould be shaped into an action-adventure moldand would exist in a “shared universe.” People threw around phrases like “the Avengers of horror,” a collection of words that is the mental equivalent of a pound of shattered glass in your guys. However, Kurtzman, who is spearheading all of these new movies in addition to directingThe Mummy,promised that there would be horror in these moviesafter all.
Still, that’s not too reassuring – we sawDracula Untold. Even if that debacle gets swept under the rug and a new Dracula gets cast, that film is evidence that Universal may not get the appeal of these characters. They are tragic creatures who are victims and villains in equal measure, not superheroes.
THRalso reports that Universal is prepping potential films based onDracula(hopefully not starring Luke Evans),Frankenstein,the Invisible Man,the Bride of FrankensteinandVan Helsing(hopefully nothing like the Hugh Jackman movie). We know thatPrisonerswriterAaron Guzikowski,Now You See MewriterEd Solomon, andNoah Hawley, the man behind FX’s brilliantFargoseries,have been hired to write scripts for the Monster Universe, so feel free to imagine some potential match-ups in your head.
Nothing would make us happier than a new slew of Universal monster movies that do justice to these incredible characters. We’re even down for some major changes! Gender-swap away, if that’s what it takes to make the best possible movie! All we can do is beg of Universal to remember, and respect, these characters' legacy. They’ve lived on for 80-plus years for a reason.
