Deadline has a story saying Len Wiseman is about to sign a deal that will see him directing a reboot/remake of The Mummy for Universal. Jon Spaihts (Prometheus) is writing the script with Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci producing. And as you’d expect, the film will be presented in “a modern day context” as Wiseman isn’t interested in Bela Lugosi’s 1932 version.
Wiseman told Deadline, “When I first heard Universal was relaunching this, that is the image that popped into my head, the period tale, the old monster, but when Bob and Alex pitched it, there was a great new take and approach, and a very different mummy as well… It’s a darker twist on the material, a scarier version.” So… it’s a different movie?
The goal is to still make it into a four quadrant feature and tap into every available audience member possible, which means we’re looking at a PG-13 movie from the same director that delivered an R-rated Underworld franchise and then moved into safer territory with the PG-13 Live Free or Die Hard followed by the lackluster remake Total Recall this year.
Kurtzman was quoted by the site saying, “We’re reaching into the deep roots of The Mummy, which at its beating heart is a horror movie and then an action movie, and putting it into a context that is real and emotional… It’s still a four quadrant film but as a lot of recent movies have proven, audiences are hungry for more than they used to be. You can still have a family movie, an action movie that’s more grounded than these used to be. Without saying too much, we’ve drawn a lot of inspiration from Michael Crichton‘s books, and how he ground fantastical sales in modern day science.”
I don’t necessarily agree Bela Lugosi’s original Mummy was ever an action film and I think it’s funny to read Deadline’s Mike Fleming write, “They have already figured out how to get around the reason I feel the original doesn’t really hold up so well. The bandaged title character moves so slowly than he is no more difficult to elude than a single zombie.” Ah, when people who define their lives by “scoops” and “toldjas” attempt to search for nuance in classic monster films. Let me guess the solution… he moves faster? Or maybe whooshes around as sand storms?
Personally I don’t understand why the original is mentioned at all. The original was an atmospheric and rather slow film that featured some great makeup for its time and is a fun and fascinating monster movie from Universal’s classic era. By comparison, the Mummy trilogy Stephen Sommers already ignored the original. They began as CG camp, and I actually enjoy watching the first two movies while full recognizing how truly terrible they are, but I can’t imagine a new take being all that interesting.
With these minds for reboots lately it seems the soul and fun are ripped out of them. Like or loathe the two Mummy movies Sommers directed you have to at least admit he is throwing the kitchen sink at the screen and doing his best to create an amusement park ride. It’s a mess, but to look at it as is I can hardly imagine how they could have possibly reigned it in, which is what I assume Wiseman and crew will attempt to accomplish.
The goal will to probably give it a blue tint and a hard edge. There will be plenty of gadgets, gloss, spectrometers, mummification finders and sand density tools. Kate Beckinsale will surely have a role and fun will be replaced with the idea of “what’s cool”, giving it a plastic sheen.
Any time I read these quotes and comments such as “It’s a darker twist” pop up I shrug and can almost guarantee what we’re getting is going to be a lifeless cinematic turd.
