Between them, Alex Kurtzman and Chris Morgan have been appointed the two leading architects of Universal’s shared monsters universe, and the former is about to get the ball rolling with the release of The Mummy.
Pegged for June 9th, Kurtzman and Universal’s supernatural franchise-starter is arguably one of the riskier summer blockbusters lining the 2017 slate, but with an all-star cast in tow, not to mention the jaw-dropping spectacle on display in the most recent trailer, we’re retaining a sense of cautious optimism that The Mummy can prove its naysayers wrong – lest the Universal Monsters series get off on the wrong foot. At the forefront of the supernatural action is Mission: Impossible stalwart Tom Cruise as Nick Morton, a former military man who uncovers a 2,000-year-old tomb while out in the Middle East – one which contains Sofia Boutella’s otherworldly deity.
Imbued with an unparalleled sense of power, up above you’ll get a new peek at Boutella’s former queen in the present day, where she’s ready to unleash her malevolent grudge after years spent buried underground. As Kurtzman reveals to USA Today, The Mummy isn’t concerned with unleashing a one-dimensional villain upon the unsuspecting masses; rather, the filmmaker wants to extract “the deep humanity I felt like these monsters were actually reflecting, they say something about who we are.”
One element that will underpin The Mummy is, of course, Prodigium, the mystery organization that essentially acts as a gateway into Universal’s brave new world of gods and monsters. Russell Crowe’s Dr. Jekyll also becomes a key figure in the fight against Sofia Boutella’s menace, and here, Alex Kurtzman teases the ways in which her powers are “organized around the ideas of romance and entrancement, She has control over and power to get into your mind, and creepy crawlies tend to like her when she’s around.”
It’s the bold first step in Universal’s shared universe, and we’ll find out whether the studio’s grand vision is off to a strong start when The Mummy looms over theaters on June 9th.
