Alex Kurtzman Will Direct ‘The Mummy’
Alex Kurtzmanwas going to direct his studio tentpole for Sony, in the form oftheVenomspin-off movie. But recently he was announced as part of the team creating an “extended universe” ofinterconnected new filmsfeaturing Universal Monsters such as Dracula, the Wolfman, and the Mummy. Now Kurtzman is directingThe Mummyfor Universal, and so the monster movie (the Universal monster movie, that is) will be his next directorial effort.THRreports that Kurtzman will direct the film from the script he andChris Morgan(Fast & Furious) have created.
The trade reports that this will be a story set in the present day, and an “action-adventure tentpole with horror elements” ratherthana straight-up horror film. So, a bit like the previous reboot of The Mummy. This one, however, will have all new character — it will not be a reboot in any sense other than the use of the title and a basic concept.
The Mummyis set for release on June 18, 2025.
So what aboutVenom, and Kurtzman’s work with Sony on the expanding Spider-Man series? This is one more factor leading us to wonder about the degree to which Sony’s plan is being reworked. (As it has been a couple of times already, in between Marc Webb’s films.) No release date was set forVenom, but there was a point when it seemed like the film might arrive within the next four years. With Kurtzman doingThe Mummy, maybe that won’t happen, at least not with Kurtzman at the helm.
Kurtzman’s former writing partner Roberto Orci isoff theSpider-Manfranchise. While it is possible that Kurtzman could be the architect of this plan at Universal and also work on the continuing development ofSpider-Manat Sony, this directing assignment contributes to speculation that all things Spider-Man are in flux.
Kurtzmanrecently saidhe would still directVenom, which is slated after Sinister Six, but that “It’s still in conversation. Everybody is still figuring it out… It’s all up for grabs, right now. We’re just trying to figure it out.”
Meanwhile, we don’t know much more about what Kurtzman and Morgan are planning for the Universal Monsters. Primarily, we don’t know if they will use the character designs originated in the ’20s, ’30s and ’40s — it’s those designs, coupled with tone, that make a “Universal Monsters” movie, after all.
