Marketing continues for The Mummy with the arrival of a new TV spot and poster, both highlighting stars Tom Cruise and Sofia Boutella. From the time when Universal revealed it was building a shared cinematic universe made up of classic Hollywood monsters like Dracula, The Wolf-Man and Bride of Frankenstein, among others, fans and journalists alike have been trying to put their finger on exactly what that world will look like. There’s certainly nothing new about making films based around these iconic horror movie characters, but the concept of a modern shared universe changes everything.

First up in this endeavor is Universal’s The Mummy, a film that - judging by what we’ve seen thus far - has already done things differently than most were expecting. Thanks to the previous Brendan Fraser Mummy franchise, an image of what was to be expected already existed in the minds of many. This latest iteration however, throws a bewildered Tom Cruise into a mix of horror, suspense, action and Cruise-brand over the top stunts, resulting in something that seeks to kick off a new universe with a certified bang.

Our latest glimpse into the upcoming film comes to us via Universal’s Twitter account for The Mummy. A brand new TV spot (above), is accompanied by a new poster for the film (below), showing Tom Cruise front and center while chaos reigns around him. And while the TV spot runs for a mere 30 seconds, it manages to reveal just a little bit more about what will be going on when The Mummy hits theaters this June, as well as how this puzzle piece just might fit with the other upcoming monster universe films.

The Mummy Poster with Tom Cruise

Previous reports on The Mummy have detailed that Russell Crowe will make his first appearance in the film as the notorious Dr. Henry Jekyll (of Doctor Jekyll and Mr Hyde fame – another upcoming title in Universal’s MonsterVerse). Jekyll is head of an organization called the Prodigium, the headquarters of which this latest TV spot gives us our most detailed glimpse yet. A secret society that hunts and destroys the monsters which inhabit the earth, Prodigium appears vast and organized indeed in the clip. The shot of what looks to be a vampire skull in a jar is sufficient enough imagery to indicate an overarching connection to the other upcoming slate of films in the shared universe. Though The Mummy director Alex Kurtzman has previously explained that Prodigium will be an ongoing part of this universe, actually seeing a hint of how this could play out (especially with Dr. Jekyll as its head), makes for quite the intriguing prospect.

It’s very interesting that with the arrival of The Mummy, we’ll be getting not just one action-packed monster movie, but also insight into what the others may bring. Kurtzman has also previously stated that the way to build a universe is not to start by trying to build a universe. It’s a great goal in theory but whether or not The Mummy can manage to keep itself focused and entertaining enough to stand on its own merit, while subtly sewing the seeds from which other stories will bloom, is no small feat. But at the very least, a Tom Cruise movie is always likely to give audiences a nice dose of onscreen action and adventure.

So far The Mummy does look like it’s going to be a lot of fun. It has taken a risk in venturing in a different direction from what past incarnations of the story have given audiences, but that isn’t necessarily cause for concern. As with all shared universe stories, audiences won’t really know what to think of the upcoming components until they’ve seen the first entry. But with a history as cherished as these monster movies have, it’s hard to imagine them falling flat in such a new and deeper-developed representation.

NEXT: Can Non-Superhero Cinematic Universes Work?

Source: Universal Pictures

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