Universal is bringing back classic movie monsters in a major way over the next few years, starting with its upcoming reboot of The Mummy. Directed by Alex Kurtzman and starring Tom Cruise, The Mummy is kicking off Universal's new shared monster movie universe that is expected to include reboots of The Invisible Man and Bride of Frankenstein. But as far as the summer of 2017 is concerned, Universal's monster movie universe has its sights set squarely on the reboot of The Mummy and its titular villain, Princess Ahmanet (Sofia Boutella).
New footage from The Mummy premiered at CinemaCon in Las Vegas this week, and the new trailer is expected to be released to the general public on Sunday. Not a whole lot is known of Ahmanet to this point, but the footage that has been seen shows a vindictive ancient princess who has been wronged. The first full trailer revealed a menacing stare from the Mummy villain, and the newest promotional poster for the reboot reveals another.
As revealed on CBM, the new poster for The Mummy shows an extreme close-up of a similar stare that you saw in the trailer, with Ahmanet's creepy double-iris giving the viewer a death stare. It's one of what looks to be many formidable powers that Ahmanet will unleash when she is awakened from her tomb.
Reports coming out of CinemaCon say Tom Cruise addressed the audience by video, describing the film as a “bold, romantic, epic, terrifying monster film.” This poster surely falls in line with the horror elements of the Ahmanet character. Screenwriter Jon Spaihts (Doctor Strange) said the reboot has "a legitimate power to terrify."
Despite the presence of action stars like Tom Cruise and Russell Crowe and what appears to be visually impressive set pieces, The Mummy is still a monster franchise at heart. It's encouraging to see that director Alex Kurtzman emphasized the horror elements of the story and that the audience at CinemaCon reacted well to that aspect of the movie. Based on what's been seen of Ahmanet so far, she has a chance to be one of the most terrifying incarnations of the classic movie monster yet.
The reboot of The Mummy is sure to feature plenty of eye-popping visual effects and action scenes, but its ultimate success will come down to telling a good story. It's a classic tale that's already been done many times on the big screen, so Kurtzman and Spaihts certainly faced some big challenges in making the franchise feel fresh. The Mummy will also need Ahmanet to be a compelling villain; it appears that there is a good chance of that.
Next: The Mummy: Tom Cruise’s Zero-G Stunt Took 64 Takes
Source: CBM
