Director Luca Guadagnino would like to get the chance to remake The Mummy. Guadagnino is a writer and director most known for his Oscar-nominated work on Call Me By Your Name. Guadagnino’s newest work is Bones and All, a drama-horror film that will come out later this month. Based on the Camille DeAngelis novel of the same name, Bones and All follows the story of a young woman named Maren (Taylor Russell) who lives on the margins of society because she has a quality to her that is quite different from those around her: Maren is a cannibal. Throughout the film, Maren meets other people who eat flesh, as she attempts to maintain her cannibalistic urges.
Guadagnino shares with Collider that he would like to remake the 1932 film The Mummy. In an interview for Bones and All, Guadagnino was asked what horror classic he would like to remake. Guadagino responded that “it would be amazing to do something about The Mummy.” Guadagnino’s version of The Mummy would lean into the horror aspect of the original film and the mummy itself which, Guadagnino notes, is “a rotten body in rotten bandages." Check out the full quote from Guadagnino below:
That’s an incredible question that I didn’t prepare myself [for]. Oh my god, what should I do? I think it would be amazing to do something about The Mummy. It’s a rotten body in rotten bandages, so what’s inside is [as] interesting as what’s outside. It should be very scary and very, very terminal. It should be a little movie but with a lot of depth and very scary.
Could A Horror-Centric Mummy Remake Work?
The Mummy has already had a prominent remake in 1999 when Stephen Sommers directed the film of the same name starring Brendan Fraser and Rachel Weisz. Unlike Guadagnino’s proposed version, however, 1999’s The Mummy took on a more action-adventure approach. It still featured the classic monster character that was at the heart of the original but did not spend its time on the gory aspects of the mummy’s rotting body. Guadagnino’s, on the other hand, would push further on the monster film origins of its original. With the special effects capacities of the modern era, Guadagnino would have the tools to be able to lean into these aspects, and potentially make a Mummy remake that is quite disturbing.
This begs the question, though, of if a horror-focused Mummy remake could work. A horror version of The Mummy would certainly diverge from what fans of the 1999 film are used to. Guadagnino, however, would not be a novice to the realm of horror remakes. In 2018, Guadagnino remade the 1977 horror film Suspiria. While Suspiria had its share of fantasy elements as well, the film did not shy away from the bloody and horrific aspects of the story. Furthermore, 2018’s Suspiria was a visually stunning film in both its set and cinematographer, showcasing the directorial command Guadagnino has the capacity for on his projects. This strong work with Suspiria could lay the groundwork for Guadagnino to be able to make an interesting adaptation of The Mummy.
Will Guadagnino’s Mummy Adaptation Get Made?
Guadagnino’s The Mummy pitch is enticing, yet that is currently all it is: a pitch. Guadagnino was not even expecting this question in the interview, so he clearly does not have active plans in place to adapt and direct The Mummy. With his new horror film Bones and All being released shortly, audiences will soon get another taste of what Guadagnino’s idea of horror is like. If all goes well with Bones and All’s reception, perhaps Guadagnino may see an offer to direct The Mummy come soon down the line.
Source: Collider