There’s been plenty of talk over the last few weeks (even months) about what exactly we should be expecting fromAlex Kurtzman’s remake ofThe Mummy. What we do know is that it would seem to be the first serous step in the universe of Universal Movie Monsters -The Invisible Man,The Wolf Man,The Mummy, etc. - which, apparently, officially began with the…let’s say poorly receivedDracula Untold. Kurtzman’s film is already off to a better start withTom Cruiseset to star in this particular remake, alongside the likes ofJake JohnsonandCourtney B. Vance.
That’s enough to allure a fan of the original films, like this writer, but the news that came down the pike yesterday seals my interest in the project. During an interview with Collider’s own Christina Radish forShane Black’sThe Nice Guys,Russell Croweconfirmed his involvement with the project, and unveiled that he will be playing an iconic role in the film. Here’s what the veteran actor had to say:
This is pretty big news, as Crowe and Cruise have yet to star alongside one another in any movie thus far. And that’s not even counting the fact that Kurtzman, one ofJ.J. Abrams' top collaborators, will be helming the picture, though the multi-hyphenate’s first major work as a director,People Like Us, did not go well. Regardless, this film feels more keeping with Kurtzman’s wheelhouse and Crowe seemed very happy with what Kurtzman has planned. Here’s what the had to say about working with the popular writer-producer:
And when asked about how this version ofThe Mummywill play out as compared to theBrendan Fraser-fronted trilogy of movies that came out in the aughts, Crowe was adamant that this film is “designed to seriously scare the shit out of you.” That would put it at odds with the last films, which were made more in the action-adventure mode, and would similarly make it unlikeDracula Untold. Even though the newMummyis unfortunately steeped in a modern set-up - Cruise plays a Navy SEAL hunting terrorists when he comes across the monster - it already feels inevitable that it will be a more satisfying effort with Crowe involved.
