The 'Total Recall' helmer says that the upcoming remake of the famed horror tale is 'a darker twist on the material, a scarier version.'
- Sep 25, 2012
AceShowbiz - Back in April, Universal Pictures confirmed that it would bring "The Mummy" film franchise back from its tomb by developing its reboot. The studio has now tapped "Total Recall" helmer Len Wiseman to shepherd the remake movie.
Per Deadline, the director husband of Kate Beckinsale is wrapping a deal to direct the reboot, which aims a summer 2014 release. Explaining why he's interested in bringing back the gauze-covered monster to life, the filmmaker says, "One of the things that interested me with this mummy is, he's still in essence a man."
"They haven't turned his brain into a monster brain," he goes on. "He still has a personality and is very cunning and calculating. He's a true character in any form, and in creature form, even if he is that staggering creature, it becomes more important that he's a thinking, calculating person."
"The Mummy" reboot has already hired famed scribe Jon Spaihts to provide the screenplay and tapped Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci as the producers. Speaking about the story of the reboot, director Wiseman says that it will take place in modern day with a much darker twist.
"When I first heard Universal was relaunching this, that is the image that popped into my head, the period tale, the old monster, but when Bob and Alex pitched it, there was a great new take and approach, and a very different mummy as well," he reveals. "It's a darker twist on the material, a scarier version."
Agreeing with Wiseman, Kurtzman chimes in, "We're reaching into the deep roots of The Mummy, which at its beating heart is a horror movie and then an action movie, and putting it into a context that is real and emotional."
"It's still a four-quadrant film but as a lot of recent movies have proven, audiences are hungry for more than they used to be. You can still have a family movie, an action movie that's more grounded than these used to be. Without saying too much, we've drawn a lot of inspiration from Michael Crichton's books, and how he ground fantastical tales in modern-day science."
The producer believes that Wiseman is the right man to helm the anticipated project. "A lot of the work with Len has been about creating mythology, and I remember seeing Underworld and finding it a beautiful advancement of the genre," he gushes. "It was presented in this fresh, incredibly cool concept, but it never gave up its reverence for the mythology and that is what inspired us to meet with Len."
The original "The Mummy" was released in 1932 and was helmed by Karl Freun. The 1999 remake was directed by Stephen Sommers and successfully collected $415 million worldwide.
