Is Len Wiseman the Right Guy to Helm The Mummy Reboot for Universal?
Deadline
http://www.deadline.com/2012/09/len-wiseman-wrapping-up-deal-to-helm-universal-reboot-of-the-mummy/
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Universal is moving forward with its reboot of The Mummy, and it looks like Len Wiseman (Total Recall, Underworld, Live Free or Die Hard) is going to be the guy behind the camera. Share your thoughts in our comments section!
Per Deadline, Universal Pictures is wrapping up a deal for Wiseman to direct The Mummy, the reboot of a franchise whose most recent incarnation grossed $1.25 billion over three films. Jon Spaihts (The Darkest Hour, Prometheus) is writing the script, and the studio is eyeing a potential summer 2014 release.
The film is being produced by Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci through their Universal-based K/O Paper Products alongside former partners Sean Daniel and Jim Jacks, who produced the version launched by Steve Sommers, which starred Brendan Fraser and Rachel Weisz.
Apparently the new script moves The Mummy into a modern day context with a dark tone.
“When Bob and Alex pitched it, there was a great new take and approach, and a very different mummy as well,” Wiseman said. “It’s a darker twist on the material, a scarier version.”
Kurtzman elaborated, “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 sales in modern day science.”
“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,” Kurtzman added. “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.”
As for what type of creature we can expect, Wiseman concluded, “One of the things that interested me with this mummy is [that] he’s still in essence a man. They haven’t turned his brain into a monster brain. 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.”
Look for more soon.
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