THE MUMMY (2017) - June 9th - Trailer

[AndyDursin]

Kurtzman & Orci's new deal with Universal has them making THE MUMMY and VAN HELSING with Tom Cruise attached.

I'd say it's a joke, but all these guys seem to ever do is remake other properties --

http://www.deadline.com/2012/05/univers ... erto-orci/

UNIVERSAL CITY, CA, May 1, 2011—Universal Pictures today announced the studio has signed a two-year first-look production deal with one of the leading writing/producing teams in the entertainment industry, Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci, and their K/O Paper Products banner. The duo will kick off their new relationship with Universal by reimagining titles from the studio’s library including Van Helsing and The Mummy. The announcement was made by Universal Pictures Chairman, Adam Fogelson and Co-Chairman, Donna Langley.

Kurtzman and Orci have collaborated with some of the industry’s top creative minds including J.J. Abrams, with whom they wrote the third installment of Mission: Impossible, which grossed nearly $400 million at the worldwide box office. In 2007, they wrote Transformers and went on to write Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen in 2009. Together, those films grossed more than $1.5 billion worldwide. More recently, the pair wrote and executive produced 2009’s Star Trek, which grossed more than $385 million worldwide. Accompanying their impressive film resume, Kurtzman and Orci have found tremendous success in television, having created the series Fringe, writing/producing Alias and in 2010, producing the reboot of Hawaii Five-O. They also currently executive produce the highest rated show on Hasbro’s The Hub, Transformers Prime.

“Alex and Roberto are extraordinarily talented writers and producers who know the value of a great story in building successful tentpole films,” Fogelson and Langley said in a joint statement. “They have been a major part of some of Hollywood’s biggest movies and television shows in recent history, and we’re eager to have them build on that success at Universal.”

“We’re thrilled to call Universal Pictures our home,” said Kurtzman and Orci. “From the moment we sat down with Adam, Donna, Peter, Jeff and the entire Uni team, there was an instant flow of inspired ideas. They really understand the importance of building a strong creative team and giving our shared projects their full support. We’re proud to start making movies that will live as part of Universal’s enduring legacy.”

Kurtzman and Orci’s K/O Paper Products will develop and produce a modern reimagining of Universal library titles including The Mummy, alongside producer Sean Daniel and writer Jon Spaihts. The pair will also develop and produce Universal’s reimagined Van Helsing, with Tom Cruise attached to star in and produce the film.

Kurtzman and Orci’s upcoming projects include writing Sony’s next installment of The Amazing Spider-Man; producing Now You See Me, for Lionsgate Summit, set for release in March 2013; and producing Orson Scott Card’s Ender’s Game, also for Lionsgate Summit. Kurtzman and Orci wrote and produced People Like Us, which marks Kurtzman’s directorial debut and is scheduled to be released in June 2012, and wrote and produced the second installment of Star Trek, set for release in 2013. The pair most recently rewrote All You Need Is Kill for Warner Bros., with Tom Cruise attached to star, Doug Liman to direct and Erwin Stoff to produce.

Kurtzman, Orci and the rest of their K/O Paper Products team, including President Bobby Cohen, will be housed on the Universal lot. Former assistants Ben Kim and Kim Cavyan will come aboard as creative executives. Kurtzman and Orci are represented by CAA and attorneys Michael Gendler and Kevin Kelly of Gendler & Kelly, APC.

[AndyDursin]

I should add: I understand fully about making another MUMMY, especially one in a modern setting, because the series makes lots of dough for Universal.

VAN HELSING was a good concept and I admit I kind of enjoyed the earlier film but most people hated it (full disclosure). That said I find it very strange Cruise would be interested considering how poorly the first film was received.

Then again, this IS the same studio that brought you COWBOYS AND ALIENS! (and BATTLESHIP, though that film is going to make money as it's been doing huge biz internationally).

[Eric W.]

I should add: I understand fully about making another MUMMY, especially one in a modern setting, because the series makes lots of dough for Universal.

They need to give us one more really good one to make everyone forget that last one they did. I loved the first two films.

VAN HELSING was a good concept and I admit I kind of enjoyed the earlier film but most people hated it (full disclosure). That said I find it very strange Cruise would be interested considering how poorly the first film was received.

Then again, this IS the same studio that brought you COWBOYS AND ALIENS! (and BATTLESHIP, though that film is going to make money as it's been doing huge biz internationally).

Exactly.

[AndyDursin]

They need to give us one more really good one to make everyone forget that last one they did. I loved the first two films.

The modern setting would've made more sense in the last sequel, because without Rachel Weisz, it should've just been another character altogether. Have Fraser playing his own character's grandson or something. Of course that made too much sense!

Ultimately, I think they went with the period China setting for 2 business reasons: the Olympic tie-in at the time, and the Chinese box-office being too much to ignore. Has anyone else seen what TITANIC 3-D has done over there? It's made something like $200 mil international, and almost HALF of it was in China!

[Mike Skerritt]

Ultimately, I think they went with the period China setting for 2 business reasons: the Olympic tie-in at the time, and the Chinese box-office being too much to ignore. Has anyone else seen what TITANIC 3-D has done over there? It's made something like $200 mil international, and almost HALF of it was in China!

Over there it's called MADE IN IRELAND and is marketed as a comedy. True story.

[AndyDursin]

Ultimately, I think they went with the period China setting for 2 business reasons: the Olympic tie-in at the time, and the Chinese box-office being too much to ignore. Has anyone else seen what TITANIC 3-D has done over there? It's made something like $200 mil international, and almost HALF of it was in China!

Over there it's called MADE IN IRELAND and is marketed as a comedy. True story.

haha now THAT makes sense!

[Jedbu]

MADE IN IRELAND?? Seriously? I have got to track down the poster art with that title on it...especially if it is a comedy, although Billy Zane is pretty damn funny-unintentionally funny but still hilarious.

[AndyDursin]

Well that didn't take long. Here comes THE MUMMY...I can understand tapping that well given how much cash the first two films took in...but I can only hope the accent is on horror/suspense this time. On the down side, a modern setting? Len Wiseman? That's the best they can do in 2012? The writer, Jon Spaihts, was the first guy on PROMETHEUS when it was still going to be a straight ALIEN prequel (with aliens in it).

http://www.deadline.com/2012/09/len-wis ... the-mummy/

EXCLUSIVE: Universal Pictures is setting Len Wiseman to direct The Mummy, the reboot of a franchise whose most recent incarnation grossed $1.25 billion over three films. Jon Spaihts is writing the script and the studio is eyeing a potential summer 2014 release, so things are moving quickly, with Universal eager to ramp back up one of its most venerable franchises.

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. Latter two produced the version launched by Steve Sommers which starred Brendan Fraser and Rachel Weisz. That trilogy was based on the Karl Fruend-directed Boris Karloff starrer that the studio made in 1932.

I spoke to both Kurtzman and Wiseman, and they said the script Spaihts is writing puts the gauze-covered villain into a modern-day context.

“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,” Wiseman told me. “It’s a darker twist on the material, a scarier version.”

Kurtzman indicated that while they hope to stay in the four-quadrant audience zone same as the last trilogy, that can be accomplished with a darker tone. “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,” Kurtzman said. “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.”

Wiseman most recently directed Total Recall, and before that he launched the Underworld franchise and helped reinvigorate a franchise with Live Free Or Die Hard.

“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 said. “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.”

They first teamed with Wiseman helmed the pilot for the hit CBS series Hawaii Five-0, and they are prepping the pilot for the Fox series Sleepy Hollow.

They have already figured out how to get around the reason I feel the original doesn’t really hold up so well. The bandaged title character moves so slowly than he is no more difficult to elude than a single zombie.

“One of the things that interested me with this mummy is, he’s still in essence a man,” Wiseman said. “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.”

CAA and Behr Abramson rep Wiseman, while Kurtzman and Orci are repped by CAA, Michael Gendler and Kevin Kelly.

[AndyDursin]

Fascinating how this one is stalled in pre-production hell while Universal attempts to sort out what to do with the tone. Sounds as if the horror-heavy accent is being dialed back, which IMO is a wise idea given the prior pictures.

http://www.thewrap.com/universals-mummy ... exclusive/

Creative differences led Universal to part ways with the filmmaker, who left “Bird Box” to make “Mummy”

“Mama” director Andy Muschetti has exited Universal's reboot of “The Mummy” due to creative differences, TheWrap has learned.

Jon Spaihts wrote the current draft of the script, which reimagined “The Mummy” franchise in modern day with new characters not seen in previous iterations and a protagonist imbued with a human personality.

Sean Daniel is producing the planned tentpole with Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci, who recently parted ways regarding feature projects, though their split is unrelated to Muschetti's amicable exit from “The Mummy.”

When Len Wiseman was previously attached to direct “The Mummy,” he indicated that Kurtzman and Orci were envisioning a darker, scarier take on the “Mummy” mythology that would still appeal to all audiences. Apparently, the project has changed direction, as Muschetti wanted to deliver a darker take rather than the four-quadrant, more family-friendly action-adventure blockbuster that Universal now has in mind.

After his Jessica Chastain-led horror movie “Mama” became a surprise hit, grossing $147 million worldwide for Universal, the studio quickly attached Muschetti to direct an adaptation of Josh Malerman's novel “Bird Box,” which is being produced by Scott Stuber's Bluegrass Films. Muschetti was forced to leave “Bird Box” when the opportunity to direct “The Mummy” presented itself — a major job for an up-and-coming filmmaker.

Now that Muschetti is no longer aboard “The Mummy,” the door remains open for him to return to “Bird Box,” though Universal is also considering him for several other high-profile projects.

Universal has been mining its catalogue of classic monsters and “The Mummy” plays an important role in the studio's ambitious master plan, as the original trilogy grossed $1.25 billion worldwide. Universal released “The Wolfman” in 2010 and has “Dracula Untold” scheduled for release in October.

[Eric W.]

The reboots have gotten past absurd. This series doesn't need a reboot at all.

[AndyDursin]

The reboots have gotten past absurd. This series doesn't need a reboot at all.

I always thought they were thinking of doing a modern MUMMY for the third movie -- for whatever reason it fell through.

They could just make it a contemporary updating and leave it at that.

Making another film -- in addition to the fact that the series has made a fortune -- is also vital because Universal is relaunching their monsters line with a new Dracula film coming out this fall.

[DavidBanner]

Does anyone else think it ironic that the site that had the news about The Mummy was THE WRAP?
Just sayin'...

[AndyDursin]

Universal has brought in FAST & FURIOUS writer Chris Morgan to work with Kurtzman in relaunching a whole new line of Universal Monster flicks with 2016's THE MUMMY the first of an "interconnected" slate.

I don't know why it's taken Universal so long to figure this out, but the approach is a smart one. Of course, whether any of them will be any good is another matter...

http://www.deadline.com/2014/07/univers ... ore-776482

Universal is now dedicating renewed resources and an unprecedented, far-reaching commitment to revitalize its monster heritage.

The studio is in early stages of developing a substantial new production endeavor that will expand and unify a network of classic characters and stories. The architects of that narrative will be Alex Kurtzman and Chris Morgan. Kurtzman recently broke with partner Roberto Orci, but his big-scale projects have included Transformers, Star Trek and The Amazing Spider-Man. Morgan is the writer behind five installments of The Fast And The Furious, which has been Universal’s most reliably lucrative franchise. It’s not set in stone yet if either will write, but they will soon be going around town enlisting talent to bring new cinematic life to these enduring characters from lore, literature and Universal’s own library. While Universal has selectively tapped its Movie Monster library for The Mummy, Van Helsing, The Wolfman, and the upcoming Dracula Untold, this will be the first time that the studio has formalized an approach to these classic characters in a cohesive, connected way rather than as a series of stand-alone projects by disparate filmmaking teams.

They’ve begun the meetings to put together an interconnected slate of Monster films, and the first will be a reboot of The Mummy, which will be released April 22, 2016. Part of their duty will be to work closely with production, marketing, promotions and consumer product to support the revival. They will also reevaluate projects which have preexisting attachments, and bring it under one cohesive strategy.

While some of those monster pictures haven’t panned out, this seems like a smart move. If Marvel Studios and Disney can build a billion-dollar business relying on the Marvel Comics superhero character library, why shouldn’t Universal redouble its efforts to dust off and modernize the classic movie monsters that inspired many of the movie monsters we see today?

[AndyDursin]

Looks like this one is finally coming together and Tom Cruise is indeed along for the ride. Female Mummy too:

http://variety.com/2015/film/news/mummy ... 201638586/

Sofia Boutella is in early talks to play the classic monster in Universal’s reboot of “The Mummy,” sources tell Variety.

Tom Cruise is currently negotiating to star with Alex Kurtzman directing the film. Jon Spaihts is penning the script. Universal is not yet commenting on any casting speculation for the project.

Kurtzman and “Fast and Furious” scribe Chris Morgan were recently tapped to help develop a universe for Universal where the studio’s classic monster movie library is front and center.

[AndyDursin]

This reboot -- also the start of an alleged Universal "Monsters" Rally -- has been moved up:

Now that Tom Cruise has officially signed on, Universal has set a new release date for its reboot of “The Mummy”: the film will bow on June 9, 2017.

Sofia Boutella is on board to play the classic monster with Alex Kurtzman directing.

The studio tapped Kurtzman and Chris Morgan last summer to help develop a universe for Universal in which its classic monster movie library is front and center. Kurtzman is also on board to direct and will produce alongside Morgan as well as Sean Daniel.

Jon Spaihts is penning the script. Plot details are vague other than it will be set in present day, unlike the previous three installments starring Brendan Fraser.

Cruise isn’t expected to produce, but he will play a major part in development. Characters from the monster universe films are expected to crop up in each other’s installments before culminating in an “Avengers”-style tie-in film.

Universal’s executive VP of production Jon Mone and VP of development Jay Polidoro will oversee the project for the studio.

If nothing else, maybe this will finally bring the rest of the Universal Monsters to Blu-Ray in the near future!