Sofia Boutella has quietly emerged as one of the biggest female action movie stars in Hollywood. Her big break came in 2014 in ‘Kingsman: The Secret Service’ in which she played Gazelle, which she followed up with the role as Jaylah in ‘Star Trek Beyond‘. Now she is headlining another major franchise, as Ahmanet in Universal’s ‘The Mummy’. Of course, she has some major support, with Tom Cruise also starring as Nick Morton, the scientist who discovers Ahmanet.
Borrowing a bit from vampire lore, it seems this mummy starts out as wrappings and bones, but absorbs life force from living humans, until she herself becomes whole once again.
The following clip focuses on Boutella but features commentary by Cruise, director Alex Kurtzman and more. Check it out below:
For those that don’t know, Universal Studios once cornered the market on monster movies, releasing the original black and white versions of ‘Dracula’ (starring Bela Lugosi), ‘Frankenstein’ (with Boris Karloff), ‘The Wolfman’ (Claude Rains), ‘The Invisible Man’, ‘The Creature From The BlackLagoon’ and ‘The Bride of Frankenstein’ plus many sequels and comedic mashups starring Bud Abbott and Lou Costello.
Universal is planning to unleash a whole new slew of monster movies, which Kurtzman commented on, are different from traditional horror movies. ‘The Mummy’ is the first entry in this series, with ‘The Invisible Man’ starring Johnny Depp, ‘Doctor Jekyll and Mister Hyde’ with Russell Crowe, ‘The Wolfman’, a reboot of the godawful ‘Van Helsing’, ‘The Creature From The Black Lagoon’ and ‘The Bride of Frankenstein’… although a ‘Frankenstein’ has yet to be announced. Then again, Universal has scheduled releases for two movies that have yet to be officially announced. These movies will occupy a “shared universe” similar to the Marvel and DC Comics movies.
Of these properties, it would seem ‘The Mummy’ is the safest bet to relaunch this franchise. Brendan Fraser starred in a string of ‘Mummy’ movies from 1999-2008.
Thought safely entombed in a tomb deep beneath the unforgiving desert, an ancient princess (Sofia Boutella of Kingsman: The Secret Service and Star Trek Beyond) whose destiny was unjustly taken from her is awakened in our current day, bringing with her malevolence grown over millennia and terrors that defy human comprehension.
From the sweeping sands of the Middle East through hidden labyrinths under modern-day London, The Mummy brings a surprising intensity and balance of wonder and thrills in an imaginative new take that ushers in a new world of gods and monsters.
What do you think? Are you ready to invest in a new shared universe based on the Universal monsters? What do you think of Sofia Boutella in the lead role?
Directed by Alex Kurtzman, ‘The Mummy’ stars Sofia Boutella, Tom Cruise, Annabelle Wallis, Russell Crowe, Jake Johnson, Chasty Ballesteros, Javier Botet and Courtney B. Vance. It will unwrap in theaters this summer on June 9, 2017.
Source: Syfy Wire
