94 Years Later, A Classic Monster Reboot Could Correct An Original Sin

"Not to be confused with the new Mummy sequel Universal has planned, Lee Cronin's The Mummy will tell a much darker origin story, nixing the swashbuckling adventure of the Brendan Fraser-led films to double down on skin-tingling horror. Cronin is the director behind Evil Dead Rise, so we should expect his take on the Mummy franchise to be just as unsettling and grotesque. Despite its supernatural subject matter, this film already feels more tangible and real than the Mummies that came before."

"Universal took an admirable risk rebooting its universe of classic monsters for the modern day, but it's not the only studio breathing new life into old haunts. Netflix beat Universal to the punch with a new Frankenstein film, while Warner Bros. has a lock on the Bride of Frankenstein with a Bonnie and Clyde-esque retelling directed by Maggie Gyllenhaal, The Bride, due this year. Warner isn't stopping there: it's also teaming with Blumhouse, a frequent Universal collaborator, to reboot The Mummy."

"It's a clever premise in that it's such a departure from the original Mummy starring Boris Karloff. Unlike Frankenstein or Dracula, The Mummy wasn't based on a novel, but an amalgamation of Egypt-set legends. It took major liberties with the supposed Curse of King Tut, a story that fascinated the public in the 1930s, to tell the tale of an Egyptian high priest who comes to life in the modern day, only to abuse his power to revive his long-lost love."

Studios are rebooting classic monster properties across competing projects, with Netflix releasing a new Frankenstein and Warner Bros. producing a Bride of Frankenstein retelling directed by Maggie Gyllenhaal. Warner Bros. is also partnering with Blumhouse to reboot The Mummy. Lee Cronin's The Mummy shifts the franchise toward a darker, horror-focused origin that abandons the swashbuckling tone of the Brendan Fraser films. Cronin, director of Evil Dead Rise, frames the story around a journalist whose young daughter vanishes and returns mummified eight years later, reanimating and transforming a hoped-for reunion into a living nightmare. The Mummy franchise originally drew from Egypt-set legends and the Curse of King Tut rather than a novel.

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