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An ancient force is stirring! Yes, as old as the hills and possessed of a strange, unearthly power, Tom Cruise takes the lead role in yet another adaptation of Universal Studios's classic monster movie 'The Mummy'. And judging from this morning's very brief glimpse, he's bringing more than a dash of 'Mission Impossible' action along with him.
It's all part of Universal's efforts to turn their collection of pre-war monster flicks – 'Frankenstein', 'The Wolf Man', etc – into an 'Avengers'-style action franchise. Russell Crowe even appears in the new film as Dr Henry Jekyll (of 'and Hyde' fame). Whether it'll work remains to be seen, but 'The Mummy' looks like a fun blockbuster romp – and it has a special significance for us Londoners given that big chunks of it are set in the UK (shooting took place in Oxford earlier this year). Oh, and for the first time the Mummy is a woman, and could therefore actually be, well, a mummy. Which means toddlers are going to have slightly fewer jokes to throw around next year.
'The Mummy' is out on Jun 9, 2017, and will be followed in short order by 'The Invisible Man', starring Johnny Depp, or at least his voice.