"Kingsman: The Secret Service" actress Sofia Boutella is in negotiations with Universal for the film's title role.
According to Screen Rant, the studio plans to release a new movie every year featuring one of its iconic mosnters (The Wolf Man, Frankenstein, The Bride of Frankenstein and so on), starting in 2017 with "The Mummy" reboot. Already attached to the project are director Alex Kurtzman and writer Jon Spaihts. The two are already putting together the movie's cast, which reportedly includes "Mission: Impossible Rogue Nation" star Tom Cruise.
Cruise is rumored to play an ex-Navy SEAL who comes across the Mummy in Kurtzman's movie. The actor's representatives have denied that he's participating in the project, although sources continue to insist that Cruise will appear in the reboot.
Now, The Hollywood Reporter claims that Sofia Boutella has entered talks with Universal to play the title role in "The Mummy" reboot, confirming previous speculations that the Mummy could be a female in the upcoming film.
Boutella's breakout role as villain Gazelle in the comic book adaptation "Kingsman: The Secret Service" this year opened doors for the 33-year-old actress, landing a major role in the third Trek reboot film "Star Trek Beyond" and the action/thriller "The Coldest City" costarring Charlize Theron.
The reboot will be a part of a Shared Monsters Movie Universe, which is Universal Pictures' response to the success of Marvel Studios and its successful superhero cinematic universe. Fast & Furious series writer/producer Chris Morgan and Kurtzman will likely be the architects of the rebooted Monster Universe, while Hollywood stars Tom Cruise and Angelina Jolie (rumored to headline The Bride of Frankenstein reboot) are being sought after to star in the tentpole films.
"We're really looking to see if there's ways to create PG-13, more action than horror, like the early work of Steven Spielberg," said Universal Chairman Donna Langley in a separate interview with THR. "The world of superheroes is black and white, the world of monsters is not. Sometimes you need evil to fight evil."
Universal's "The Mummy" reboot releases in theaters on March 24, 2017, followed by a currently-untitled Monster reboot (rumored to be The Wolf Man) on March 20, 2018.
