Tom Cruise May Star in Universal’s Mummy Reboot

If yesterday’s rumor about Angelina Jolie starring in “The Bride of Frankenstein” and today’s bit of news are to be believed, then it really seems like Universal is swinging for the fences when it comes to their new Monster Universe.  Hopefully the big name stars don’t outshine the actual stars of these films: the monsters.

Variety is reporting today that Tom Cruise is in negotiations to star in Universal’s upcoming reboot of “The Mummy.”  Relaunching “The Mummy” is the first step in Universal’s grand plan to create a cinematic universe featuring all of their classic monsters.  The idea is to create movies based around each monster and have them start to interweave in a way that culminates in a big Avengers-style film.

The only thing we know about this “Mummy” reboot thus far is that it’ll be set in modern times unlike the Brendan Frasier films.  Alex Kurtzman is set direct while Jon Spaihts (“Prometheus”) is writing the script.

And while Variety is typically a reliable source, I also trust Deadline with their reporting and they’ve seem to come up with conflicting reports regarding Tom Cruise’s casting in “The Mummy.”  According to them sources at Universal and Tom Cruise’s representatives have both stated that no deal is in the works for the actor to star in the film.  Of course, they could just be saying that while talks place behind closed doors.

What is known is that Cruise is expected to start filming a Jack Reacher sequel and then start filming “Mission: Impossible 6” in August. So if this is going to happen, it would have to take place in a rather narrow window as “The Mummy” is slated for release in 2017.  Of course, I’m sure if Universal gets Cruise to star, they’d be willing to shift around release dates to accommodate him.