While there hasn't been a lot of buzz over the decision to reimagine
The Mummy as an ancient Egyptian princess in Universal's upcoming reboot, writer Alex Kurtzman has revealed that the design and gender alterations were made due to a very recent comic book movie! In an interview with Cinema Blend, Kurtzman explained that his original plan was to have a male mummy who was born with a skin condition that altered his pigment, which would have him as more of a bullied outcast in the days of ancient Egypt.
"I'll let you in on a secret. There was a moment when I had sort of rendered a design that I liked for a male version of The Mummy. And in that version of The Mummy, the Mummy had been born with a skin pigmentation that at the time would have made him really sort of an outcast. And I thought it was an interesting backstory, because it began to tell the story of someone who had been bullied, which I found topical. I was reaching for a way to make the Mummy a character who is relatable, understandable, and that spoke to issues that we're dealing with now."
However, Kurtzman's plans were dashed upon seeing the post-credits sequence to
X-Men: Days of Future Past, which featured a young, blue-skinned mutant
Apocalypse. For Kurtzman, this was far too similar to his original idea, leading to a design overhaul.
"I was going down that road, and then I saw the end of Days of Future Past. And they had the character that Oscar Isaac wound up playing as a boy, and it was, I kid you not, the exact same design. And I was like, 'Oh, man! That is not good!' And actually it was the catalyst, it was the moment of, 'Okay, not only is this not going to be different enough, Bryan Singer just did it, I definitely don't want to go down that road.' I had had that voice in my head for some time to make it a woman, and that was the moment where, the minute I saw that post-credits scene, I went, 'We have to start over.'"
Would you have preferred Kurtzman's original idea, or are you satisfied with the change? Sound off below!
The Mummy will reawaken in threatres on
June 9, 2017.
Tom Cruise headlines a spectacular, all-new cinematic version of the legend that has fascinated cultures all over the world since the dawn of civilization: The Mummy.
Thought safely entombed in a crypt deep beneath the unforgiving desert, an ancient queen (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.
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