‘The Mummy’ Reboot Finds A New Director

The Mummy reboot that’s taking shape over at Universal Pictures may have found another director.

Underworld and Live Free or Die Hard director Len Wiseman was previously attached to spearhead the flick. The studio had originally hoped to get the reboot off the ground and into cinemas by 2014.

However, Wiseman dropped out of the project back in July. Universal has been searching for someone to fill the void left by the director’s departure ever since. The studio may have recently found their guy.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Mama mastermind Andres Muschietti is currently in talks to helm The Mummy reboot. Although the filmmaker and the studio are in negotiations, he hasn’t inked a deal just yet.

If Universal is still interested in taking the franchise back to its horror roots, then Muschietti is definitely a good candidate. Not only was his 2013 horror flick Mama a surprise hit at the box office, it was also quite a bit scarier than most mainstream genre efforts these days.

It’s been five long years since the studio has unleashed a Mummy movie into theaters. The last installment, director Rob Cohen’s The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor, hit the big screen back in 2008.

The $145 million adventure found Brendan Fraser reprising his role as Rick O’Connell for a third time. Although the movie only made around $102 million in North America, it would go on to make approximately $298 million overseas.

Since the storyline involving O’Connell and his family has pretty much run its course, the studio is looking to push the franchise in a different direction. Instead of taking its cues from the likes of Indiana Jones, producers are hoping to put together something a bit more horrific.

Are you looking forward to The Mummy reboot? Do you think Mama director Andres Muschietti is the right person for the job?

[Image via Universal Pictures]