Earlier this month, it was reported that Kurtzman and Morgan will be bringing all the classic Universal monsters together to form a cohesive cinematic universe, an effort that Kurtzman was previously working on with Roberto Orci.
The first film in the series will be the The Mummy, which is already set for a release on April 22, 2016. According to the trade, the new film “is set in the present and is not a horror play but rather an action-adventure tentpole with horror elements. It will also feature new characters and not rehash previous incarnations.”
Jon Spaihts worked on the script, as did Kurtzman and Orci. Sean Daniel is also a producer, while Bobby Cohen is executive producing.
“Over the course of developing ‘The Mummy,’ Alex has demonstrated such clarity and passion about this character and mythology,” said co-president of production Jeff Kirschenbaum. “He knows why ‘The Mummy’ has fascinated us for so long and how to bring that into an inventive, incredible new adventure. It became obvious that he is the perfect choice to be not only one of the narrative engineers of this new vision but its director as well.”
Kurtzman previously directed People Like Us, starring Chris Pine and Elizabeth Banks, and is attached to direct “Spider-Man” spin-off Venom for Sony Pictures.
