Update: Well, that was fast. Deadline reports that the story from their sister site is bunk. Move along, nothing to see here.
According to the team behind Universal‘s developing monster movie cinematic universe (sigh), the films will be so much more than just creature features. “This is not a heightened world. We’re exploring issues of family identity and questions of ‘where do I belong in the world?’ ” screenwriter Chris Morgan, who is teaming with Alex Kurtzman to oversee the brain trust responsible for these movies, told Variety. At any rate, that whole this-aint’-just-a-monster-movie spiel is possibly what convinced a major A-list star to jump aboard.
THR reports Tom Cruise is in talks for "The Mummy." Seriously. There are little in the way of details about what the Jon Spaihts ("Prometheus," "Doctor Strange," "Passengers")-penned script will be about, but I’d wager Cruise’s involvement will depend on who is directing. While the actor is certainly franchise friendly, these pictures always come paired with a strong name brand talent behind the camera.
So we’ll see how this develops, as there’s also a question of scheduling. "The Mummy" is currently slated to open March 24, 2017, but Cruise is set to start shooting "Mission: Impossible 6" in August of next year. So unless "The Mummy" shoots in the first part of 2016, I’m not sure how that release date works with Cruise involved. But we’ll likely know more soon.