The concept of a shared Universal monsters universe isn’t really an idea that works well in a sentence-long pitch. Had the studio been one to pioneer the idea, perhaps it would have been met with more excitement, but as it stands, it’ll be the fourth shared universe to kick off, following the likes of Marvel, DC, and King Kong/Godzilla. As a result, this move from Universal reeks of desperation, and seems evidence of a lack of innovation in Hollywood.

But once that initial cynical knee-jerk reaction wears off, the actual merit of the idea starts to take hold. It’s not as though the likes of the Mummy, Dracula, Frankenstein’s monster, etc. haven’t shared the screen before. In the past, the outcome has usually been played for comedy, but if it’s played for genuine scares, then it could really be something horror and action fans can sink their teeth into.

If you’re still not sold on the idea of a Mummy reboot, then perhaps you can look to Doctor Strange as some indication of what we’ll be getting. Jon Spaihts — one of the writers who had a hand in Doctor Strange — is the main scribe responsible for what we’ll be seeing in the Tom Cruise Mummy reboot next year.

Speaking with THR, Spaihts discussed whether or not Doctor Strange was representative of what we could get in The Mummy. Spaihts answered in the affirmative, but went on to assure fans that the film would indeed have scares:

“I think a similar desire to legitimately explore the frightening and the cosmic. In The Mummy, I think we’re going to see the first Mummy film in the entire Universal canon with the true power to terrify. The earliest [Boris] Karloff and Bela Lugosi Mummy movies were scary in a small way, perhaps a dated way. They were almost parlor movies. Subsequent movies have been more swashbuckling. This one is going to have all of that action and adventure, but a legitimate power to terrify. I think that’s going to be the new experience of that film.”

This is definitely great to hear. Initially, when this universe was announced, the studio stated that there’d be a much larger emphasis on adventure than horror. Those involved were quick to bat that down, but it was hard to shake the idea that orders from up top were contradicting what the filmmakers wanted to do. With the film already shot, and Spaihts backing it, I feel a whole lot more confident that this film — and all others in the universe, will indeed bring the scares.

What do you think of Spaihts’ comments? Let us know in the comments down below!

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SOURCE: THR