Hopping from one franchise revival to the next, New Girl and Jurassic World star Jake Johnson has boarded Universal’s The Mummy reboot, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
News of Johnson’s casting arrives hot on the heels of Annabella Wallis joining the studio’s growing ensemble, with Tom Cruise and Kingsman: The Secret Service actress Sofia Boutella also attached. Expected to take place in a modern-day setting, THR notes that Johnson will play a member of the military – a role written specifically for him – opposite Cruise’s special forces solider (or former soldier, possibly). Boutella, meanwhile, will rain down biblical chaos as the title monster.
Penned by Prometheus scribe Jon Spaihts, Universal and director Alex Kurtzman are angling The Mummy as the franchise-starter to its interconnected monster universe. It’s a vision that has been incubating in development for some time, with standalone movies pitched for such heinous creatures as Frankenstein’s Monster, Dracula, the Invisible Man, the Creature from the Black Lagoon, and the Wolf Man.
Looking beyond 2017 and Kurtzman is set to play an integral role across the board for Universal alongside fellow producers Chris Morgan and Sean Daniel, with plans in place to weave a cinematic mythology between each project. Production on The Mummy is currently eyeing an April start to factor in the heavy VFX work, and don’t be too surprised if the studio adds a few more faces to its casting bill before the cameras start rolling in earnest.
Once slated to open next March, Universal will be hoping to jump-start its budding monsters movie universe when The Mummy releases on June 9, 2017.