Friday 30 December 2016

The Big Change The Mummy Had To Make Because Of X-Men: Days Of Future Past



irector Alex Kurtzman's The Mummy is definitely taking the classic Universal Monster franchise in directions it's never gone, but one very notable change is that the titular creature is no longer male. Within the film, it's an element that opens new narrative avenues and approaches, but it may surprise you to learn that it wasn't the direction Kurtzman originally planned. The Mummy was initially going to be played by a man in the reboot, but that idea got derailed when the writer/director saw his exact vision featured in the post-credits scene of Bryan Singer's X-Men: Days Of Future Past.
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With the first trailer for The Mummy premiering this past weekend, I had the pleasure of talking with Alex Kurtzman over the phone this morning to talk about his latest blockbuster, and it was during our interview that he revealed the impact that Days of Future Past had on his approach. I asked him if he had always planned on having The Mummy be a woman in the film, but he explained that his original ideas were totally different. Said Kurtzman,



I'll let you in on a secret. There was a moment when I had sort of rendered a design that I liked for a male version of The Mummy. And in that version of The Mummy, the Mummy had been born with a skin pigmentation that at the time would have made him really sort of an outcast. And I thought it was an interesting backstory, because it began to tell the story of someone who had been bullied, which I found topical. I was reaching for a way to make the Mummy a character who is relatable, understandable, and that spoke to issues that we're dealing with now.


Odd skin pigmentation and living in ancient Egypt? Remind you of anyone, X-Men fans?

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The image above is a screencap from the post-credits scene of X-Men: Days of Future Past, showing a young Apocalypse -- with white/blue skin - being praised like a god. When Alex Kurtzman saw this on the big screen back in 2014, he immediately had to start backtracking on his ideas for The Mummy. He explained,



I was going down that road, and then I saw the end of Days of Future Past. And they had the character that Oscar Isaac wound up playing as a boy, and it was, I kid you not, the exact same design. And I was like, 'Oh, man! That is not good!' And actually it was the catalyst, it was the moment of, 'Okay, not only is this not going to be different enough, Bryan Singer just did it, I definitely don't want to go down that road.' I had had that voice in my head for some time to make it a woman, and that was the moment where, the minute I saw that post-credits scene, I went, 'We have to start over.' I don't want to mess around even remotely with anything that feels familiar or feels like it's been done. I have to go in totally new territory.'


Alex Kurtzman told me later in the interview that his version of The Mummy will still feature the same aforementioned relatable and understandable elements of the eponymous character -- in the tradition of the Universal Monster movies -- but deciding to make "him" a "her" (played by Kingsman/Star Trek Beyond actress Sofia Boutella) forced other changes in his approach.


Looking back on it, Kurtzman explained that he felt that seeing X-Men: Days Of Future Past use his developing ideas actually wound up being the best thing for The Mummy, in that it pushed him to go in directions he wouldn't have otherwise gone in:

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In a way it was very helpful to me, because it made me take that leap. And once we took that leap, the story presented itself in such a beautiful way, such a different way. A lot of the decisions, you spend a lot of time talking to people and you think it through as much as you can, but ultimately it comes down to what feels right. And the minute I allowed myself to let the Mummy be Ahmanet, it just felt right. And that's the best way for me to say it.


The Mummy will be arriving in theaters on June 9th, and be sure to stay tuned for more from my interview with Alex Kurtzman!

The Superhero Franchise Leslie Jones Wants To Join



f you've been seeing the way TV and movies have been produced lately, one thing is clear: it's a superhero world, and we're all just living in it. Between the Marvel Cinematic Universe, the DC Extended Universe, and Sony's X-Men franchise, it feels like you can't turn a corner without bumping into a new hero in tights saving the day. As such, tons of Hollywood A-listers have been clamoring to join the hype train, in hopes of elevating their career and bank account. And Saturday Night Live and Ghostbusters actress Leslie Jones is no exception.
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Leslie Jones recently took to her Twitter to pitch her way into a superhero movie. And the franchise she wants to join is none other than Ryan Reynolds' hilarious romp Deadpool.




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@VancityReynolds I want to be in deadpool. I could be smart mouth side kick. And my power would be loudness!!
11:41 PM - 7 Dec 2016

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That's right, Leslie Jones is ready to join forces with the Merc with a Mouth. And while she may just be joking with actor/producer Ryan Reynolds, it's actually one of the comic book franchises that I could definitely see the actress in; she's just as irreverent as the title character.
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Leslie Jones has been getting more work recently, despite all of the backlash and harassment she's received on Twitter. In addition to her starring role in Ghostbusters and small role in Trainwreck, Jones also traveled to the Rio Olympics this year with NBC. And how did she get that sweet Olympic gig? By utilizing her hilarious and viral social media accounts. So if it worked then, maybe Jones can land a role in Deadpool 2 through her Twitter.



Considering the fourth wall breaking nature of the film things could even get metatheatrical, with Deadpool referencing Jones' tweet and citing it as the reason she was on the silver screen. Or she could be live tweeting her thoughts on the movie, which are then shown in the film. I'm just spitballing here.

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Another superhero franchise that might be able to utilize Leslie Jones' talents would be something like James Gunn's Guardians of the Galaxy. While not quite as insane and adult as Deadpool, Guardians is known for being the funniest installment of the Marvel Cinematic Universe so far. The franchise is made of colorful and ridiculous characters, including comedians like Chris Pratt and John C. Reilly. Leslie Jones showing up as another zany member of the Nova Corps seems perfectly plausible, and would allow the actress to step into a full blown superhero movie.


All in all, I'm hoping to see more film appearances by Leslie Jones. Her quick wit and unique perspective are exactly what comic book movies need in order to avoid superhero fatigue. And with the DCEU attempting to lighten up Zack Snyder's depressing film world, maybe they could enlist the talents of comedians like Leslie Jones to help keep things a bit less drab.


You can watch Leslie Jones on Saturday Night Live Saturdays on NBC.