Monsters set to invade Hollywood

Universal Pictures will be reviving the genre with a reboot of "The Mummy" which could star Tom Cruise.

Over the past year, Universal Pictures has been working hard to bring monsters of all kinds back into the spotlight through a new franchise dedicated to these mythical creatures which have already had many fine cinematic moments. The first project will be a reboot of "The Mummy."

The director will be Alex Kurtzman, a long-time collaborator of J.J. Abrams, and the script will be written by Jon Spaihts ("Prometheus", "Doctor Strange"). The story is still somewhat vague: initial reports from American specialist websites suggest that the movie will be set in the present day, unlike Brendan Fraser's "The Mummy Trilogy" which went back to the beginning of the 20th century.

It's rumored that Tom Cruise could have a role in this reboot. That would be big news, but it has not been confirmed by the star's entourage or the studio. However, Cruise is thought to be available in early 2016, between acting in "Jack Reacher 2" and "Mission: Impossible 6", which is when Universal is said to be planning to shoot "The Mummy".

After "The Mummy", which is slated for release in 2017, the studio would apparently like to bring out a monster movie every year. Dracula, Van Helsing, "The Wolfman" and "The Bride of Frankenstein" are all said to be in the pipeline. The latter could include Angelina Jolie, with the director Neil Burger ("Divergent", "Limitless") behind the camera.

Universal is believed to want to create a franchise of inter-connected movies with the aim of competing with the Marvel and DC sagas which have dominated the global box office for some years. The studio is said to be reviving its Universal Monsters franchise which created a string of movie classics between 1920 and 1960, and inspired directors such as Tim Burton and Francis Ford Coppola.

Warner Bros. will also be involved in the revival of this movie genre with two franchises that movie-goers are very familiar with. Following a first instalment in 2014, "Godzilla 2" will hit screens in June 2018 with Gareth Edwards ("Rogue One: A Star Wars Story") in the director's chair.

King Kong, another superstar of popular culture, will resurface in March 2017 with "Kong: Skull Island", a Jordan Vogt-Roberts movie starring Tom Hiddleston, Brie Larson, Samuel L. Jackson and John Goodman. And the famous gorilla will confront Godzilla in a feature film planned for 2020.