'Kingsman's' Sofia Boutella to be Female Monster in Tom Cruise 'Mummy' Reboot

According to the Hollywood Reporter, Algerian born beauty Sofia Boutella maybe the next famed undead Egyptian in an upcoming Mummy reboot to star Tom Cruise. This would not only be the first time a female would portray the bandaged creature but the first time a classic monster from the Universal library will be portrayed by a member of the opposite sex since Elsa Lancaster's title role in 1935's Bride of Frankenstein. The 33-year-old Boutella recently made a name for herself by portraying Gazelle, the blade-legged assassin who assists Samuel L. Jackson in Kingsman: The Secret Service.

The previous Mummy franchise, which starred Brendan Fraser, started in 1999 and continued successfully till 2008. In the first two installments of that series, actor Arnold Vosloo played the prehistoric terror Imhotep, the first actor to do so since Boris Karloff in the 1932 original. Needless to say, Boutella would be an interesting and more eye appealing choice especially given the current trend in Hollywood toward strong female roles.

The choice for the upcoming Star Trek Beyond actress is perhaps based on her appropriate Nigerian ethnicity, which will compliment her acting style, as well as her exotic looks.  In addition, Boutella's background as a classically trained hip-hop and break dancer will no doubt give her an advantage in the film's many planned action sequences.

The Mummy is literally being resurrected as part of Universal's plan to build new franchises around their existing film properties which also include Frankenstein, The Invisible Man, Dracula and his famed hunter, Van Helsing. This gender swapping version, which was written by Jon Spaihts, will be directed by Alex Kurtzman and set in a modern-day scenario with Cruise as the protagonist. It is set for a March 2017 release.