‘The Mummy’ Reboot Releases New On-Set Photos of Sofia Boutella as the Undead; Deepika Padukone Failed to Clear Audition to star alongside Tom Cruise?

‘The Mummy’ reboot recently released new on-set photographs of Sofia Boutella as the titular undead. Meanwhile, Deepika Padukone reportedly failed to clear an audition for a minor role in the new film starring Tom Cruise as the lead protagonist.

Photographs posted on Collider from the London filming set of Alex Kurtzman’s remake of the iconic ‘The Mummy’ horror-adventure franchise revealed the first look at Boutella in her mummy costume. The Algerian beauty is set to carry the title role in Universal’s reboot, following in the footsteps of actors Boris Karloff, Tom Tyler, Lon Chaney Jr., Eddie Parker, and Arnold Vosloo.

The images shows Boutella in full make-up and costume. She donned what seems to be an all-white body suit with strips of cloth hanging off. It is unclear how much CGI work will be done to achieve a truly terrifying resurrected monster.

The 34-year old actress earned international stardom in her role as the villainous Gazelle in Matthew Vaughn’s ‘Kingsman: The Secret Service’, released in 2015. She also worked on films such as ‘StreetDance 2’ and ‘Monsters: Dark Continent’. She is set to appear on ‘Star Trek Beyond’ and ‘The Coldest City’ before making her debut as the newest Mummy in 2017.

According to Coming Soon, Universal’s remake will follow Tom Cruise as Tyler Colt, a military-type protagonist who battles an ancient queen who is resurrected to wreak havoc in the present day. The film will cover locales such as the Middle East as well as modern-day London. Joining Boutella and Cruise in the new film are Annabelle Wallis, Russell Crowe, Jake Johnson, Javier Botet, and Courtney B. Vance.

Bollywood star Deepika Padukone reportedly auditioned for a minor role as an ancient princess but failed to make the cut, according to Filmi Beat. An unnamed source revealed that Padukone was keen with working with Cruise even in a minor role. The character was said to appear in one of Cruise’s flashbacks. This remains unconfirmed, however.

‘The Mummy’ is an upcoming action-adventure and horror film intended as the first in the Universal Monsters Cinematic Universe. It is co-produced and directed by Alex Kurtzman and written by Jon Spaihts. Sean Daniel, Chris Morgan, and Roberto Orci will be producing the film together with Kurtzman while Sarah Bradshaw, Bobby Cohen, and Barbara Muschietti will be executive producing.

It is based on the popular ‘The Mummy’ franchise centering on an ancient Egyptian that is resurrected, bringing with him a powerful curse. The first film released in 1932 starred Boris Karloff as Imhotep. The franchise spawned numerous films and spin-offs including Stephen Sommer’s more modern trilogy with Brendan Fraser and Rachel Weisz in the lead roles.