Len Wiseman - Len Wiseman to direct The Mummy reboot

Len Wiseman to direct The Mummy reboot

Len Wiseman is to direct 'The Mummy' reboot.

The filmmaker - who helmed this year's 'Total Recall' remake - revealed the Jon Spaihts-written film franchise, which will be produced by Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci, will feature a modern, ''scarier'' take on the titular villain compared to the latest three-part movie series starring Brendan Fraser.

Len told Deadline.com: ''When I first heard Universal was relaunching this, that is the image that popped into my head, the period tale, the old monster, but when Bob and Alex pitched it, there was a great new take and approach, and a very different mummy as well.

''It's a darker twist on the material, a scarier version.''

Alex revealed the film franchise reboot will take on a darker tone but still be a family movie, and it will be heavily inspired by late science-fiction and thriller author Michael Crichton's books.

He added: ''We're reaching into the deep roots of 'The Mummy', which at its beating heart is a horror movie and then an action movie, and putting it into a context that is real and emotional.

''It's still a four-quadrant film but as a lot of recent movies have proven, audiences are hungry for more than they used to be. You can still have a family movie, an action movie that's more grounded than these used to be. Without saying too much, we've drawn a lot of inspiration from Michael Crichton's books, and how he ground fantastical tales in modern-day science.''

Len - who is married to actress Kate Beckinsale - admits he is particularly interested in directing the movie franchise because he finds the mummy's personality ''interesting''.

He explained: ''One of the things that interested me with this mummy is, he's still in essence a man.

''They haven't turned his brain into a monster brain. He still has a personality and is very cunning and calculating. He's a true character in any form, and in creature form, even if he is that staggering creature, it becomes more important that he's a thinking, calculating person.''