Universal has found a director for its forthcoming reboot of The Mummy, with THR reporting that Alex Kurtzman will be the man to take the helm.

We recently brought you news that Kurtzman and new writing partner Chris Morgan had been charged by the studio with creating a new crossover universe linking all its classic monster franchises, with The Mummy set to be first out of the gate.

Now it appears that Kurtzman’s duties will extend beyond sketching the overall template for said universe, with THR claiming he is in the final stage of negotiations to direct that first film.

Kurtzman had previously been working with Roberto Orci on a script for The Mummy before the notion of a shared universe was mooted, so it will be interesting to see how much of that version remains in the finished film.

Universal currently has The Mummy pencilled in for a US release date of 22 May 2016, so expect to see casting begin on this one in the near future.