Los Angeles, Jan 22 (IANS): Actor Tom Cruise is officially announced to play the main lead in the remake of "The Mummy".

He is confirmed to star opposite Sofia Boutella of "Kingsman: The Secret Service" fame, reports aceshowbiz.com.

Their roles are still unclear, but the film is rumoured to have a female mummy as a villain and center on an ex-Navy Seal who stumbles into an old tomb.

Alex Kurtzman is set to direct the "The Mummy" reboot from a screenplay by Jon Spaights ("Prometheus"). He is also attached to oversee the creative team creating the new Monster franchise.

"The Mummy" is one of the many remakes planned by Universal Pictures as an effort to create an interconnected universe for their classic monsters like Dracula, Frankenstein, the Invisible Man, the Bride of Frankenstein, and vampire hunter Van Helsing.

The movie has also been moved back from the original March 24, 2017 release date to June 9 the same year.