10 Terrible Movie Moments The Directors Didn't Even Want

This is what happens when you put the cart before the horse, cinematically speaking. Universal Studios went all in with their Dark Universe, announcing a series of interconnected monster flicks (complete with photoshopped casting announcements) weeks before the first film was even released. The film in question - a fresh 2017 reboot of The Mummy - failed badly, opting to make a standard Tom Cruise action-adventure romp with Mummy-like elements rather than a faithful horror feature about the actual Mummy.

According to Variety, Cruise himself was at fault for the shift in focus. Originally meant to have equal screen time with the titular character, he brought in new writers to re-work the script, significantly enhancing his role. Part of this was adding a twist in the final act where his character fuses with Egyptian god of death Set in one of the most blatant sequel baits of the decade (think about how high a bar that is).

Other factors also played a part in the reboot's lack of quality of course, from handing such a big production to a relatively inexperienced director in Alex Kurtzman to Cruise's micro-management both on set and in the editing room. Unsurprisingly, rather than kick-start the Dark Universe, The Mummy made it dead on arrival.