Laia Costa on The Mummy, “It’s about being drawn to the monster, not escaping it”

By Ryan Lobo -

April 17, 2026 - 3:15 PM IST

For decades, The Mummy has been synonymous with terror you run away from. But if early insights from The Mummy are anything to go by, that long-standing formula is about to be completely rewritten. According to Laia Costa, who plays Larissa in the upcoming reboot directed by Lee Cronin, the film flips one of horror’s most fundamental instincts fear of the monster on its head.

Laia Costa on The Mummy, “It’s about being drawn to the monster, not escaping it”

“What’s very interesting about this movie is the concept of the Mummy as evil or the monster,” Costa explains. “Usually, you run away from the monster, but in this movie, everyone wants to be closer to it. Everyone wants to connect with the Mummy. They are around her all the time and want that connection instead of running away.”

It’s a striking creative choice that immediately sets this version apart from its predecessors. Instead of leaning purely into spectacle or chase-driven horror, Cronin’s vision appears to explore something far more unsettling the human desire to move toward danger rather than away from it.

At the centre of this emotional and psychological pull is a deeply personal story. Costa’s character, Larissa, is a mother navigating the devastating disappearance of her daughter, Katie a loss that reshapes her entire world.

“There’s something about being a parent… Children live completely in the present moment; they don’t think about the past or the future,” Costa says. “Larissa taps into that. She focuses entirely on taking care of Katie and making sure she comes back, not just physically, but emotionally.”

That singular focus comes at a cost. “That focus means she isn’t really present with the rest of the family. She’s consumed by Katie,” she adds, hinting at the emotional fractures running through the narrative.

The film’s story unfolds years after the initial tragedy, allowing it to dig into the long-term impact of grief and unresolved loss. “My first big question was where are this couple and this family after eight years of Katie being missing,” Costa reveals. “We decided to approach it from a place where shared pain keeps them together.”

Yet, what makes Larissa stand out is her refusal to accept closure. “Loss and grief are very personal. Larissa and Charlie deal with those emotions in very different ways. For Larissa, she always believed Katie would come back. She kept that hope alive every single day. She believes the story is not finished and she can bring her back again.”

This emotional backbone is precisely what makes the film’s central idea people being drawn toward the “monster” even more disturbing. The connection is no longer just supernatural; it’s deeply human, rooted in longing, hope, and unresolved love.

Behind the scenes, Cronin’s approach seems to mirror this unpredictability. Costa describes a filmmaker who thrives on spontaneity and collaboration. “He’s fun and an amazing film director. I think he has his own world in his mind, and the way he works on set is very enjoyable for an actor because he makes sure you are part of the creative process,” she says.

“He’s very open to listen to new ideas. At the same time, he has a very clear idea of what he needs and what he wants. You can almost see his editing while you’re shooting.”

She adds that his ever-evolving style keeps the energy alive on set. “He might walk into a location and think, ‘I should be doing this or that scene here,’ and then rewrite. Or after watching us in a scene, he’d say, ‘I think I need to write something else.’ He’s always taking ideas in and reshaping the material, and we’re basically surfing along with him.”

That balance between darkness and light proved essential during filming. “There’s a cheekiness about him that I really like. When you’re doing dark scenes like we are, you need that lightness and a good joke at the right time. That helps a lot,” Costa shares. “He’s like a magician, balancing those worlds.”

If Costa’s insights are any indication, The Mummy (2026) is not just revisiting an iconic monster it’s rethinking what a monster means in the first place. And in doing so, it may just deliver a version of horror that feels far more intimate… and far more unsettling.

Also Read: Select Laia Costa calls Lee Cronin a ‘magician’ on The Mummy, “You can see his editing while shooting”