Tom Cruise

A remake of the adventure horror film The Mummy will be filmed in Malta and is likely to feature Tom Cruise, the Times of Malta has learnt.

The production team scouted various locations around the island but appeared to have set its eyes on Fort Ricasoli in Kalkara, industry sources said.

There was talk last year that the award-winning actor was in talks with Universal Pictures for a tie-in with the film.

Universal have not confirmed the actor as a cast member but authoritative internet film library IMDb has listed him and Algerian actress Sofia Boutella, who featured in the 2014 film Kingsman: The secret service, as leading characters.

The Mummy forms part of Universal’s resurgence of horror films based on its classic monster characters. The film was released in 1999, a loose remake of the 1932 film by the same name. It was followed by two instalments in 2001 and 2008, with the spinoff film The Scorpion King in between.

It follows navy Seal Tyler Colt on his mission in the Iraqi desert in search of a group of terrorists

The Mummy is the first film in the series of remakes and will be directed by Alex Kurtzman.

According to IMDb, the story is set in the present day, unlike the previous three instalments starring Brendan Fraser. It follows navy Seal Tyler Colt on his mission in the Iraqi desert in search of a group of terrorists.

The Mummy was originally intended for release later this year but had to be pushed back to 2017.