Universal's long-discussed reboot of "The Mummy" could shake up the franchise formula by making its title antagonist female.

Pointing to unnamed sources, The Hollywood Reporter contends director Alex Kurtzman and writer Jon Spaihts are open to casting a man or a woman in the role of the classic monster.

The mummy has always been played by a man in the Universal productions, from Boris Karloff in the 1932 original to Tom Tyler and Lon Chaney Jr. in the sequels to Arnold Vosloo in the more recent remake trilogy.

The cornerstone of the studio's new monster universe, "The Mummy" arrives March 24, 2017.