Cinematic treasure Brendan Fraser is currently in the midst of what the internet has lovingly called the “Brenaissance.” With his starring role in Darren Aronofsky‘s “The Whale” bringing in Oscar buzz, and his highly anticipated turn in Martin Scorsese‘s “Killers of the Flower Moon,” Fraser took the time to reflect on the cinematic masterpiece that really launched him into stardom and a possible revisit. No, it’s not “George of the Jungle.”
Fraser reminisced about his role as Rick O’Connell in “The Mummy,” and its two sequels, “The Mummy Returns” and “The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor.” When asked if he would consider returning for another adventure, he was enthusiastic about the idea. “I don’t know how it would work,” he admits. “But I’d be open to it if someone came up with the right conceit.”
Fans of the Universal Pictures’ 1999 film will note Fraser was not asked return for the 2017 reboot, as it had nothing to do with the Tom Cruise-led Dark Universe entry. Fraser praised the effort, and acknowledged “it’s hard to make that movie,” noting a key element was missing from the reboot. Which, admittedly, probably lead to its box office woes.
“The ingredient that we had going for our Mummy, which I didn’t see in that film, was fun,” Fraser said. “That was what was lacking in that incarnation. It was too much of a straight-ahead horror movie. ‘The Mummy’ should be a thrill ride, but not terrifying and scary. I know how difficult it is to pull it off. I tried to do it three times.”
“You really like the guy. He never comes across as cocky or arrogant,” director Stephen Sommers said of Fraser’s casting. Fraser did as many of his own stunts as he could, even injuring his knee at one point, but powering through it to complete the film. “He [Fraser] could throw a punch and take a punch and he had a great sense of humor. He was game for anything we threw at him.”
What an absolute class act. While we have no particular pull in the world of movie development, we would like to address the following statement directly at Universal: Come on. Do it. It’ll be great. You’re already going to shoot Cruise into space. Get in on the Brenaissance, and make another good Mummy movie.
