With the return of Brendan Fraser to the limelight, we’re wondering if we could get another new movie in 90s The Mummy franchise. If Spider-Man: No Way Home has taught us anything, it’s that anything is possible and that fans are ready to get behind nostalgia. It’s not too late for Brendan Fraser to headline another adventure in another The Mummy movie.
Each decade of cinema could be broadly defined by a single subgenre of movies. For instance, monster movies were all the rage back in the 50s, while a new wave of grim sci-fi flicks reigned supreme in the neon-coloured cinemas of the eighties.
The early 2000s were a tumultuous time of change for pop culture as a whole. The turn of the Millenium brought with it a myriad of new paradigms, and, for some reason, adventure films resurfaced with renewed vigour during this period. The very same year that people were going head over heels for The Matrix and its nihilistic take on modern society, moviegoers felt captivated by the over-the-top fantasy action of 1999’s The Mummy.
For many fans, seeing The Mummy (starring Brendan Fraser) was like getting a fourth entry in the Indiana Jones series — nearly a decade before The Kingdom of the Crystal Skull was formally announced. The movie had it all: comedy, action, romance, horror… It was a celebration of movie tropes that proved successful over the history of cinema, and fans loved every second of it.
In the end, the movie ended up becoming a trilogy. Considering the success of the first movie, it’s no surprise to hear that the sequels were not as popular as the original film. Coincidentally, the final entry in the original trilogy, The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor, was released the same year as the last Indiana Jones film: 2008. As we now know, this is the same year when a movie called Iron Man changed the face of cinema, beginning a superhero renaissance that, to this day, shows almost no signs of wear.
The Hollywood idea machine is nothing if not relentless when it comes to recycling previously successful ideas, surprising virtually nobody when a new The Mummy was released in 2017. With the success of Marel and its Cinematic Universe, Universal Pictures saw it fit to create their own brand of interconnected franchises centred around classic monsters — a project they dubbed the “Dark Universe”.
Not even Tom Cruise could salvage 2017’s The Mummy reboot. From a trailer that was mocked to death by fans for its poor editing to a nonsensical plot that seemed like it would be a better fit for a Transformers movie, this mummy was dead on arrival, taking the rest of the Dark Universe with it in its eternal slumber.
Fortunately for Universal Pictures, there’s a solution for their revenant woes: how about they cast one of the internet’s most beloved superstars? A man who also happened to be one of the main reasons why the original trilogy is as fondly remembered as it is. We’re talking, of course, of none other than Brendan Fraser (the original The Mummy lead actor).
The days of adventuring and tomb-raiding might be over for Fraser (or is it?), but those are not the only qualities that made his character so good in the original trilogy. Reviving the Dark Universe, much like bringing the Frankenstein creature back from the dead, would need a great deal of energy, and we believe that The Mummy‘s Brendan Fraser might just be the spark that this cinematic universe needs to get back on its feet.
By replacing Russell Crowe’s character with the same one that Brendan Fraser played in the original The Mummy trilogy (Richard O’Connell), Universal would be giving fans a connection to a beloved franchise and also placing Fraser as the centre of their new Dark Universe. They could have Fraser in a similar role to that of the MCU’s Nick Fury: a catalyst for action that’s rarely seen anywhere near the frontlines. And just like Samuel L. Jackson in the MCU, Brendan Fraser would instantly improve any scene he’s in.
Brendan Fraser deserves another The Mummy movie. And we can bet that fans across the world would get behind it 100%. We’re all here for his comeback.
While you’re at it, bring everyone else back too — Brendan Fraser as Rick O’Connell, Rachel Weisz as Evelyn Carnahan, John Hannah as Jonathan Carnahan, Arnold Vosloo as Imhotep (the villain), Kevin J. O’Connor as Beni Gabor and Jonathan Hyde as Dr. Allen Chamberlain. Heck, even Dwayne Johnson (The Rock) is welcome.
For those who don’t remember, The Mummy franchise spans over nine films: The Mummy (1999), The Mummy Returns (2001), The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor (2008), The Scorpion King (2002), The Scorpion King 2: Rise of a Warrior (2008), The Scorpion King 3: Battle for Redemption (2012), The Scorpion King 4: Quest for Power (2015) and The Scorpion King: Book of Souls (2018). The Mummy: Rise Of The Aztec (starring Antonio Banderas) was meant to be the fourth instalment of the Brendan Fraser Mummy movies. Unfortunately, it was cancelled.
