Brendan Fraser Wants To Bring Fun Back To ‘The Mummy’ Franchise Unlike Recent Reboot

If you count the ’90s and early ‘2000s as some of your favourite time periods for cinema, surely The Mummy franchise would have left an indelible impression on you, powered by the charm and energy brought to the screen by Brendan Fraser as adventurer Rick O’Connell. Decades on, and the star is definitely reminiscing about fond memories, and sharing that he is open to returning to the series that made him a superstar.

“I don’t know how it would work, but I’d be open to it if someone came up with the right conceit,” shared Fraser with Variety as part of the cover story about another project, The Whale. In it, Fraser plays an obese man trying to reestablish a relationship with his estranged daughter. It has also once again catapulted him into the spotlight as part of the Oscar race.

Considering that The Mummy was rebooted in 2017 by Universal, many would have deemed it an opportunity lost that Brendan Fraser wasn’t part of the plans. Instead, Tom Cruise took the lead on that one. With the reception it got, perhaps it was a blessing in disguise that Fraser wasn’t attached to it, a sentiment he shared.

“It is hard to make that movie. The ingredient that we had going for our Mummy, which I didn’t see in that film, was fun. That was what was lacking in that incarnation. It was too much of a straight-ahead horror movie,” he explained. “‘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.”

That was evident in director Stephen Sommers casting Fraser in the first place for The Mummy. “He could throw a punch and take a punch and he had a great sense of humour,” Sommer said. “You really like the guy. He never comes across as cocky or arrogant.”

Being one to do his own stunts also elevated Fraser’s standing, even at the cost of injury. “He was game for anything we threw at him,” Sommers further stated.

Could that really happen? Will Brendan Fraser once again be the face of The Mummy franchise? It would most certainly be a dream come true for many fans of a certain vintage, and judging from his recent resurgence, it is a path that Fraser himself will most certainly be better than most at.

Jake Su

Jake is a full-time trophy hunter and achievement gatherer on consoles, and part-time Steam Sale victim. He has a thing for Batman and awesome statues, and running out of space for both. Send help.