Universal Pictures’ late 90s action romp The Mummy was a bonafide hit. From fan reception to the box office, the film helped shape Brendan Fraser into the global icon he was then.
Could revisiting the cult classic franchise be in the cards? It’s been 14 years since the trilogy closed out with The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Empire, but the actor told Variety it’s always possible, stating: “I don’t know how it would work. But I’d be open to it if someone came up with the right concept.”
When looking back on what made the 1999 hit work, Fraser turned to the latest Mummy film, 2017’s Tom Cruise-led Dark Universe reboot, as an example of why it’s a tricky property to perfect.
“It is hard to make that movie,” said Fraser. “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. The Mummy should be a thrill ride, but not terrifying and scary.”
Fraser continued to explain that it’s not easy, though he did find a way to do it multiple times, adding: “I know how difficult it is to pull it off. I tried to do it three times.”
You can next see Brendan Fraser in The Whale, the upcoming Darren Aronofsky film. The project is getting massive acclaim on the festival circuit, with Fraser receiving multiple standing ovations. He’ll soon star in the upcoming Martin Scorsese film Killers of the Flower Moon.
