Brendan Fraser Says THE MUMMY 4 Will Give Fans What They Want
The Oscar-winning star will return with Rachel Weisz in a new instalment of the Universal monster series.
Following last week's exciting news that OG Egyptologists Brendan Fraser and Rachel Weisz are returning for another excavation of The Mummy‘s tomb, the Oscar-winning star has broken his silence on returning to the role that made him a household name.
The as-yet-untitled Mummy sequel will be directed by Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett — better known as Radio Silence — with original producer Sean Daniel back to produce, alongside William Sherak, James Vanderbilt, and Paul Neinstein. David Coggeshall will handle the screenplay, with plot details still firmly under wraps (heh).
In a new interview with Associated Press, Fraser, who played protagonist Rick O'Connell in Universal's 1999 The Mummy and its subsequent two sequels, revealed why he is keen to return for a fourth movie despite 2008's, shall we say, somewhat divisive The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor (and the disastrous 2017 reboot starring Tom Cruise) seemingly leaving the franchise dead in the water:
The one I wanted to make was never made. The third one was a model of … how can I say this to the AP reporter? NBC had the rights to broadcast the Olympics that year. So they put two together and we went to China. Working in Shanghai, an incredible experience. I’m proud of the third one because I think it’s a good standalone movie. We picked up and did what we do with a different crew on deck and gave it our best shot.
Fraser then goes on to tease that the new Mummy, which reportedly serves as a direct sequel to 2001’s The Mummy Returns and ignores the events of Tomb of the Dragon Emperor entirely (wise), will be a firm fan-favorite:
But the one I wanted to make is forthcoming. And I’ve been waiting 20 years for this call. Sometimes it was loud, sometimes it was a faint telegraph. Now? It’s time to give the fans what they want.
By bringing back Fraser and Weisz, who was replaced by Maria Bello in the third film much to audience dismay (no offense Ms. Bello but it's Rachel Weisz, ya know?), The Mummy 4 has already given fans what they want. Anything else now is just a bonus.
