Brendan Fraser put himself on the map with his memorable performance as Rick O'Connell in The Mummy movies, though his time as part of that franchise ended with 2008's The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor. The franchise has since moved on, with Tom Cruise taking on the lead role in a 2017 reboot.
That was a critical and commercial flop, and doomed plans for Universal's Dark Universe.
Variety recently spoke to Fraser and asked for his thoughts on where things went wrong for that attempt at a horror-tinged fresh start. "It is hard to make that movie," the actor acknowledged. "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. "I know how difficult it is to pull it off. I tried to do it three times."
As for whether he would be open to playing Rick again (revivals are all the rage these days, after all), he said, "I don’t know how it would work. But I’d be open to it if someone came up with the right conceit."
We're not banking on that happening, but it sure would be fun to see. Since The Mummy was released five years ago, Universal has gone back to the drawing board with its monster movies, choosing to instead release standalone movies rather than attempting to replicate the Marvel Cinematic Universe's approach to storytelling.
This is a property with heaps of potential, both as a horror movie and action blockbuster. Reviving the franchise that starred Fraser and Rachel Weisz would be welcomed, and it could easily introduce a younger cast - Jurassic World-style - who can carry the series forward.
What would you like to see from The Mummy franchise down the line?
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