Brendan Fraser on why The Mummy reboot failed

Back in 2017, The Mummy attempted to launch the Dark Universe, a cinematic monster franchise that would eventually combine all the classic monsters. Despite the star power of Tom Cruise, it crashed and burned almost immediately, leaving all those future crossovers drifting away in the breeze. While speaking at Fan Expo Denver (via Collider), Brendan Fraser was asked what his version of The Mummy had over the reboot.

“I know Tom Cruise tried to make his movie and it ain’t easy! We all know how hard this movie is to make,” Fraser said. “With the exception of three [The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor], the thing with all of these films is that, at least it was fun, it was a thrill ride, and you wanted to do it again.“

Very true. While The Mummy and The Mummy Returns probably won’t ever appear on any prestigious Best Films of All Time list, they don’t need to. They’re pure, unapologetic fun. Thrilling adventures with memorable characters and impressive visual effects, all held together by Brendan Fraser’s fantastic, endlessly charismatic performance. Hell, even Tomb of the Dragon Emperor had its moments.

Stephen Sommers, who directed the first two installments of the Brendan Fraser series, wasn’t a fan of the reboot, even saying he was “insulted” when they never contacted him about it. “I was kind of insulted because the writers and director [Alex Kurtzman] of that Tom Cruise one, no one ever contacted me,” he said. “I contact people if I was going to take over somebody’s thing. The third one, which Rob [Cohen] directed, it’s kind of my baby. I didn’t want to step on his toes, so I helped produce it. But I had nothing to do with the Tom Cruise one. They never contacted me or called me. I was doing other things, and it’s not like I sat crying. I just think it’s common courtesy.“

Evil Dead Rise director Lee Cronin recently wrapped production on the latest incarnation of The Mummy, which will likely be very different from either the Fraser movies or the Cruise reboot. “This will be unlike any Mummy movie you ever laid eyeballs on before,” Cronin teased. “I’m digging deep into the earth to raise something very ancient and very frightening.” The film is set to reach theatres on April 17, 2026.