The Mummy (franchise)

The Mummy is the title of several horror-adventure film series centered on an ancient Egyptian priest who is accidentally resurrected, bringing with him a powerful curse, and the ensuing efforts of heroic archaeologists to stop him. These three series of films accompany a spin-off film series, two comic book adaptations, three video games, an animated television series, and a roller coaster ride.

Universal Monster Films series (1932–1955)

The original series of films consisted of five installments which starred iconic horror actors such as Boris Karloff (only in the original one, as Imhotep); Tom Tyler and Lon Chaney Jr. as Kharis; and lastly Eddie Parker, who played Klaris, a cousin of Kharis. The series of films is a part of the larger Universal Monsters franchise.

Hammer Horror series (1959–1971)

In 1959, the British Hammer Film Productions began its own The Mummy series of films. These include the following:

• The Mummy (1959). Set in 1895, the film stars Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee as Kharis. The plot is based on Universal's own The Mummy's Hand and The Mummy's Tomb.
• The Curse of the Mummy's Tomb (1964). Features Dickie Owen as the Mummy Ra-Antef.
• The Mummy's Shroud (1967). Features Eddie Powell as the Mummy Prem.
• Blood from the Mummy's Tomb (1971). Based on Bram Stoker's 1903 novel The Jewel of Seven Stars. Features Valerie Leon as the Mummy Queen Tera and her reincarnation Margaret Fuchs.

Stephen Sommers series (1999–2015)

Overview

Originally a proposed remake of The Mummy would have been directed by horror filmmaker/writer Clive Barker. Barker’s vision for the film was violent, with the story revolving around the head of a contemporary art museum who turns out to be a cultist trying to reanimate mummies.^[1][2] Barker's take was "dark, sexual and filled with mysticism",^[3] and that, "it would have been a great low-budget movie".^[1]

In 1999, Stephen Sommers wrote and directed a remake of The Mummy, loosely based on the original film of 1932. This film switches genres from the emphasis on horror to adventure, concentrating more on action sequences and effects, and a higher element of Egyptian lore. The film became a box office success spawning two sequels and a cancelled fourth film, a spin-off series, and an animated television series. The first two films received mixed reviews, while the third one received mostly negative reviews.

The Mummy Trilogy

• The Mummy, 1999. It is the year 1923 and Richard “Rick” O'Connell, an American explorer, has discovered Hamunaptra, the city of the dead. Three years later, O'Connell returns to the site with a beautiful librarian, Evelyn "Evy" Carnahan and her brother, Jonathan. When Evy accidentally revives the mummified corpse of an Egyptian priest, Imhotep, the pair must find a way to kill him before he rises back into power and destroys the world.
• The Mummy Returns, 2001. It is the year 1933 and Rick O'Connell and Evelyn Carnahan are married with an 8-year-old son, Alex. When Alex triggers a curse and Imhotep is resurrected, Rick and Evy must once again try to save the world and defeat the mummy.
• The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor, 2008. Set in 1946, the film continues the adventures of Rick O'Connell, his wife Evy, and his son Alex against a different mummy, the Dragon Emperor (Jet Li) of China.

Cancelled Fourth Film

After Tomb of the Dragon Emperor was released, actress Maria Bello stated that another Mummy film will "absolutely" be made, and that she had already signed on.^[4] Actor Luke Ford was signed on for three films as well.^[5] But in 2012, Universal Pictures announced they've cancelled the film.

The Scorpion King spin-off series (2002–2015)

This spin-off series follows the adventures of Mathayus, who would later be known as the Scorpion King and, eventually, become a foe in The Mummy Returns. The films are as follows:

• The Scorpion King, a 2002 film.
• The Scorpion King 2: Rise of a Warrior, a 2008 prequel (direct-to-video) film.
• The Scorpion King 3: Battle for Redemption, a 2012 sequel (direct-to-video) film.
• The Scorpion King 4: Quest for Power, a 2015 sequel (direct-to-video) film.

Critical and public response

Feature films

Cast and characters

Crew

Derivative works

The entrance to Revenge of the Mummy: The Ride at Universal Studios Hollywood.

Two video game adaptations of The Mummy (1999) were developed by Rebellion Developments and published by Konami in 2000: an action-adventure game for the PlayStation and PC^[6] as well as a Game Boy Color puzzle game.^[7] Dreamcast version was announced but later cancelled in the late 2000. The Mummy Returns released in late 2001 for the PlayStation 2 and developed by Blitz Games, the Game Boy Color version was developed by GameBrains, both versions were published by Universal Interactive. The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor was released in 2008, developed by Eurocom for the PlayStation 2 and the Wii, the Nintendo DS released was developed by A2M, all versions were published by Sierra Entertainment. In March 2012, a massive multiplayer online game known as The Mummy Online was released.

In May 2001, Chaos! Comics released the first of a three issue series inspired by the film, titled 'The Mummy Valley of the Gods'.^[8] The plot was supposed to take place between the first film and The Mummy Returns. Rick and Evelyn are on their honeymoon in Egypt and end up embarking on yet another adventure where they must unravel the mysteries of the Orb of Destiny and discover the location of the Valley of the Gods hidden beneath the sands. However, the second and third issues were never published.^[9] This was most likely due to Chaos later filing bankruptcy in 2002 and selling the rights to all their titles at that time. Years later in 2008, another Mummy comic series was released by IDW Publishing, spanning four issues. This series was titled 'The Mummy: the Rise and Fall of Xango's Ax'. Unlike the preceding comic series, all of the planned issues were published.^[10]

From 2001 until 2003, The Mummy: The Animated Series was made by Universal Animation Studios. It was based on the Stephen Sommers series of films and was set between 1934 and 1935. The series was later renamed The Mummy: Secrets of the Medjai.

The film also inspired a roller coaster ride named Revenge of the Mummy: The Ride in Universal Studios Theme Parks, Florida.^[11] Similar rides can also be found in Hollywood and Singapore.^[12]

Reboot and shared universe

On April 4, 2012, Universal Studios announced that they are developing a reboot of the series, with Jon Spaihts to write the film and Sean Daniel who produced the three films, will be returning as producer.^[13] On May 1, 2012, Universal signed on with Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman a two-year deal to produce the Mummy reboot through their K/O Paper Products banner.^[14] On September 24, 2012, it was announced that Universal has set Len Wiseman to direct the film.^[15] In December 2012, it was being said that The Mummy reboot will be different from the classic trilogy, it'll be a completely new take on the mythology, and it will be set in present day.^[16] On February 14, 2013, Universal set The Hunger Games' writer Billy Ray to write a competitive draft for the Mummy reboot against Spaihts written script.^[17] On July 31, 2013, director Wiseman has left the film project due of schedule conflicts.^[18] On September 13, 2013, news reported that Mama's director Andrés Muschietti is in talks to direct the film.^[19]

In October 2013, Orci spoke to IGN, hinted that both The Mummy and Van Helsing reboots will have a shared universe.^[20] On November 27, 2013, Universal has set the film for an April 22, 2016 release.^[21] On May 6, 2014, director Muschetti left the film due to creative differences, which Spaihts wrote the latest draft of the script, which reimagined The Mummy in modern-day with new characters not seen in previous iterations and a protagonist imbued with a human personality.^[22] On July 16, 2014, Universal announced that they had tapped Alex Kurtzman and Chris Morgan to develop all classic movie monsters which include Frankenstein, Dracula, The Wolf Man, Creature from the Black Lagoon, The Invisible Man, Bride of Frankenstein, and The Mummy.^[23] The first film they will develop together will be The Mummy, for which they had begun the meetings.^[23] So on July 30, Kurtzman was set to direct the film.^[24] Next day, the film's release date was pushed back to March 27, 2017, when Universal announced the April 22 for its new film The Huntsman. The film's plot is set in Iraq and follows a Navy SEAL and his team that battle Mummies led by Ashurbanipal.^[25]

On October 14, 2015, The Hollywood Reporter reported that Kurtzman and Spaihts has two scripts with a male and a female mummy villain.^[26] On November 24, 2015, Variety reports that Tom Cruise is in talks to star in the film. Variety also reports that Cruise isn’t expected to produce, but he will play a major part in development.^[27] On December 8, 2015, The Hollywood Reporter has reported that Sofia Boutella is in talks for the female Mummy role in the reboot.^[28] It was announced that Cruise and Boutella will star in the reboot with a June 9, 2017 release date.^[29] In March 2016, Variety and The Hollywood Reporter has reported that Annabelle Wallis and Jake Johnson are in talks for a role of an archaeologist and a member of the military.^[30][31] The film began production in April 2016 located in Oxford, England.^[32]

References