The Mummy star Brendan Fraser is still open to reprising his role as Rick O'Connell.

In an interview with Deadline, Fraser expressed interest in a Mummy franchise revival. While he hasn't heard anything new about it, beyond rumors of a new instalment, the Fraser stated, "I don't know an actor that doesn't want a job," he said. "I don't think I've been this famous and unsalaried at the same time in my professional life, so sign me up." The last time The Whale actor stepped into his character's shoes was for the 2008 film The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor, but rumors surrounding a fourth installment have circulated for years.

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In October 2022, Fraser discussed returning for a fourth Mummy film if "someone came up with the right conceit." The George of the Jungle actor first joined the action-adventure franchise in 1999's The Mummy, a remake of the eponymous 1932 film. Fraser returned to play protagonist Rick in 2001's The Mummy Returns and the film series' third installment. After Tomb of the Dragon Emperor premiered, Universal began production on the franchise's fourth entry, reportedly titled The Mummy: Rise of the Aztec.

The Mummy That Could Have Been

The film would have featured Fraser, Maria Bello and Luke Ford, with Antonio Banderas as the villain. However, Universal abandoned the project in favor of a franchise reboot. Released in 2017, The Mummy features Tom Cruise as U.S. Army Sergeant Nick Morton in present-day London. Morton and Corporal Chris Vail (New Girl's Jake Johnson) uncover the tomb of Egyptian princess Ahmanet. The film ultimately earned negative reviews and lost over $95 million at the box office due to high production costs.

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Fraser previously offered insight into why 2017's The Mummy failed. "The ingredient that we had going for our Mummy, which I didn't see in that film, was fun," he said. "That was what was lacking in that incarnation. It was too much of a straight-ahead horror movie." Even the Cruise-led film's director, Alex Kurtzman, called the underperforming reboot his "biggest failure." Beyond The Mummy, Kurtzman previously co-wrote the scripts for 2009's Star Trek and 2007's Transformers.

Besides Egyptian adventures, Fraser has re-entered the acting industry with his lead role in Darren Aronofsky's The Whale. At the 79th Venice Film Festival, the actor received a six-minute standing ovation for his performance as Charlie, a 600-pound professor estranged from his 17-year-old daughter. Fraser's comeback, dubbed "the Brenaissance," also includes roles in DC Comics' Doom Patrol and Martin Scorsese's Killers of the Flower Moon. Additionally, Fraser would have played the villainous Firefly in Batgirl before Warner Bros. Discovery shelved the project.

The Whale is currently playing in theaters.

Source: Deadline