The 1999 film The Mummy quickly became a success for Universal, making it one of their most popular attempts at reviving their classic monster franchises. Of course, that particular iteration of the brand has been dormant for quite some time. Now, however, a new rumor suggests that a prequel to The Mummy is in the works.
The 1999 film was initially followed by a sequel, The Mummy Returns, which was released in 2001. It was followed by its own sequel, The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor, in 2008. The 2008 film was considered a failure, however, and plans for a fourth movie seemed to be canceled.
It’s worth noting that this potential prequel is far from the franchise’s only prequel project, however, as 2002’s The Scorpion King told the backstory of Dwayne Johnson‘s titular character that was first introduced in The Mummy Returns. A series of additional straight-to-video sequels to The Scorpion King were released in 2008, 2012, 2015, and 2018, respectively.
According to insider Daniel Richtman, however, a more proper prequel to The Mummy appears to be in the works. Details on this potential project are scarce, but it’s been said that Wes Tooke is currently attached to pen the film’s script. Obviously there are plenty of directions to take the world of 1999’s The Mummy, and that includes past, present, and future.
Interestingly, franchise star Brendan Fraser has expressed interest in returning to his role as Rick O’Connell from the first three Mummy films. And, given his renewed popularity, that would certainly be a great decision. Though it’s unclear how that would be possible, if at all, a prequel were to be made. Fans could expect to see a new actor cast as a younger Rick or a story revolving around the franchise antagonist Imhotep.
Ultimately, we’ll just have to see what’s in store. Hopefully, however, it’s a project that manages to please fans of 1999’s The Mummy and its follow-up projects. Stay tuned to ScreenGeek for any additional updates as we have them.