Spoilers for Pressure are ahead! You can see the project on the 2026 movie schedule in theaters now.

The whole goal of the critically acclaimed war film Pressure is to show the decision-making that went into whether D-Day could happen on its scheduled day or not. In the end, Andrew Scott’s meteorologist James Stagg and Brendan Fraser’s General Dwight D. Eisenhower decide to call it off for a day because of the weather; however, they realize it is able to happen one day later. Ultimately, it’s a successful mission, and we see that “victory” in the film. However, when I spoke to Kerry Condon about the movie, she told me why there’s a bit more complexity to that ending.

This all came up because I asked Condon, who plays Kay Summersby, an important member of Eisenhower’s staff, which scene she felt the most pressure to film. She told me it was the moment in Pressure’s conclusion where the team is told that D-Day was a success. Explaining why this was a nuanced moment to capture, the Oscar-nominee told me:

I feel like all great war movies depict the idea that nothing is just a win or a loss. No matter what happens, loss and tragedy are involved. So, even though D-Day was successful and it went as planned, it came with consequences.

It’s been confirmed that 4,414 Allied troops were killed during D-Day, according to History.com. It’s estimated that between 4,000 and 9,000 Germans were killed, wounded or missing. While this invasion was undoubtedly a success for the Allies, it also came with insurmountable and guaranteed loss. So, yes, even though it was a win, as Kerry Condon said, “it wasn’t necessarily a victory.”

So, as she played out that moment where Kay, Eisenhower, Stagg and the group working on this plan learned that D-Day had gone the way they wanted, she wasn’t cheering with joy. Yes, it was successful, but it is war, and war is tragic, no matter what way you look at it.

If you see Pressure on the big screen, it’s clear that the people deciding when D-Day can happen feel that pressure and understand the stakes they’re dealing with. It leads to blow-ups from Ike, Stagg and more as they try to decide if the weather will delay this invasion. And in the end, when they achieve the goal they were working toward, it’s not a victory that can be met with joy and happiness.

Yes, it helped them in the efforts to defeat the Nazis. However, it’s still war, and as Kerry Condon said, “there’s a sadness attached to that, whether you win or lose.”

Spoilers for Pressure are ahead! Read with caution, and see the project on the 2026 movie schedule in theaters now.

The movie Pressure centers around one massive decision about weather, and whether or not the Allies can act on their plans for D-Day as planned. Ultimately, it comes down to choices made by Brendan Fraser’s Dwight D. Eisenhower and Andrew Scott’s meteorologist James Stagg. However, before they reach a decision, there’s a lot of tension, debate and yelling that goes down. So, I had to ask Scott what it was like to have Fraser yell at him as they filmed these intense scenes.

For context, throughout this war movie, Scott’s James Stagg is constantly at odds with fellow meteorologist Irving Krick (Chris Messina). Over and over again, they butt heads over what the true weather will be on D-Day, as Stagg says it will be stormy while Krick says it will be sunny. So, at one point, after Stagg disagrees with his colleagues' forecast once again, Eisenhower yells at him, and aggressively so. With that scene in mind, I asked the Sherlock actor what it’s like to have Brendan Fraser yell at him, and he started his answer with one great word:

Undoubtedly, one reason to buy a ticket for Pressure is the cast. Fraser and Scott are incredible in this movie, and their performances help highlight the stakes these guys are dealing with as they work to make one of the most pivotal choices during World War II.

From Scott’s character’s perspective, he’s trying to prove that the weather will not cooperate with them, despite what everyone else is saying. If he’s right, it means D-Day has to be delayed. It’s his contrasting view that flusters Eisenhower, who is the man who ultimately has to make the final call about what to do. So, yes, the eventual president does yell at the meteorologist over all this.

However, the Fleabag actor said it was “fantastic” to be on the receiving end of this anger, because it helped show off the different sides of both Eisenhower and Fraser as an actor, as he explained:

I totally see what he’s saying; Ike does have many layers. He cares deeply about the people around him and the troops he’s about to deploy. He’s also been tasked with making a call that could fully change the direction of the war, and he's aware of the stakes. The Mummy actor shows off all those sides very well throughout this movie, and in the case of this scenario, he had to be “fearsome”.

Overall, I love that Andrew Scott described being yelled at by Brendan Fraser as “fantastic,” and it goes to show just how great they both are in this movie as their characters try to figure out the best course of action for D-Day. Now, to see how all this impacted the outcome of this major moment during World War II, you can catch Pressure, which has received good reviews, in theaters now.

There have been a lot of great war movies over the years, but few of them star a meteorologist as one of their main characters. Pressure, which hits the 2026 movie calendar on May 29 — about a week ahead of the 82nd anniversary of D-Day — stars Andrew Scott as meteorologist James Stagg and Brendan Fraser as Dwight D. Eisenhower in a historical drama about the 72 hours preceding a day that lives in infamy. So what are the reviews saying?

Pressure is an adaptation of a stage play by David Haig, who serves as a co-writer on the movie’s screenplay along with director Anthony Maras. The war drama is receiving high marks ahead of its release. Frank Scheck of THR says in his Pressure review that Andrew Scott gives an award-worthy performance in a movie that lives up to its name. Who knew weather forecasting could make for such an effective "edge-of-your-seat thriller"? The critic writes:

Nell Minow of RogerEbert rates the movie 3.5 out of 4 stars, calling it a tense and powerful drama that’s serious in the best sense of the term. It’s sobering to see a depiction of these real events, with those involved tasked with making the most dire of decisions and facing problems with honor, intelligence and courage. Minow continues:

Pete Hammond of Deadline says if you think you know everything there is to know about D-Day, think again. If you think knowing the outcome of the events of June 6, 1944, precludes you from needing to see Pressure, think again. This story of how a weather forecast changed the history of the world keeps the suspense at a surprisingly high level, Hammond writes:

Jim Vejvoda of IGN rates it a “Great” 8 out of 10, saying “history’s most important weather forecast makes for a surprisingly engrossing film.” The critic’s review reads:

While many critics are praising Andrew Scott as James Stagg, Brendan Fraser is getting some pushback for his portrayal of future President Eisenhower. Alison Foreman of IndieWire gives the film a C, calling it “a regrettable swing-and-miss” for Fraser. Foreman praises the cinematography, the “immaculate” costuming and production design but says “the acting and writing duke it out for the title of Bigger Disappointment.” The critic concludes:

The movie is opening to an 84% critics’ rating on Rotten Tomatoes, so it seems this “untold true story of D-Day” is connecting with people. If you’re excited to buy your ticket to Pressure, your wait is over. The movie is in theaters now, as of May 29.

Brendan Fraser and Rachel Weisz had the kind of on-screen chemistry in The Mummy that rivaled the best romantic comedies, and it is why, even more than thirty years later, fans are ecstatic that Universal made a third sequel officially in the works. Rick O’Connell and Evelyn Carnahan worked because they were funny, stubborn and wildly capable in very different ways, with Evie refusing to be reduced to a damsel in distress. According to Fraser, it did not take long for Weisz to prove she understood Evelyn on a deeper level than the people in the room who were trying to cast her. In fact, there was one specific moment he knew ‘she was right’ for the role.

During a C2E2 panel (via Popverse) ahead of The Mummy 4, Fraser recalled doing a chemistry read with Weisz at Universal Studios and realizing she had already found the character’s spine. He explained:

The George of the Jungle star said the scene involved deciphering a treasure map. The real reveal came when the casting director gave the British actress a note about what Evie wanted. As the Whale performer tells it:

The scene did not ultimately did not make it into the finished 1999 movie, but it was pivotal for Weisz nabbing the role and Fraser understanding why she was perfect for it.

That is a fantastic little time-capsule moment because it explains why the character still works so well, even for new audiences, maybe just discovering it while streaming on their HBO Max subscription. She could have easily been written or played as the bookish love interest who gets swept into Rick O’Connell’s adventure, but instead, Weisz treated her as someone with her own hunger, her own ego and her own need to prove she belonged in rooms full of men who underestimated her.

I'm not sure how long it's been since you have rewatched 1999’s The Mummy, but if you'll recall, Evie is funny because she is brilliant and chaotic. She knocks things over, gets flustered, reads ancient texts, argues her case and occasionally unleashes ancient evil. The character always feels alive, usually one step away from either saving everyone or making the situation spectacularly worse. Undoubtedly, we owe that to the actress who brought her to the big screen.

Rachel Weisz’s Return Makes The New Mummy Movie More Interesting

Weisz is expected to return for the recently announced Mummy 4. Per reports, the untitled sequel is set to hit theaters on May 19, 2028. The franchise has tried to move forward without OG Evie in the role before, but the absence of The Lobster actress was hard to ignore in the much-maligned third flick, The Tomb of the Dragon Emperor.

Honestly, I do feel her chemistry with Fraser helped define the original film and The Mummy Returns. To me, Rick and Evie worked because neither one felt like a passenger in the other’s story. He had the survival instincts, and she had the knowledge, drive and nerve to chase the impossible into a cursed city.

The Doom Patrol actor’s anecdote proves that the dynamic was present between the actors before cameras really started rolling, and that’s because Weisz wasn’t just trying to win the part, but was already defending Evie from being misunderstood. Man, I am so ready to see her back in this part in a fourth installment.

On a professional front, Brendan Fraser’s next big-screen outing is the 2026 movie calendar release Pressure. In the upcoming page-to-screen adaptation of the stage play, Fraser plays Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower. The film hits theaters May 29, 2026.

My decision to see a movie in theaters often happens days or even weeks before the movie comes out – and by decision, I mean, locked-in-pick-a-seat-buy-the-ticket decided. It's partially because I get so excited about a movie, I want to know I have a ticket locked in. (The other part is needing to commit to going someplace ahead of time whenever possible, but that's less a movie thing and more of a personal thing.)

That brings us to the topic of Pressure, one of the next films on the 2026 movie schedule that I'll be seeing in the theater. The ticket has been purchased – I'm planning to catch the Memorial Day early screening of the film – and I am completely ready for this intriguing-looking World War II movie from Anthony Maras, starring Brendan Fraser.

A D-Day Movie Focused On The Weather? I... Yes, That Actually Sounds Fascinating

Humans have control over plenty of things, but the weather just isn't one of them. That applies to the family barbecue you might be planning as much as it applies to the largest seaborne invasion ever attempted. Of course, the stakes are much higher in the latter situation. In Pressure, Brendan Fraser plays General Dwight D. Eisenhower, who's working beside Scottish meteorologist, Group Captain James Stagg (Andrew Scott), to decide when to launch the invasion of Normandy.

When we hear stories of D-Day, much of it is focused on the brave people who risked (and in many cases, lost) their lives during the invasion of Normandy. Pressure is about the days before the invasion, when make-or-break decisions had to be made about the landing, factoring in concerning weather conditions that could impact the success of the mission. It's based on a true story told in a play by the same name, by David Haig, who also co-wrote the screenplay. As I haven't seen the play, my knowledge of this particular piece of the war's story is pretty limited, so I'm especially excited to learn more about it.

The Trailer Looks Intense

It's hard to talk about the trailer without talking about the cast, but I'm saving that topic for the next section. Brendan Fraser getting my instant attention with his performance as Eisenhower aside, for now, the trailer for this movie had me on the edge of my seat the first time I saw it. This is one of those based-on-a-true-story movies where we essentially go in knowing the outcome, but somehow, by the trailer, it still feels like it's going to be suspenseful. Maybe I'm just excited to learn more about this vital segment of time during the war, given how crucial D-Day would prove to be for the Allied forces.

The Cast Looks Fantastic

In addition to Brendan Fraser playing General Dwight D. Eisenhower, here are some of other cast members (and who they're playing).

• Andrew Scott (James Stagg)
• Kerry Condon (Kay Summersby)
• Chris Messina (Irving P. Krick)
• Damian Lewis (Bernard Montgomery)

Pressure has a lot going for it, so I genuinely hope it lives up to that potential. I'll find out soon enough. As I mentioned, there are early screenings of the movie set for Memorial Day, so check your local listings. Pressure officially arrives in theaters on May 29, 2026.

It’s official, Brendan Fraser is returning to his iconic role of Rick O’Connell for The Mummy 4, and I can’t wait. The movie is slated to come out in a year and a half, and the actor is getting ready to enter prep for the film – which sounds like it will include a lot of gym time.

When Fraser appeared on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon this week to promote Pressure, which is among upcoming 2026 movie releases, The Mummy 4 came up. And he had this to say:

It’s been twenty-seven years since the first The Mummy movie came out and nearly twenty since the third movie, Tomb of the Dragon Emperor. So the actor is a bit out of practice when it comes to starring in an action film. But as he shared on the late night show, he’s going to try his hardest to get in shape to reprise his beloved role.

For The Mummy 4, he’ll be reuniting not only with Rachel Weisz’s Evie but John Hannah – who played her brother Jonathan. He also said the movie will get the “band back together” as well, so we expect more returning actors. When asked about if he was expecting to play the role again, he said this:

Fraser has apparently been asked by fans for years about going back to the franchise, and was ultimately interested in going back to a role that’s “brought a lot of people together” over the years. The movie is in the hands of directors Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillet, who previously revived the Scream franchise along with making the Ready or Not films. I'm so curious about how the horror-comedy leaning filmmakers will handle the sequel.

Fraser’s comments about what to expect from The Mummy 4 also heavily suggested he and the cast would be back in Egypt for this fourth installment. That’s in line with what we’ve heard previously about how movies are set to film in the UK and Morocco.

We expect Fraser will be in training mode after he’s had a chance to see through the press tour for Pressure, which has the actor playing General Dwight D. Eisenhower in the tense 72 hours before D-Day. Pressure comes to theaters on May 29 of this year and you can mark your calendars for The Mummy 4 for October 15, 2027.

Like many '90s kids, The Mummy with Brendan Fraser was a totally big deal. It’s basically my generation’s Indiana Jones. So when it was announced that he and Rachel Weisz are coming back for The Mummy 4 thanks to a reportedly “good script”, I got just as excited as one could get about a sequel and seeing Rick O’Connell back in action. But, then I remembered one thorn in my side about the original… its subpar Arab representation.

How The 1999 Movie Handled Its Arab Characters

Now, here’s the thing. Of all the things we know about The Mummy 4, we don’t know for sure where the story takes place, but per The Hollywood Reporter, it’s set to shoot in Morocco and London, which has me thinking it will take us back to the nostalgia of the original and perhaps be set in Egypt again. Another thing I want to bring up here, is the subject I’m talking about isn’t only a problem The Mummy has. A lot of Hollywood movies about the Middle East get it totally wrong. I’m just the one with an Arab-American dad who pointed it out my whole life, and who's raising my hand now that I have a platform to.

Looking back from a casting standpoint, not a single Arab actor is in 1999’s The Mummy, despite so many of the characters supposedly being native to Egypt. The leader of the Medjai warriors Ardeth Bay is played by Israeli actor Oded Fehr, the hilarious character of Beni Gabor is played by Kevin J. O'Connor (who is an American, apparently of Irish descent), Warden Gad Hassan is played by Persian actor Omid Djalili and so forth. I can go on, but to sum things up there’s not one to be found. Hey, maybe in the background?

But, it's not only that, the Egyptian characters of The Mummy are often used as a punchline or demoted to play stereotypes, too. It’s kind of frustrating given it was one of the few Hollywood movies I had growing up that actually was set in the Middle East, and could have taken the opportunity to cast the breadth of Arab actors who often don't get these kinds of opportunities.

What Needs To Change In The Mummy 4

If The Mummy 4 does end up being set in a Middle East country, I hope that over 25 years later Hollywood can show me (and the Arab-American dads and such of the world) that it’s actually grown when it comes to representing the people of the Middle East and does better by being set in this part of the world. How places are represented in movies really does make a more difference to culture and public perception than Hollywood producers probably think, and it’s harmful when the Middle East is minimized in the media.

And while the representation of minorities has clearly improved in recent years, there's been very little movement for actors hailing from the Middle East and North Africa. In a study done by UCLA last year for 2024 movie releases, there were literally zero Middle Eastern among the top theatrical movies, and I can honestly guess that 2025 and 2026 aren't much different.

So, while I’m very into The Mummy 4 and the movies bringing back more of the original actors like John Hannah, I’m also hoping it can become a platform to have more authentic representation of Arab characters within it as well. Right now the movie is expected to come out on May 19, 2028, so we’ll be getting plenty of updates as the production gets ready.

After years of desire and speculation around The Mummy 4, last month Universal made the sequel official, and with Brendan Fraser and Rachel Weisz as its leads. While the return of Evelyn and Rick O’Connell is a big treat in itself, another big part of what makes the original movies so good has officially been added to the 2028 action horror movie. And thus, my excitement grows.!

The Mummy 4’s Latest Casting Update Just Made My Day

After I saw some rumors that John Hannah might be returning for The Mummy 4, The Hollywood Reporter just confirmed them to be true. The actor, of course, played Evie's brother, Jonathan Carnahan, across the past three Mummy movies, and this new movie honestly wouldn’t be the same without him. As you might recall, while Evelyn is all about the historical discoveries she can make as an Egyptologist, her brother is always scheming for fame and fortune.

He’s actually the character who starts the whole adventure of The Mummy when he presents his sister with an ancient map to the fictional and legendary cursed Egyptian city of Hamunaptra. The map leads them to Fraser’s Rick O’Connell and to uncover some spooky mummies.

Why I Think Jonathan Will Only Make The Mummy 4 Better

I don’t know how long it’s been since you rewatched 1999’s The Mummy, but if you have recently, you must know how pivotal John Hannah is to the film. Sure, Rick and Evie’s chemistry as blossoming lovers is just the best, but Hannah provides some really stellar comic relief to the original that really ties together the whole thing. I’ve always thought of The Mummy as having a perfect trio in Fraser, Weisz and Hannah’s performances, and whenever I’ve revisited the modern classic, I’m always laughing out loud over so many of Jonathan’s moments. It wouldn’t hit the same if he wasn't in the mix.

The Mummy 4 is being helmed by Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett, known as Radio Silence. They brought back the Scream movies with the recent sequels, along with the Ready or Not movies. Ready or Not 2: Here I Come just arrived in theaters last weekend, and it had us looking forward to how the filmmakers will handle a couple of specific things in The Mummy 4. Recently, the Radio Silence guys have said they knew they had to have a “good script” in order to entice Fraser and Weisz back, and clearly scriptwriter David Coggeshall met their expectations.

The Mummy 4 is scheduled to hit theaters on May 19, 2028. While we wait, there’s a completely different kind of Mummy movie among the upcoming horror movies set to be released on April 17. It’s apparently going to be a “really, really terrifying one” if you’re into that sort of thing. I gotta say, my interest in this action comedy has eclipsed any other Mummy iterations, and I cannot wait for more updates on the movie. The Mummy 4 reportedly set to film in London and Morocco this fall!

Being a celebrity has its perks. Sure, sometimes they get in trouble for security guards approaching fans, but by and large, they get to brush shoulders with legends and take part in some cool stuff. Case in point, Brendan Fraser recently shared a story in which he effectively became Chewbacca for a day thanks to Harrison Ford.

Fraser said it all began when he was working on Extraordinary Measures with Ford, and received a call from the actor. Fraser shared the story during a panel at Megacon Orlando, and how he got in a cab when Ford asked him to meet him at the airport (via Comicbook):

It's a great story, and I know I speak for many Star Wars fans when I say I would kill for the chance to be Chewbacca to Harrison Ford's Han Solo. Also, hats off to Brendan Fraser for jumping on the opportunity, and catching a cab to the airport whilst having no idea what he was doing. Not many actors could get another actor to do that, which just goes to show how special Harrison Ford is.

Quite frankly, I wonder if part of the mystery that he would be flying was tied to Harrison Ford's history with aviation. He's crashed a few planes in his time, including after he worked with Brendan Fraser on Extraordinary Measures. While one crash was a close call, he's had some other infamous flights that were so notable that the plane was put in a museum. Indiana Jones would be proud of that, right?

As for Brendan Fraser, his appearance at Megacon Orlando was tied to a panel that involved many past actors involved with The Mummy. With lots of people interested in what's ahead for the fourth installment and which characters will be coming back, I'm sure there were many people hoping he'd leak some information about the upcoming movie.

It doesn't seem as though that happened, and we'll just have to wait for more details on the upcoming movie later this year. There was a recent report from Collider that said that filming is set to begin in August. Given that, it's possible that we could see a trailer before mid-2027, but that's strictly speculation on my part.

In the meantime, those who want to watch Extraordinary Measures with Brendan Fraser and Harrison Ford can pick it up via digital purchase on YouTube or Amazon Prime. I can't say I've ever seen the movie myself, but I am happy to hear that, if nothing else, Fraser got an injury-free plane ride out of it.

The Mummy franchise has been making headlines again in 2026 with the confirmation of another sequel, but many fans don’t need news of a fourth movie to want to revisit the classic 1999 film that started it all. In fact, as somebody who watched the The Mummy many times as one of the best movies of the ‘90s on VHS back in the day, leading man Brendan Fraser’s recent comments about his love for the franchise have me hyped to go back to the world that was introduced to viewers nearly thirty years ago… and it doesn’t hurt that I’d just rewatched the original with my Hulu subscription.

Brendan Fraser was joined by fellow franchise stars John Hannah, Oded Fehr, and Patricia Velasquez on the stage at Fan Expo Cleveland for a Mummy reunion. In front of a packed room of fans (who largely seemed to be my fellow millennials who had also watched Rick O’Connell and Co. running through the sands of Egypt in the late ‘90s), Fraser addressed the lingering fan love for the movie and the reason why he’s on board to reprise the role decades later:

As you can imagine, the room was full of cheers after Brendan Fraser credited fans for motivating him to return to playing Rick O’Connell for the first time since The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor released in theaters (without Rachel Weisz) in 2008, although the original 1999 version and the 2001 sequel remain the favorites among fans.

The Mummy 4 directors have confirmed Tomb of the Dragon Emperor won’t be considered canon for the new movie, with Weisz returning to her iconic role as Evie O’Connell. Weisz and Brendan Fraser’s reported requirement for signing on was that they love the script, and that seems to be the case. Suffice it to say that for fans of the original cast, the wait for The Mummy 4 in 2028 is going to feel very long!

I rewatched The Mummy for the first time in many years ahead of the cast reunion at Fan Expo Cleveland, and had just about as good a time circa 2026 as I did the all the times I watched it as a kid. It turns out that Rick yelling “Looks to me like you’re on the wrong side of the river!” at Beni is as funny in my 30s as it was as a youngster in the ‘90s, and the action still stands up… as does the horror of how the big bad killed the Americans by stealing all their organs.

All in all, it was a good time ahead of hearing Brendan Fraser’s emotional explanation for wanting to bring his character back to the fans. If you also want to revisit The Mummy, you can find the 1999 original streaming on Hulu now, along with The Mummy Returns and The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor. And if you want to see the 2017 version of The Mummy that starred Tom Cruise but failed to kickstart a new franchise, you can find it streaming with an HBO Max subscription now

A new chapter of The Mummy is in development, distinct from Lee Cronin's upcoming film, which is set to release on the 2026 movie schedule in April. This project is a follow-up to the beloved ‘90s movie that launched a trilogy. After nearly 30 years, Brendan Fraser and Rachel Weisz are officially reprising their roles as the O’Connells in The Mummy 4. That's right, the iconic duo from the original 1999 movie is returning to the big screen. However, before committing to the project, they had one specific requirement.

Directors Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett, known collectively as Radio Silence, recently spoke with Entertainment Weekly and discussed how they brought Fraser and Weisz back together for The Mummy 4 after all these years. Bettinelli-Olpin hinted at the script, saying:

There you have it. Two major Hollywood A-listers don’t sign on to a project unless they genuinely believe in the screenplay. And, if you’re skeptical about that, allow me to present Exhibit A: The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor.

The franchise’s third installment remains notoriously polarizing among fans. By most accounts, the script simply didn’t measure up. In fact, that’s reportedly one of the key reasons Rachel Weisz chose not to return, leaving Maria Bello with the unenviable task of stepping in as Evelyn. Bello is a fantastic actress, but let’s be honest: filling Evie’s black knee-high riding boots was always going to be a near-impossible assignment.

Interestingly, in this same interview, Bettinelli-Olpin and Gillett gave an intriguing answer when asked if Tomb of the Dragon Emperor was canon in their minds. Bettinelli-Olpin answered, “Well, Rachel is in this one,” and Gillett followed up with, “That should answer the question for you.” Well, it would seem Radio Silence has the same head canon as much of the fandom.

It’s no secret that The Mummy franchise isn’t just one of the best action movie series out there but, for a lot of us ‘90s kids, it was a gateway movie. Sure, it leans more swashbuckling adventure than straight-up horror, but it was my first real introduction to the Universal Monsters. From there, it was a straight line back to the black-and-white classics of the 1930s and a lifelong obsession with those iconic characters.

As for The Mummy 4, or whatever title they end up going with since the third film is clearly not canon, there’s still no official word on who else might join the cast or whether longtime favorites will return alongside any new faces.

That said, it’s hard to imagine the creative team skipping over John Hannah’s Jonathan Carnahan. As Evelyn’s brother and Rick’s perpetually exasperated brother-in-law, Jonathan, delivered some of the franchise’s funniest moments. The same goes for Oded Fehr, who played Ardeth Bay in the first two films. When CinemaBlend’s Mick Joest spoke with Fehr in January 2026, the actor revealed he hadn’t been contacted about a return but made it clear he’d happily sign up for another adventure.

Let's hope the script for the next Mummy movie manages to impressive other franchise alums like it did Brendan Fraser and Rachel Weisz. The film is scheduled to land in theaters on May 19, 2028 and, in the meantime, use a Hulu subscription to stream the original three installments.

When it comes to '90s action-adventure movies, few have become as iconic over the years as 1999's The Mummy starring Brendan Fraser and Rachel Weisz. While it's been dormant for nearly 20 years, that's about to change thanks to some great news from Universal that has me jumping for joy.

Back in November we had heard rumblings about Brendan Fraser returning to The Mummy franchise for a fourth movie, but now things are official. Universal Pictures has confirmed it's in the works with Fraser and Weisz, and there's even a release date set for May 19, 2028, per The Hollywood Reporter.

The Mummy movie is set to be directed by Ready or Not and Scream filmmakers Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett, known collectively as Radio Silence. The screenplay was written by David Coggeshall, who previously penned The Family Plan movies and Netflix's The Deliverance.

While we currently have zero details about the plot of The Mummy 4, as someone who grew up loving the original movies, I'm so happy we'll get to catch up with Fraser's Rick and Weisz's Evelyn after all these years. Their comedic and romantic chemistry was positively electric, and I'm eager to see what kind of adventure will bring them back together two decades later.

A few months back Brendan Fraser commented on his return to embody Rick O'Connell following the franchise previously ending with 2008's Tomb of the Dragon Emperor. In his words:

In recent years, Brendan Fraser has made a Hollywood comeback, most notably through his Oscar-winning performance in The Whale in 2022. We imagine The Mummy will be first action movie in quite a while, though it's perhaps too soon to call it an action movie when for as little as we know, it could take a different turn.

While we wait for more news on The Mummy 4, Blumhouse Productions/New Line Cinema have their own iteration on The Mummy among upcoming horror movies coming out this April. That version will be distinctly different than the adventure comedy tone of the movies starring Brendan Fraser.

Considering The Mummy 4's release date, it won't be too long before the movie goes into production. Knowing that in two summers we'll be seeing Rick and Evelyn back in action completely made my day, and I can't wait to follow its development closely here on CinemaBlend.

There are so many 2026 movies I cannot wait to see this year, and more are getting announced all the time. One that recently came up that I’m already making plans to see is Pressure, an upcoming military movie where Brendan Fraser will play Dwight D. Eisenhower, the Supreme Allied Commander in World War II. However, that’s not the only reason I’m circling May 29, 2026, on my calendar.

Unlike so many other movies, shows, and video games (looking at you, Medal of Honor: Frontline) that have placed audiences in the middle of the Allied invasion of Normandy in Operation Overlord, Anthony Maras’s upcoming book-to-screen adaptation is taking a different approach. That, on top of a few other reasons, has me so excited to see Pressure later this year.

I Can’t Wait To See A Different Aspect Of The D-Day Invasion

Don’t get me wrong, the opening sequence in Saving Private Ryan, the one where Tom Hanks’ Captain Miller leads soldiers on the storming of Omaha Beach, is one of the greatest cinematic moments of the 20th century. However, the story that is to be told in Pressure is rarely told, and I cannot wait to see it.

So, what’s it about?

In January 2026, Deadline reported that instead of focusing on the early-morning hours of June 6, 1944, Pressure will turn its attention to the 72 hours leading up to the largest invasion in modern military history. The movie is to follow Captain James Stagg (Andrew Scott), a British Met Office meteorologist tasked with determining if the weather and tidal conditions were ok enough for the invasion to work. Stagg, under the command of Eisenhower, will find himself under immense pressure to make a decision that could determine the war and the fate of the free world.

This Story Was Told In Great Detail In The D-Day: The Tide Turns Podcast

I’m going to be honest, I didn’t know of Captain James Stagg and his story until about a year ago, when I listened to Noiser’s D-Day: The Tide Turns, a 12-part podcast about the planning, execution, and aftermath of the famous operation. Hosted by Paul McGann, who played the eighth version of the Doctor on Doctor Who, this saga feels more like an audio drama than a traditional podcast and goes into great detail about everything.

The section of the extensive drama detailing the intense pressure placed on Stagg and his team in the hours that led up to D-Day, and his successful attempt to convince Eisenhower to postpone the invasion by a day due to unfavorable weather conditions, is mesmerizing. Now that this story is getting turned into a movie with an outstanding cast that also includes Kerry Condon, Damian Lewis, and Chris Messina, I can’t wait to see how this oft-forgotten piece of history is explored.

I’m not going to lie, Brendan Fraser playing the Supreme Allied Commander sounds amazing, and I wouldn't be surprised if he steals the show. And who knows, this could end up being one of the best war movies by the time it's all said and done.

Given all the Dwayne Johnson movies always on the way (including two on the 2026 movie schedule), it’s almost unbelievable that acting isn’t his first career. He first became famous for his WWE career before he earned his first role in a movie in 2001’s The Mummy Returns. As he celebrates 25 years in the profession, “The Rock” recalled what his first day as a thespian was like as if it were yesterday.

Johnson recently joined The Hollywood Reporter’s Actors’ Roundtable to talk with some of the most acclaimed male performers of 2025. During the conversation, he recalled his first day on the set of The Mummy Returns with these words:

The Mummy Returns was shot in Morocco and Jordan before moving to England later in production. Talk about an adventure for The Rock on his first acting credit. At the time, he was in his late 20s and very green to what it was like to be on a major production. As he shared, he was quite sick on his first day on the job, but something else happened:

Despite the physical pain Johnson was going through while he was playing Scorpion King on set, he said he realized almost immediately that he was happy with his career pivot. Given his condition, that feeling wasn’t a given, and yet that’s how the story goes.

Recently, The Rock had a chance to thank Brendan Fraser for his role in his career shift (amidst the pair both being in acclaimed 2025 movies). He said that Fraser had the power to not take a chance on him, but he welcomed him to the film “with open arms.”

The movie went on to make $433 million worldwide, becoming the No. 7 highest-grossing film of 2001. From there, he would go on to do the spinoff The Scorpion King, and slowly inch his way into becoming a bigger and better actor.

Dwayne Johnson has primarily been known for his work in action movies, but his latest role in The Smashing Machine saw him transitioning into a dramatic one to portray MMA fighter Mark Kerr. The movie was a box office bomb, but Dwayne Johnson and his co-star Emily Blunt both are among the 2026 Golden Globe nominees for the Benny Safdie film.

Following The Smashing Machine, Johnson has two potential blockbusters on his hands in 2026, where he’s getting to continue to do the career he loves. First, he’ll star as Maui in the live-action Moana movie coming this July before returning to the Jumanji movies for the fourth installment with Jack Black, Kevin Hart and Karen Gillan, coming out in December. So, while he may have been sick on his first day of acting, clearly going to work that day and performing through it was well worth it.

It has been previously suggested that we can all thank Brendan Fraser for the career of Dwayne Johnson because he gave his approval for the then-WWE star to be cast in The Mummy Returns. Of course, that particular film isn’t just famous for launching the career of one of the biggest movie stars in the world; it’s also infamous for having some of the wonkiest CGI in the history of the technology.

In the recent CNN & Variety Actors on Actors between the two Mummy Returns stars, the pair talked about how they were never actually on screen together, because Johnson’s only physical scenes were set in a different era, and his later appearance in the finale was…rough, due to some famously bad CGI. Fraser said…

“Early video games” is probably an apt description, but The Mummy Returns was released in 2001, and the creature at the end of the movie looks like a character from an early PlayStation game. That would be fine; these were still early days for CGI effects, after all. However, this film still came out many years after Jurassic Park, which makes The Scorpion King, who more closely resembles a lobster, look mcuh worse by comparison.

Having said that, Brendan Fraser reveals that the team responsible for creating The Scorpion King was well aware, at the time, that the creature wasn’t right. The actor relays a conversation he had with the team at the premiere of the film when they said as much…

Digital effects artist being crunched for time is apparently a decades-long problem. We know that recent Marvel movies have suffered due to the artists not having enough time to make the effects look as good as they could be. It seems the same was true almost a quarter century ago.

And to be fair, The Scorpion King's look isn’t an easy effect to pull off. While the body of the monster is something that could potentially be done with more ease, creating a digital head that looks like a real person is something that CGI still has problems with today. They would have needed a long time in 2001 to do it right, which they clearly did not get.

It’s hard to believe that it’s been almost 25 years since The Mummy Returns debuted in theaters, and yet, quite a lot has happened since then. The movie’s hero Brendan Fraser, is now an Oscar winner, and the movie’s villain Dwayne Johnson is one of the biggest movie stars in the world. Now the two have reunited, and the love fest is truly something special.

Johnson and Fraser were brought together as part of Variety and CNN's Actors on Actors series. During the conversation, Johnson had to specifically thank Fraser for the fact that the two of them were even sitting there together. The Rock indicates that Fraser, being the star of The Mummy franchise (which Johnson refers to as a modern Raiders of the Lost Ark) had the power to veto his Hollywood debut. And he might not have been wrong in doing so, given Johnson’s lack of experience. The wrestler turned actor said:

Dwayne Johnson was a huge star in WWE, but was largely unknown outside of that world. However, Johnson’s role as The Scorpion King in The Mummy Returns was so well received that it earned Johnson a spinoff of his own, and he’d never really look back. Johnson certainly isn’t wrong that The Mummy Returns started everything. The two men are literally sitting in chairs talking to each other because of that movie. He continued…

For his part, Brendan Fraser doesn’t seem to want to take too much credit for anything, if only because he doesn’t seem to think his giving the green light to Johnson’s casting was ever a question. He says The Rock was “always” the right choice to play The Scorpion King, because the role needed somebody with The Rock’s particular background. Fraser said…

Considering how much these guys love each other, it would be great to get them together again., And considering that The Mummy 4 is a movie that is now happening, there is at least an opportunity to do it.

Brendan Fraser and Rachel Weisz are reportedly reuniting for The Mummy 4, which is exciting. To this day, the duo is beloved by fans, who are itching to see them back on the big screen together as the O'Connells. Even with all the excitement, it seems like Fraser is taking a different approach to these movies than he did the previous films, especially with his safety. The Oscar winner has been candid about previous injuries sustained from filming the Mummy, flicks and more, and he has a funny take on how switching things up moving forward.

Fraser spoke with Josh Horowitz for an episode of the Happy, Sad, Confused podcast, during which he addressed reports about the upcoming Mummy 4, which is apparently in pre-production. While he didn’t offer up a lot of specific information about the installment, Fraser did confirm that the stunts involved with those films were certainly a factor in his deciding to join the latest installment, saying:

Encouraging stunt performers to go for it is certainly a different approach than he had in previous movies. Fraser was once hellbent on doing his own stunts and being very risky in his approach, something he paid for later in injuries. The Mummy's director, Stephen Sommers, said Fraser only has himself to blame for at least the lynching stunt, given his tendencies back in the day. Fraser also had a run-in with a snake that could have gone the wrong way had he engaged with it. So, with all this previous danger, it’s understandable that Fraser is taking it easy this time around.

These injuries didn't just amount to a mild setback for Brendan Fraser, as they ended up having a huge impact on his career. The frequent hospital visits and chronic pain led to the George of the Jungle actor taking a step back from the spotlight for years. Thankfully, he's back and eager to work. He experienced a career renaissance that led to him winning an Oscar for his work in The Whale, and his new feel-good film, Rental Family, is faring well with critics. Now, it looks like he's jumping back into the blockbuster game, and I couldn’t be happier.

We still don’t know much about The Mummy 4 and, hopefully, further details will arrive soon. By bringing back the Fraser/Weisz partnership, it's possible that the directors -- the duo known as Radio Silence -- are aiming for the fun, adventurous tone that the films of the 2000s had. A Mummy reboot was attempted in the late 2010s with Tom Cruise, but it lacked the fun energy and wasn't well received by critics or fans. I'm excited to see Fraser and Weisz back in action and hope both remain safe when production eventually kicks off.

Check out Brendan Fraser in The Mummy and The Mummy Returns, which are now streaming on MGM+. Also, go see Rental Family, which is playing in select theaters now.

After Brendan Fraser won the Oscar for The Whale in 2023, the actor said he was being “picky” about his next starring role. Now that his next movie is here, Rental Family, I think his selectiveness paid off. The latest of 2025 movie releases is a heartwarming drama that’s already received a lot of buzz at film festivals, along with positive words from critics. Now that it’s arrived in theaters, we had a chance to discuss the beautiful ending with the cast. SPOILERS are ahead.

Rental Family follows an American named Philip who has been living in Tokyo, Japan, as an actor in recent years, doing commercial work mainly. He’s approached by a “rental family” company (which actually do exist in Japan) to play make-believe roles to real people. They say they need a “token white guy”. Philip’s job gets more complicated with the company when he’s asked to play the long-lost father to a young girl, and a journalist to a retired actor. Let’s get into what happens.

What Happens At The End Of Rental Family

Philip’s genuine sense of adoration for Mia Kawasaki leads him to get closer to her than intended, but once he completes the job’s main task to help her get into a prestigious school, he disappears from her life as intended, but not without her creating a real mark on his heart. But then Mia sees Philip on her television screen playing a different role, and she confronts her mother about her realization that Philip was never her actual father. Later, Philip is able to see Mia, and they are able to reintroduce each other as friends.

Meanwhile, Philip’s other regular customer, the elderly Kikuo, has been begging him to “break him out” and take him back to his hometown, and Philip decides to ignore his family’s wishes and do so. They journey in the countryside of Japan, where Kikuo is able to retrieve pictures from his past, and get to relive his roots and the deep emotions he’d been longing to return to. But then, he has a fall, and Philip is arrested for kidnapping. Ultimately, Kikuo and his coworkers at the rental family firm find a way to get Philip absolved of his “crimes”, but Kikuo dies at the end of the movie. Philip attends his funeral – a moment that seems healing to him after having some complex emotions with his own father that led him to skip his funeral. He finally visits the shrine that Kikuo often went to. Inside, Philip is surprised to find its contents are a mirror, and he smiles at the discovery.

When I watched the scene, I was overcome with emotion, and haven’t stopped thinking about the final shot since. We’re dealing with a character who didn’t think he could help others, or really make an impact in the busy streets of Tokyo, Japan, but in that moment, he realizes that what he was searching for wasn’t this higher power or “right” answer; it has been himself the whole time.

What Brendan Fraser And The Cast Had To Say About The Ending

The final shot of the movie harkens back to something Kikuo says earlier in the movie about how “God is within us all.” Here’s what Brendan Fraser had to say about the ending from his perspective when CinemaBlend spoke to him and his costars:

From Fraser’s perspective, he finds the ending’s message to be about being “enough” and having it within yourself to emulate the divine through one’s actions. Mari Yamamoto, who plays Aiko, another one of the rental family’s agency employees, added this:

Rental Family is an emotional and transformational journey for Philip, who is able to help others, and for those people to help him right back after dealing with years of loneliness and feeling lost. I think the final scene perfectly shows how oftentimes when we’re lost, we tend to blame and look to outside sources, but it’s really within ourselves to find inner strength and happiness if we allow ourselves to. I love what Fraser and Yamamoto had to say about it from their perspective as well.

Apparently The Ending Was Almost Different?

During the conversation, Takehiro Hira, who plays the rental family owner Shinji, shared with us that the final shot of Rental Family wasn’t always Philip looking into the shrine. In his words:

Makes you wonder what it used to be. Brendan Fraser added this about the filming process:

How amazing is it that Rental Family’s ending, which feels just right as is, was actually discovered by writer/director Hikari while making the film? It makes the ending even better, because it makes me feel like the latest of the great female directors learned something about what she wanted to say in the movie while working with the actors and having the experience of filming with them in Japan.

Rental Family is one of those life-affirming movies that I know I'll be returning to. Life is constantly one of self-discovery, and this message really hits hard.

Rental Family tells a story of joy. It’s about finding it, keeping it, and spreading it. It’s a feel-good movie in the sense that it’s delightful to watch but also has a wholesome spirit. I saw an early screening at the 61st Chicago International Film Festival. I didn’t watch it with many (or any) expectations, but quickly found myself charmed.

The movie follows Phillip (Brendan Fraser), an American actor living in Japan, who gets an unexpected acting gig. This leads to him working as part of a rental family service. This company sends its workers to act as stand-in roles for clients. Rental Family is a found family movie, but it also explores ideas about mental health and community.

Warning: Rental Family spoilers are ahead. Proceed with caution.

I Love Rental Family's Discussion On Connection As A Source To Help With Mental Health

Many great movies about depression, anxiety, and other important mental health issues exist. There are also a few films that discuss connection as a source of relief. However, Rental Family connected with me because I never thought of the idea of offering connection and companionship as a paid service.

It stuck with me because you kind of assume a connection is easy to find. People crave it, so they should find it. It’s what fuels and builds society, but connection is not easy for everyone. Therefore, rental family services are really filling in a blank for people. It’s almost like having therapy, but the kind where you pretend a stranger is your aunt or best friend.

In Rental Family, one of Phillip’s first assignments involves pretending to marry someone. I initially couldn’t get over all the logistics of things, such as how repeat family visits would work, but then seeing the why behind everything made me forget all the technicalities and appreciate the beauty of this gesture.

Connection drives the soul, but the movie argues it can also help lessen emotions like sadness, loneliness, and maybe even anxiety. I don’t think connection can cure all mental illnesses or issues, but it can likely help some of them feel less devastating.

I Enjoyed How Connection Also Works In The Movie As A Way To Find A Deeper Understanding Of People, Culture, And The World

Other countries likely have a rental family service, but it’s a service tied to its Japanese roots. As an American, Phillip kind of judges the service, but he grows to understand its cultural impact and necessity. I had also never heard of this service, and as a judgmental American, I first thought it was weird, but the movie helped me understand it.

It also made me wonder how Americans can benefit from a service like this. I am sure there are versions here, but if it becomes more popular, who knows how that could improve Western society as a whole.

Phillip spends most of Rental Family meeting and understanding different families. He connects with them and begins to care about them. It’s these bonds that lead to understanding.

Connecting with someone or something is often the catalyst to try to understand it. I also think the act of loving, in its mysterious and glamorous ways, comes down to a desire to understand and be understood. We often fall in love with people we connect with, and that connection often leads to familiarity.

Power exists in understanding and connecting.

I Also Found It Interesting How Connection Helps And Hinders Phillip In Rental Family

Phillip falls in love with these families and becomes good at his job. This means he’s able to provide mental and emotional support. He especially connects with someone else’s daughter, and this is also a strong movie about fatherhood. Additionally, Phillip finds purpose in helping a former actor.

He helps both feel a sense of love and determination. They give him the same thing. However, the problem with connections is that sometimes people become too comfortable. This is where the line between doing a job and daily living blurs.

Phillip begins to cross boundaries. He then starts to do things that put others in jeopardy, while making it harder on the person’s real family members. Connection is important, but boundaries are as well. He makes some major mistakes that could cost him his job and hurt the reputation of his company.

I Think The Film Does A Really Good Job Offering An Empathetic Take For All The Characters

There is a character in Rental Family who rents Phillip as a friend. We don’t learn much about this character, but we see snapshots of his life through a montage. Phillip first arrives at his house to play video games with him.

The guy seems a bit of a mess and a hoarder. However, you slowly see his transformation through actually becoming friends with Phillip. He cleans his apartment, he takes care of his health more, and he eventually becomes more social.

Many movies would have portrayed this character as a loser. They would have used him as comic relief and pointed fingers to judge. The plot explains his story without needing to heavily focus on it. It also allows viewers to watch his growth and cheer him on. I loved how this small character was given a spotlight to be understood and cared about. It showed a deep care for humans and their struggles.

Rental Family Also Made Me Think About The Idea Of Truth And How Lies Can Be A Source Of Healing

I never thought what Phillip or the people in his company did was something shameful or wrong. However, honesty is something I highly value. I think it’s important to build any relationship and to live as the most unshackled self. Therefore, naturally, I should have been a little conflicted by this act of falsehood.

However, lying isn’t necessarily always bad. It’s an act that has nuance. If you’re lying to help someone cope with something, then, depending on the situation, it may be a passable offense. Phillip lies to the parents of a woman by claiming to be her fiancé.

At first, it feels wrong to lie to her friends and family. Then he later discovers that she fake married him so she could really marry her girlfriend. This lie allows her the freedom to live her life without the judgment and restrictions of her family.

It allows her to hide this part of herself but find healing in being with the woman she loves.

Rental Family is one of Brendan Fraser’s best movies and was one of the most anticipated upcoming movies. It’s worth a watch for the powerful message about connection.

It’s difficult to imagine that a small role in The Mummy Returns would be the first step on a massive career for a guy who was famous at the time for being a professional wrestler. But Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson would start with The Scorpion King, and he has become a bonafide movie star who recently released The Smashing Machine. It turns out Mummy star Brendan Fraser is as blown away as the rest of us.

Speaking with Joshua Horowitz at the 92nd Street Y, Fraser was asked if he felt he was responsible for Dwayne Johnson’s career. While the Oscar Winner doesn’t seem to take much credit, he does acknowledge that Johnson himself has given him some credit. Mostly, Fraser just wants to talk about how great an actor Johnson has become. He said…

Dwayne Johnson has spoken publicly about how welcoming Brendan Fraser was during the production of The Mummy Returns. He celebrated his co-star’s Oscar win for The Whale as much as anybody when it happened. Fraser may not be in a position to take credit for Johnson’s career, but he certainly did his part during a key time.

It will be quite something if, a couple of years after Brendan Fraser won an Oscar, his co-star in a Mummy movie might have a chance at the same. While The Smashing Machine was not a box office hit, Dwayne Johnson’s performance has received praise, leading many to wonder if he might be in the hunt for awards. Fraser clearly believes those conversations are justified because The Rock’s performance is that good. He continued…

Fraser also let slip that he and Dwayne Johnson recently got together for Variety’s Actors on Actors series, and had so much fun talking they wanted to keep going even after the official show got wrapped up. It seems the duo really do love each other as much as Fraser makes it sound here.

Fraser will be returning to the franchise that launched Dwayne Johnson’s career, as The Mummy 4 is currently in development. No word if there might be a place for the Scorpion King, but one imagines that both stars would jump at the chance to work together again, especially considering they never really worked together the first time.

Brendan Fraser captured our hearts — on and off-screen — with his Oscar-winning performance in The Whale a few years ago when he made his big return to acting. Now the Brenaissance continues with another buzzworthy movie that’s destined to punch us right in the emotional gut. Rental Family premieres on the 2025 movie calendar on November 21, and critics are here to share their opinions on the upcoming dramedy.

Rental Family comes to us from celebrated female director Hikari, who is making her English-language feature directorial debut. Brendan Fraser stars as Phillip, an American actor living in Tokyo, where he’s hired to play friends or family members in customers’ real lives. CinemaBlend’s Sarah El-Mahmoud said the film had a deep emotional impact on her, and Johnny Oleksinski of the New York Post agrees, saying this role suits Fraser perfectly. Oleksinski gives it 3.5 out of 4 stars and writes:

Brian Truitt of USA TODAY also rates the movie 3.5 stars out of 4, writing that the kindness and empathy that shone through in The Whale serves this new character well, as Phillip blossoms while forming connections with his clients in Rental Family. The critic says:

David Ehrlich of IndieWire gives it a B-, saying that Rental Family is about the hard part of being human but only displays a passing interest in exploring those things. Brendan Fraser’s performance mostly makes up for that ambivalence, as he helps drive home the message that hurt is better shared than buried, Ehrlich writes. More from his review:

Jocelyn Noveck of the AP rates the film 2.5 out of 4 stars, writing that Brendan Fraser’s relatability and vulnerability help to keep Rental Family on the right side of the thin line between heartwarming and totally sappy. However, Hikari tries to put a neat bow on some of the morally ambiguous twists, which doesn’t always work. In Noveck’s words:

You can’t please everyone, though, and Alexander Mooney of Slant calls Rental Family “grotesque” in how it sands off all of its rough edges, sweeping the interesting parts of its concept under the rug as it ties off every loose end. Mooney writes:

Rental Family may not get unanimously positive reviews, but it’s pretty close — the film holds 90% on Rotten Tomatoes’ Tomatometer. If you want to see the next movie in the Brenaissance, Rental Family hits theaters on Friday, November 21.

It’s been more than 25 years since Brendan Fraser first swaggered onto the big screen as Rick O’Connell in The Mummy, the pulp-adventure classic that became one of the most beloved action movies of the ’90s. For years, the franchise has felt locked away in Universal’s sarcophagus vault, collecting dust like a forgotten relic—but that’s finally changing. After a long stretch of silence (and even longer fan speculation), The Mummy 4 is officially on the horizon. We’re heading back to the desert, back into the ruins, and back into the world the No Sudden Moves actor helped define—and now the actor is explaining why he’s been waiting 20 years to make this sequel.

In a new interview with the Associated Press, Fraser opens up about how the series diverged from his original vision for the sword and sandals adjacent series, after The Mummy Returns, and why the next installment is the one he’s been hoping to make for two decades. As he told the outlet:

Those comments will hit longtime fans hard. The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor was a major creative detour driven by corporate scheduling and broadcast rights. Fraser makes clear he respected the production and its crew, but it wasn’t the direction he envisioned for Rick O’Connell.

And yet, what stands out most is that he never let go of that vision. After years of career highs, lows, reinvention, and an Oscar win that capped off his heartfelt comeback lovingly called the Brenaissance, Fraser says the story he always wanted to tell is finally within reach. In his words:

Fraser’s long-held hope that The Mummy 4 would one day rise from the tomb is finally paying off—not just for him, but for everyone who grew up on his swashbuckling Rick O’Connell. The post-Whale chapter of the George of the Jungle star has been defined by vulnerability, and audiences are rallying behind him all over again for the Brenaissance 2.0. Returning to the role that helped define him for a generation feels like the most natural next step, especially since the School Times alum’s affection for O’Connell has never dimmed.

A fourth film built around the story Fraser originally wanted to tell has the potential to be both a nostalgic throwback and a genuinely new adventure. And if he already sounds this energized before a single camera has rolled, imagine what the finished movie could feel like. After 20 years, the stars have finally aligned.

As much as fans would love to see The Mummy 4 magically appear on the 2026 movie schedule, the odds aren’t in our favor. With production still in its earliest stages, casting underway, and next year’s release slate already packed—both for Universal and the industry at large—the franchise’s return is far more likely to land sometime in 2027. So, the adventure is coming, but we’ll need just a little more patience before the O’Connells ride again.

Brendan Fraser’s next project, the 2025 movie release Rental Family, will hit theaters on November 21, 2025, arriving the weekend before Thanksgiving.

There’s been a lot of 2025 movie releases that have moved me, but this weekend’s Rental Family has quickly risen up high among my favorites of the year. Not only is it the latest movie to come out of the “Brenaissance” following Brendan Fraser's win at the 2023 Oscars for The Whale, it has a powerful message that has stuck with me since I got to watch the movie a month ago. The Rental Family cast told CinemaBlend about why it’s a real career highlight for each of them as well.

I've Seen Rental Family, And It Meant A Lot To Me

The movie has Fraser playing a struggling actor named Philip living in Tokyo, Japan who takes a job for a “rental family” service where he’s hired to play real roles in people’s lives. (And as it turns out, this is an actual service you can seek out in Japan!)

There’s two main roles the movie ends up following: one where he’s playing the long lost father to a young girl, and the other where he’s pretending to be a journalist documenting the life of a retired actor. Rental Family has been getting positive buzz, but I wasn’t expecting it to tear my heart open in such a profound way while watching it.

There’s a lot I could get into on the spoiler-y front, but without giving too much away, one thing that really stuck out to me is how it highlights how the make believe can sometimes be just as helpful to people as the truth and our established lives. Seeing Philip be there for his clients helps them emotionally deal with their lives and go through things they need to that they would have otherwise been without. I’d never hire a rental family service myself, but I found a parallel in the power of movies and TV.

Media and art has often been there for me in the loneliest of times, and Rental Family allowed me to see myself in these people as they sought to fill the gaps of their loneliness. There's not a lot we can do about the times we live in where we're somehow less connected as a people than ever, so I could understand how a rental family might be an attractive service to others. What I wasn't expecting is how Philip also ends up benefitting for providing the service, too. The TLDR of it all: we all inherently need connection, and it's hard to adjust to a world where that's not a societal priority or given.

What The Rental Family Cast Told Me About What It Means To Them

When I spoke to the cast of the movie, I brought to their attention one standout line from Rental Family that I believe highlights my feelings on the movie: “I’m just an actor. I don’t know how to help people”. I read them the quote while asking about their experiences with seeing their projects have an impact on others. In response, Brendan Fraser gushed about what his latest movie means to him, saying this:

His co-star Mari Yamamoto, who has been in two great Apple TV+ shows, Pachinko and Monarch: Legacy of Monsters, plays one of the other actors who are part of the rental family service. She shared this emotional reaction to being in the new movie:

Takehiro Hira, who’s famously in the acclaimed Shogun series, also added to the conversation. In his words:

Rental Family is a feel-good movie, but it’s also particularly deep because it has emotional depth to provide to audiences about modern loneliness and the power of connection. You can see it in theaters this Friday, November 21.

It has been nearly 30 years since the world was first introduced to Brendan Fraser’s Rick O’Connell in the iconic ‘90s movie, The Mummy. Though the franchise it spawned has been all wrapped up and seemingly buried in a vault somewhere at Universal Studios for the better part of two decades, it’s finally returning to the big screen.

Though the hotly anticipated continuation of the fun, throwback adventure film is still a ways off, we already know quite a lot about The Mummy 4 (or whatever it ends up being called). From the release date to the returning cast to the highly sought-after creative team pulling strings behind the scenes to what’s in store regarding special effects and violence, we have a lot to unwrap here…

What Is The Mummy 4 Release Date?

As great as it would be to have The Mummy 4 come out on the 2026 movie schedule, that’s not happening. However, Variety has reported that Universal Pictures’ horror-adventure film will hit the big screen on May 19, 2028.

Though nothing is sharing the weekend with the new Mummy movie, 2028 is already shaping up to be a killer year in theaters. We’ll have Sam Mendes’ four Beatles films and the conclusion of the Fast & Furious franchise with Fast Forever, and we’re still two years out!

The Mummy 4 Cast

The first big news about The Mummy 4 came out in November 2025, when The Hollywood Reporter published a story about Brendan Fraser and Rachel Weisz teaming up to play Rick O’Connell and Evelyn (Carnahan) O’Connell, respectively. Having the pair at the heart of The Mummy and The Mummy Returns (Weisz didn’t reprise the role in 2008’s The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor) seems like a no-brainer, even if we’re still waiting for a final confirmation. Deadline would later confirm these reports in February 2026 by announcing the two franchise stars would be returning. Variety reported the following month that John Hannah would be back as Jonathan Carnahan.

There’s no word on other members of The Mummy 4 cast and whether or not longtime franchise favorites will be showing up alongside some new talent. That said, it’s hard to imagine the creative team not having plans for Oded Fehr, who played Ardeth Bay in the first two movies. When asked by CinemaBlend’s Mick Joest in January 2026, the actor admitted that while he hadn’t been contacted about returning, he would love to do another movie.

It also isn’t known if Arnold Vosloo’s Imhotep, the titular mummy from the first two films, will be coming back for another adventure. Sure, he’s died multiple times, but it wouldn’t be strange to see him return. Well, unless some cats are running around.

What Is The Mummy 4 About?

While Universal Pictures has yet to comment on the story, setting, and scope of the upcoming action movie, a source told The Hollywood Reporter in the same article mentioned above that The Mummy 4 will reportedly be a sequel, as opposed to a reboot, that will disregard the events of Tomb of the Dragon Emperor.

The first two movies in the Mummy franchise took place in Egypt, both during ancient times and the 1920s and 1930s, so it wouldn’t be outside the realm of possibility for this new feature film to take place around the mid-20th century. Though the 2008 movie is reportedly being left off the timeline, it did take place in the 1940s, which seems like a great place to pick back up with the story of Rick, Evelyn, and their family of archaeologists and adventurers.

When speaking with Empire Magazine in early 2026, directors Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett, known collectively as Radio Silence, didn’t share any specifics about the script being worked on by David Coggeshall, but they did provide a nice tease for what’s to come:

This didn’t shed light on any story elements, but it appears as if the creative team is aiming to capture the various elements that made the first two Mummy movies so much fun.

The Mummy 4’s Directors Want To Focus On Practical Effects Over CGI

Going back and watching the first two Mummy movies is a blast from the past, but it doesn’t take long to notice that the CGI has aged very poorly. Though the technology has advanced tremendously since then, it looks like Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett want to have a more practical approach to the franchise’s return. When asked by Bloody Disgusting if he and Bettinelli-Olin plan on taking a more practical route, Gillett had this to say:

Okay, the idea of a horror-centric action movie using practical effects to bring Ancient Egypt to life and then unleashing a mummy on the world millennia later has me even more excited for this movie.

Production Is Slated To Kick Off In August 2026

With The Mummy 4 cast starting to shape up, some are probably wondering about now when production will get started on this long-overdue sequel. Well, Radio Silence is planning for an August 2026 start. When speaking with Collider ahead of the release of Ready or Not 2: Here I Come, Tyler Gillett revealed that prep work on the project is supposed to start up sometime in May, with cameras “hopefully” rolling in August.

With production aiming to start nearly two years before the film’s release, this sounds like it’s going to be quite a daunting and ambitious shoot, which will undoubtedly be followed by extensive post-production work. That said, this is getting realer by the day…

Radio Silence Is Aiming For A PG-13 Rating

Over the past decade, Radio Silence has made a name for itself in the realm of horror, with its Scream and Ready or Not movies being blood-soaked and full of R-rated violence. So, will they plan to make The Mummy universe as extreme? Well, when speaking with Inverse in March 2026, they confirmed they’re aiming for a PG-13 rating with this funny back-and-forth:

With the line between PG-13 and R being a complicated one, it will be interesting to see just how much these two can get away with and still keep a rating that’ll allow moviegoers younger than 17 into the theater. Hopefully, they find a way to keep using buckets upon buckets of blood again

How To Watch The Other Mummy Movies

We still have a little over two years before The Mummy 4 goes from the tomb to the big screen, and that gives you plenty of time to go back and revisit the franchise up to this point. If you’ve never watched the daring adventure films, or if you just need a refresher, it’s never been easier to go back and see how it all started. While it sounds like Tomb of the Dragon Emperor is going to be retconned out of the timeline, we’re including the various ways to check it out for posterity.

• Stream The Mummy on HBO Max.
• Rent/Buy The Mummy on Amazon.
• Stream The Mummy Returns on HBO Max.
• Rent/Buy The Mummy Returns on Amazon.
• Stream The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor on HBO Max.
• Rent/Buy The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor on Amazon.
• Buy The Mummy Ultimate on Blu-ray on Amazon.

With the cast filling out, production gearing to kick off later this summer, and so much other forward momentum, there’s a lot to look forward to with The Mummy. Now we just need to find out what it’s going to be about…

When it comes to action/adventure franchises of the late ‘90s/early 2000s, very few generate as much nostalgia as The Mummy. That iteration of Universal’s classic monster-based IP was fronted by Brendan Fraser as well as Rachel Weisz, who starred in the first two films. In the years since the series went dormant, fans have wondered if there was a chance it might rise again (sorry, I couldn’t resist that joke). Well, it seems another installment is in the works, with Fraser and Weisz reportedly returning alongside some talented horror directors.

It’s been reported that Universal Pictures is officially moving forward with what could probably be referred to right now as The Mummy 4. Per Deadline, Fraser and Weisz are only in talks to return at this point and, should the A-listers sign on, it’s likely they’ll reprise their roles as husband-and-wife team Rick O'Connell and Evelyn Carnahan, respectively. For right now, it remains unclear whether other franchise alums, like John Hannah (Jonathan Carnahan) or Luke Ford (Alex O’Connell), will return for the film.

What’s also exciting about this news is the reported involvement of filmmakers Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett a.k.a. Radio Silence. Gillett and Bettinelli-Olpin are reportedly set to direct the legacy sequel, for which David Coggeshall is writing the script. The two directors have proven themselves to be exciting filmmakers, thanks to their work on Ready or Not, Scream, Scream VI and Abigail. Given their horror expertise, they could inject some true scares into this new movie alongside the more adventurous elements.

The Brendan Fraser-led Mummy franchise began in 1999, with a first installment helmed and written by Stephen Sommers. A beloved blockbuster, it sees Rick, Evelyn (or “Evie”) and her brother, Jonathan, joining forces with a group of Medjai protectors and others to stop a resurrected Egyptian high priest known as Imhotep. The film became a box office hit and spawned two sequels – 2001’s The Mummy Returns and 2008’s The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor, the latter of which saw Maria Bello play Evie.

In the late 2010s, Universal attempted to reboot the franchise as part of its failed Dark Universe franchise. Tom Cruise ultimately headlined 2017’s The Mummy, which was met with negative reviews and little fanfare at the box office. Earlier this year, Fraser commented on that film’s performance, acknowledging Cruise and co.’s efforts but noting that it lacked “fun” like the OG films (except The Dragon Emperor).

Over the years, both Fraser and Weisz have discussed their experiences making the supernatural action movies. That includes the physical struggles Fraser faced as well as how he, Weisz and the cast dealt with the challenges of filming in hot environments. Despite any challenges they faced amid production, in recent years, both stars, at the very least, seemed open to reprising their roles should the right opportunity arise.

What should be pointed out here is that this project isn’t connected to Warner Bros.’ Mummy reboot that’s set to debut amid the 2026 movie schedule. That film is directed by horror savant Lee Cronin and stars Jack Reynor, Laia Costa, Verónica Falcón and May Calamawy. Plot details on that film are still being kept under wraps (sorry) and, as a result, fans still have questions about it.

It’s definitely not uncommon for multiple iterations of the same IP to be produced around the same time. (Just look at how DC Studios is currently managing two versions of Batman.) So it’s not far-fetched that Universal would want to move ahead with The Mummy 4 and essentially keep the “Brenaissance” going. I’ll certainly be keeping an eye on how this project develops under Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett’s leadership.

Oscar winner Brendan Fraser is happily pausing his Brenissance 2.0 to cheer on a friend. As Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson earns early acclaim for his vulnerable turn in the upcoming The Smashing Machine, the George of the Jungle veteran star lit up when asked about his former The Mummy Returns (sorta) scene partner stepping into a bruising prestige role — and potentially the thick of awards season.

While promoting his own 2025 movie schedule release Rental Family, Fraser spoke with People at TIFF. TheWhale star said it’s “exciting” to see Johnson in this new phase, fresh off festival raves and headed for a busy fall. In his words:

That endorsement lands with extra warmth given their shared history. Johnson’s big-screen debut came opposite the Crash actor in 2001’s The Mummy Returns, though the two technically never spoke on set, but they have traded support ever since. When Fraser’s The Whale comeback drew standing ovations in 2022, Johnson publicly cheered him on and recalled how the Brothers performer welcomed him into the popular Mummy franchise for his first film role. Fraser called that message “really nice,” a small gesture fans of both men still cite as a highlight of the Brenaissance.

Johnson’s latest performance, as MMA legend Mark Kerr in the upcoming A24 release, has been framed as a deliberate shift away from action movie franchise mode toward something more vulnerable. The Venice-to-Toronto buzz has only stoked curiosity about how far the star is willing to peel back the persona. With a U.S. and Canada theatrical date set for October 3, the stage is set for a second, very different act from the guy who once turned up as the Scorpion King.

Brendan Fraser knows that terrain. Two award seasons ago, he rode festival love all the way to Best Actor for The Whale, a role that asked him to be present, exposed, and unguarded. His read on Johnson — “you’ll be seeing a lot more of him on these red carpets” — sounds less like wishful thinking and more like recognition. He’s seen how a single, fully committed performance can realign a career, and he is more than a little qualified to recognize the telltale signs that a familiar face is about to surprise a lot of audience members.

Meanwhile, the Doom Patrol alum is keeping his own momentum. Though he’s been candid about being “picky” with his next roles, he finally has a follow-up: Rental Family, which could put him back in the award season mix. He plays an American actor in Tokyo hired by a “rental family” agency to stand in for strangers, and the film is set for a November 21 release.

This post-Oscar run has taken him from Killers of the Flower Moon to intimate festival fare. And the Brenaissance train refuses to hit the gas yet—he’s taking another measured swing with his upcoming D-Day movie Pressure, reportedly another grab the tissues entry. With each new role, Brendan Fraser’s comeback looks less like a blip and more like a mission to move audiences with heartfelt, memorable work.

If The Smashing Machine becomes Johnson’s gateway to the prestige circuit, the Inkheart actor is the perfect person to welcome him to the party.

Looking back on the last decades or so of blockbusters, few disasters stand out quite like 2017's The Mummy. The film was made to help usher in a new, special era for Universal's Classic Monsters (with plans to build an MCU-esque continuity called The Dark Universe), and it was loaded with the extreme star power of Tom Cruise... but critics hated it, and it was ultimately judged a box office bomb.

So what went wrong? Many have contributed thoughts to the discourse, and that now includes Brendan Fraser – who memorably starred in the Mummy trilogy from 1999 to 2008. The actor was a part of a recent Mummy-centric panel at Fan Expo Denver, and according to Collider, he was asked for his thoughts on what went wrong with the Tom Cruise movie during the event. At first he demurred, saying that he didn't really have an answer and acknowledging that it's easy for any blockbuster to end up being a dud because the whole process is so difficult. Said Fraser,

Thinking more about it, the Academy Award-winner then suggested that it may have been a matter of tone. While perhaps suggesting a personal dislike for the last movie in his own Mummy trilogy, he suggested that the 2017 reboot from director Damon Lindelof didn't deliver what fans were really hoping for, which was a fun and thrilling adventure. In his words:

Co-starring Annabelle Wallis, Sofia Boutella, Jake Johnson, and Courtney B. Vance, 2017's The Mummy is arguably a darker take than what director Stephen Sommers crafted with 1999's The Mummy and 2001's The Mummy Returns – and there also wasn't exactly a great deal of expressed appreciation for the aggressive worldbuilding that saw Russell Crowe introduced as a version of Dr. Henry Jekyll / Edward "Eddie" Hyde who is part of a secret order dedicated to investigating dangerous supernatural matters around the world.

With a lot of fans at the time confused and upset that Universal Studios wasn't continuing the adventures of Brendan Fraser's Rick O'Connell, there was a bit of backlash (a sentiment that has continued with the development of the new Mummy reboot currently in the works), and when fans don't get what they are hoping for on the big screen, that can be a key ingredient to creating a flop. Or as Brendan Fraser put it,

After reading all of this, I don't suppose many of you are in the mood to revisit The Mummy starring Tom Cruise, but if you feel so inclined and wish to do so with a couple of clicks, all you need is an Amazon Prime subscription. As for those of you who want to revisit the Brendan Fraser movies, the first two (a.k.a. the better two in the series) are available to stream with an AMC+ account.

April is coming to a close, but that doesn’t mean we’re running out of things to watch as the 2025 TV premiere schedule can show. Two incredibly popular streaming series are debuting new seasons this week. In addition, we’re seeing what could hopefully be one of the best new 2025 movies on streaming.

The long-awaited second season of Andor is finally here on Disney+, promising to bridge the gap between the events of Season 1 and Rogue One. Netflix will also see the final season of one of its popular shows get started as You premieres just days later.

Andor, Season 2, 3-episode Premiere - April 22 (Disney+)

While not everybody has loved all of the new Star Wars movies and series under Disney, one show that nearly everybody believed made a Disney+ subscription worthwhile was the first season of Andor. Now the second season makes its debut in hopes it will be just as good. As with Season 1, each group of three episodes will make up a different story arc. This time around, all three episodes will be released at once each week.

Gladiator II - April 22 (Prime Video)

Gladiator II may not have reached quite the heights of the original film, but it was an epic movie nonetheless, with an incredible performance by Denzel Washington that is alone with making sure you have a Prime Video subscription so you can check it out.

Sea Lions of the Galapagos/Guardians of the Galapagos - April 22 (Disney+)

April 22 is Earth Day, and for the last several years, Disney has used that day to release its newest Disneynature documentary. This year will see the release of Sea Lions of the Galapogos, narrated by Oscar winner Brendan Fraser, and the behind-the-scenes documentary Guardians of the Galapogos, narrated by Blair Underwood. Disneynature films trace their origins back to the original True Life Adventures produced under Walt Disney himself, and it's wonderful that the studio is still making them today..

You, Season 5 - April 24 (Netflix)

You has been one of the most consistently compelling streaming series around for its previous four seasons. Now, fans will surely be ready to see how the story comes to a close as Season 5 will mark the end of You.

Havoc - April 25 (Netflix)

Director Gareth Evans is responsible for one of the greatest action movies of all time in The Raid: Redemption. Now, he directs Tom Hardy in the new crime thriller Havoc. If the movie is even a fraction as good as Evans' best efforts, it will be a reason to have a Netflix subscription and possibly a reason to keep one just so you can keep watching it again and again.

Baby Girl - April 25 (Max)

The early buzz surrounding A24’s Babygirl was that it could mean another Oscar nomination for Nicole Kidman, and while that didn’t materialize, it’s still a strong performance by one of our great living actresses and a movie worth checking out when it’s made available with a Max subscription.

Next week, April becomes May, so get ready for the monthly content churn as all your favorite movies jump from one streaming platform to another. At least their original shows and movies won’t go anywhere.

We’ve been seeing Brendan Fraser a lot lately since the start of his remarkable career comeback. From landing a major role in Darren Aronofsky’s The Whale to the crime-comedy movie Brothers, the Brenaissance train is rolling, and I’m not complaining. Beyond his big movie roles, Fraser being seen at New York Fashion Week may not have been on my bingo card – but the video of him reacting to what he’s seeing is stellar.

Even though Brendan Fraser has been loving his Brenaissance journey, he’s one of the many actors who finds joy in living outside of Hollywood. After all, he's said a life in Upstate New York has its advantages like taking walks, gathering firewood, and taking up his hobby of shooting bows and arrows at targets. Another benefit of living in New York would be attending local events like New York Fashion Week, where his 20-year-old son Holden walked the runway. You have to watch the TikTok video of Fraser’s reactions at the event below:

This is priceless! We see Brendan Fraser showing off a variety of facial reactions ranging from impressed, confused, and mind-boggling. But the best part is seeing The Mummy actor rolling out his smartphone to film the runway models. He’s giving off so many supportive dad vibes that truly warm my heart.

Not only has Brendan Fraser been there for his kids during their big career moments, but they’ve returned the favor to their father in the past too. At the start of the Brenaissance when The Whale was getting such high praise, his sons Holden and Leland attended the red carpet to support their dad. They also helped celebrate Fraser’s first Oscar nomination by giving their loving father Carvel’s Fudgie the Whale ice cream cake and balloons. Fraser sweetly called that celebratory moment “a core memory” of his.

You also can’t forget the precious moment when he brought his sons to the Oscars and they got to see their dear old dad win his first Academy Award. It’s incredibly endearing how a career milestone of Fraser’s also became a heartwarming family moment.

Other than a surprise cameo in the New York fashion scene, Brendan Fraser also has his schedule filled with plenty of 2025 movie releases. There’s the comedy-drama film Rental Family about an American actor working for a Tokyo “rental family” company playing many stand-in roles for other people’s lives. There’s also his new role in the D-Day movie Pressure in which he’ll play Supreme Allied Commander Dwight D. Eisenhower. With so many diverse roles ahead, it looks like Fraser will have plenty of opportunities to blow audiences away, whether he makes us laugh, cry, or leave us in awe.

Seeing Brendan Fraser reacting to chic models passing his way during New York Fashion Week has truly made my week. Not only is the talented actor versatile when he’s playing a role, but he’s definitely very expressive when he’s just being himself. Keep checking in to find the release dates of Fraser’s upcoming movies.

As the much anticipated 50th Saturday Night Live anniversary special nears on the 2025 TV schedule, many past and present cast members have been reminiscing, including Leslie Jones and Molly Shannon. Between the behind-the-scenes documentaries that are available with a Peacock subscription and all the press, SNL big hitters have revealed some pretty unique and hilarious anecdotes. This, obviously, includes lots of stories about getting laughs and laughing. In the case of both Jones and Shannon, their tales are about breaking and laughing in the presence of Melissa McCarthy and Brendan Fraser, respectively.

In honor of Season 50, Jones, Shannon and more shared some of their highlights of not being able to keep it together during their tenure on SNL with People. Breaking almost feels like a time-honored inevitability on this show, and it's always delightful to see, what's even better is hearing why it happened, take a look:

These stories really are wild, and hard to fathom. However, they hilariously happened, and we're going to break them down a bit further.

Melissa McCarthy Broke Leslie Jones On SNL

It’s not shocking in the slightest that one of the Five-Timers Club members broke Leslie Jones. Melissa McCarthy has been a modern-day favorite; from her stint as former White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer to her Matt Foley impersonation and all the committed oddball bits in between, there’s no question she can break some of the best.

What seemed to help this perfect storm for the Bridesmaids actress to make the former Super Market Sweep host laugh were her SNL castmates. Jones’ former peers, Kenan Thompson and Cecily Strong, used to tell her the wrong camera direction. So, when she did lose it, the camera caught her full-on. And then when she started laughing, she couldn't stop:

With all the upcoming SNL events, hosts and musical acts I'm hopeful that we'll see McCarthy crack a joke or two at some 50th event. Then, maybe, by some lightning strike of luck, she can maybe make Jones break again, because this whole story and moment is delightful.

Molly Shannon’s Wild Story About Brendan Fraser Hosting

I think only Molly Shannon could have a story about her, Will Ferrell, Brendan Fraser and Xena the Princess Warrior and have it make sense.

In the sketch in question, all seemed to be going well for the How the Grinch Stole Christmas actress until she accidentally pulled off a part of Fraser’s Xena costume. She then had a wild thought that made all involved with the bit break, and there was no hope of coming back, as she recalled fondly:

It’s wild to watch both the usual players and the special guest of the week perform live with very little practice time, especially knowing former SNL hosts' opinions about just how chaotic this gig can be. It's even better when live and spontaneous moments like this get caught on camera. The instances that break the cast have always been one of the best parts of the historic late-night show, and the situation involving The Mummy actor proves that.

Now, the anniversary show and the rest of the 50th season can’t come soon enough! This onslaught of SNL stories has me pumped, and watching Leslie Jones talk about how Melissa McCarthy broke her along with Molly Shannon’s recounting of the Brendan Fraser-Xena story makes me motivated to go find more Studio 8H fun.

Thankfully, that's not hard to do, as Saturday Night Live airs on its titular night at 11:30 pm ET and the 50th Anniversary Special drops on February 16 at 8 p.m. ET.

The Academy Award for Best Actor has been handed out every year since 1929 — fun fact, it was awarded to German actor Emil Jannings for not one but two acclaimed roles, in The Last Command and The Way of All Flesh — and in the near-century since, it's been presented 97 times to 86 actors. But while taking home that coveted statuette is definitely a career highlight for any performer, the honor does add a little extra pressure on the actor's next project. Will it be as beloved and acclaimed as the role that won them the gold? Here are 32 films that Oscar-winning actors did after taking home the Academy Award, and how they were received.

Cillian Murphy

After the enormity of portraying famed physicist J. Robert Oppenheimer in Christopher Nolan's billion-dollar blockbuster Oppenheimer, and taking home the 2024 Oscar for Best Actor in the process, Cillian Murphy went small for his next film — literally. In the 2024 adaptation of Claire Keegan's Small Things Like These, Murphy returned to his native Ireland to play Bill, a quiet coal merchant and father of five internally struggling with the harsh realities of the infamous Magdalene Laundries. While Murphy didn't replicate the awards dominance of Oppenheimer with SMTLT, his internal and affecting performance was widely praised by critics.

Joaquin Phoenix

After four nominations throughout his decades-spanning career, Joaquin Phoenix finally took home that Best Actor statue in 2020 for his engrossing portrayal of the nihilistic clown Arthur Fleck in Todd Phillips' Joker. Following that iconic role, Phoenix next appeared in the 2021 Mike Mills dramedy C'mon C'mon, an improv-heavy performance that saw the actor play a middle-aged radio journalist tasked with babysitting his nephew (Woody Norman) while on the road for work. Phoenix was nominated for Outstanding Lead Performance at the Gotham Awards, and the film was chosen by the National Board of Review as one of the Top 10 Independent Films of the year.

Will Smith

Will Smith had quite an, um, eventful evening when he took home the Oscar for Best Actor in 2022 for King Richard after two prior nominations (Ali, The Pursuit of Happyness). Winning an Oscar means that a spotlight is already bright on an actor, but the added publicity from the ceremony means his post-slap comeback would be even more scrutinized than usual. His follow-up was 2022's Emancipation, in which he played a runaway slave in 1860s Louisiana. Though the drama received mixed reviews overall, Smith won the NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actor in a Motion Picture for his performance.

Anthony Hopkins

Though he's garnered six Oscar nominations across his illustrious acting career — with his most recent win being for 2021's The Father — Anthony Hopkins' first Academy Award was for that scene-stealing villain, psychiatrist turned serial killer Hannibal Lector in 1991's The Silence of the Lambs. Following up such an iconic performance is no small task and unfortunately, Hopkins' next film, 1992's Freejack opposite Emilio Estevez and Mick Jagger, was a sci-fi dud, bombing both with critics and audiences. During an appearance on the Late Show with David Letterman, Hopkins himself called the film "terrible."

Leonardo DiCaprio

Five-time nominee Leonardo DiCaprio had a bit of "always the bridesmaid" syndrome where the Academy Awards were concerned, until he finally took home the Best Actor Oscar for his emotionally raw and physically punishing performance in Alejandro G. Iñárritu's 2019 Western epic The Revenant. His next big-screen role was, graciously, a bit less cold and blustery, trading the frosty American Midwest for starry Los Angeles in Quentin Tarantino's Once Upon a Time in Hollywood. The latter received 10 Oscar nominations at the 92nd Academy Awards, including a nod for DiCaprio's individual work.

Denzel Washington

Denzel Washington had already taken home a Best Supporting Actor Oscar for playing a Civil War soldier in the 1989 war drama Glory, but he got his first big Best Actor win for portraying corrupt LAPD officer Alonzo Harris in the 2001 crime thriller Training Day. His next performance was another memorable Denzel role: as the title character in the 2002 Nick Cassavetes-directed drama John Q, which saw Washington play a desperate father who takes a hospital emergency room hostage in order for his son to receive a heart transplant. Alas, despite some praise for Denzel's performance, the film itself boasts only a 26% critics' rating on Rotten Tomatoes.

Robert De Niro

Six years after taking home the Best Supporting Actor statue for The Godfather Part II, Robert De Niro got his Best Actor win for his iconic and intense work as boxing champion Jake LaMotta in Martin Scorsese's Raging Bull. A year later, De Niro put away the boxing gloves and picked up the Bible to play a Roman Catholic monsignor in 1981's True Confessions, opposite fellow The Godfather great Robert Duvall. Though reviews for the neo-noir were largely positive, the National Review's William F. Buckley, Jr. panned it: "Robert De Niro is badly miscast. He is never entirely convincing."

Matthew McConaughey

After acclaimed turns in 2011's Lincoln Lawyer and 2012's Magic Mike, the so-called "McConaissance" was officially solidified a year later with Matthew McConaughey's Oscar-winning portrayal of Ron Woodroof, a cowboy diagnosed with AIDS, in the biopic Dallas Buyers Club. Despite not having nearly as much screentime, the actor's next performance was just as memorable: a chest-thumping, meme-inducing extended cameo as Mark Hanna in Martin Scorsese's The Wolf of Wall Street.

Tom Hanks

Beyond being one of the most beloved actors of all time, Tom Hanks also holds a piece of cinema history: he's one of only two actors to win back-to-back Academy Awards for acting. Yes, that means after taking home the Best Actor Oscar for his heart-wrenching performance as HIV-positive lawyer Andrew Beckett in 1994's Philadelphia, Hanks struck Oscar gold yet again with his very next performance, as the titular lead of 1995's Forrest Gump.

Rami Malek

Rami Malek belted his way to an Oscar as legendary Queen frontman Freddie Mercury in the glossy 2019 biopic Bohemian Rhapsody. His first post-award performance also revolved around his voice — voice acting, that is, as Malek portrayed a mountain gorilla named Chee-Chee in the 2020 fantasy-adventure film Dolittle, with his future Oppenheimer co-star Robert Downey Jr. as the titular doc. The family-friendly flick received abysmal reviews from critics, with Courtney Howard of Variety writing: "What should have been an awe-filled adventure quickly curdles into an awful one, thanks to a pedestrian formula and the filmmakers' fixation on fart jokes."

Adrien Brody

In 2003, Adrien Brody made Oscar history when he won the Academy Award for Best Actor at age 29 for his portrayal of Władysław Szpilman in Roman Polanski's war drama The Pianist, becoming the youngest actor ever to win in that category. Later that year, he followed up his historic win with the musical crime comedy The Singing Detective, about a mystery writer (Robert Downey Jr.) who relives his detective stories through his imagination and hallucinations. The film scored a 39% "Rotten" rating on Rotten Tomatoes.

Jamie Foxx

Jamie Foxx had one hell of a 2004, serving up not one but two award-worthy performances: He took home the Academy Award for Best Actor for his performance as soul great Ray Charles in the 2004 biopic Ray and also received a Best Supporting Actor nod that same year for his work in the crime film Collateral. It would be near-impossible for any performer to hit that kind of stratospheric high again, especially with Foxx's follow-up Stealth — the 2005 military action flick co-starring Josh Lucas and Jessica Biel was dubbed a "stink-bomb" by Roger Ebert.

Daniel Day-Lewis

Acting legend Daniel Day-Lewis deservedly holds the record for the most Best Actor awards ever, with three wins out of six nominations, but his first was for playing Christy Brown, a writer-artist born with cerebral palsy, in the 1989 drama My Left Foot. And though he would later follow that iconic role up by playing famous figures such as Abraham Lincoln and Bill the Butcher, his immediate next performance was as an Irish-American dentist traveling around Argentina in the forgettable 1989 dramedy Eversmile, New Jersey.

Jack Nicholson

The first of three Academy Awards for the legendary movie star, Jack Nicholson's One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest performance as Randle McMurphy nabbed him the Oscar in 1976. Later that year, he would star as cattle rustler Tom Logan opposite Marlon Brandon in the Arthur Penn-helmed Western The Missouri Breaks. Coming hot on the heels of not only his own Oscar win but also Brando's for The Godfather, the film was highly anticipated — however, it failed to live up to those expectations and became a notorious critical and commercial flop.

Marlon Brando

One of the most iconic cinema stars of all time, Marlon Brando was nominated for eight Oscars across his decades-spanning career. He won two, the first being for his electrifying role as prizefighter turned longshoreman Terry Malloy in the 1954 crime drama On the Waterfront, widely considered one of the greatest acting performances of all time. His next role as Napoleon Bonaparte in the historical romance Désirée didn't win him any awards, but Variety reportedly called his performance "a masterful exhibition of thesping" at the time.

Philip Seymour Hoffman

The late, great Philip Seymour Hoffman had already solidified himself as a vibrant and vital supporting actor with films like The Talented Mr. Ripley, Almost Famous, Magnolia and 25th Hour, but his Oscar-winning portrayal of author Truman Capote in 2005's Capote officially upped him to leading man status. He would receive another three Oscar nominations in the years to follow, but his very next role was more of a crowd-pleaser than an awards grab: as arms dealer Owen Davian in Mission: Impossible III.

Russell Crowe

Audiences and critics alike were very much entertained by Russell Crowe's performance as Maximus Decimus Meridius in the 2000 Rome-set epic Gladiator, which earned the New Zealand-born star the Best Actor Oscar at the 73rd Academy Awards. Crowe would go up for the same award only a year later, for his portrayal of American mathematician John Forbes Nash Jr. in the biographical drama A Beautiful Mind, but he lost to Training Day lead Denzel Washington.

Jean Dujardin

Jean Dujardin rose to international fame with his performance as George Valentin in the 2011 silent movie The Artist — his Oscar win was a historic one, as he was the first French performer to ever take home the Best Actor statue. Despite his newfound Hollywood status, however, the actor-comedian returned to his native France for his next film credit: The Players, a 2012 comedy anthology co-starring Gilles Lellouche, with each man also directing and writing a segment.

Nicolas Cage

Nicolas Cage's filmography is a wild ride, from critically acclaimed fare like Raising Arizona, Moonstruck and Adaptation to straight-to-video shlock. Thankfully, his 1995 drama Leaving Las Vegas falls into the former category, winning Cage the Best Actor Oscar for his role as alcoholic screenwriter Ben Sanderson. (Funnily enough, it's not one of Nic Cage's favorite Nic Cage movies.) His next movie was the 1996 action thriller The Rock, which also won Cage an award: the Best On-Screen Duo statue at the MTV Movie Awards alongside co-star Sean Connery.

Eddie Redmayne

British star Eddie Redmayne won the Academy Award for Best Actor for his portrayal of famed theoretical physicist Stephen Hawking in the 2014 biographical drama The Theory of Everything. But that career high was immediately followed by a career-low: a Golden Raspberry Award — a parody award honoring cinematic failures — for Worst Supporting Actor for his work in the galactically goofy 2015 space opera Jupiter Ascending. Even he admitted his performance was bad!

Sidney Poitier

A movie icon through and through, Bahamian-American actor Sidney Poitier made history in 1964 as the first Black performer to win the Academy Award for Best Actor for his performance in Lilies of the Field. A year later, he moved on from that seminal role with the 1965 Cold War thriller The Bedford Incident, as a civilian photojournalist aboard a U.S. Navy ship that gets into some messy business with a Soviet submarine. Though Bosley Crowther of The New York Times wrote that "the whole thing transcends plausibility," other critics clearly disagreed — the movie has an 86% Certified Fresh rating.

Sean Penn

After a trio of Best Actor nominations, Sean Penn's haunting performance as a grieving, vengeful father of a murdered Boston girl in the Clint Eastwood-directed neo-noir Mystic River finally got him the Academy Award in 2004. Later that year, Penn starred in yet another crime thriller, The Assassination of Richard Nixon, based on the story of the POTUS's would-be assassin Samuel Byck in the mid-1970s. The latter film didn't share the award-worthy gravitas of Mystic River, though, per Rotten Tomatoes, critical consensus said: "A fascinating true story and compelling Sean Penn performance are worthy compensations."

Roberto Benigni

Few Oscar wins were as memorable as Roberto Benigni's, what with presenter Sofia Loren's passionate declaration of "Roberto!" to Benigni's literal victory lap up to the stage. The Italian actor-director took the Best Actor trophy in 1998 for the Holocaust tragicomedy Life is Beautiful, making him the first honoree for a non-English language performance. A year later, he would appear in a very different movie: French-Italian-German comedy adventure flick Asterix and Obelix vs. Caesar opposite Gérard Depardieu and Christian Clavier, which was a box office success.

Al Pacino

One of the most influential actors in modern cinema, Al Pacino was nominated for eight Academy Awards — including for The Godfather films, Serpico and the crime drama classic Dog Day Afternoon — before finally taking home the Best Actor statue for playing Frank Slade in 1992's Scent of a Woman. That Oscar win gave viewers an extra critical eye on his next role, as Nuyorican criminal Carlito Brigante in the De Palma crime drama Carlito's Way, however, reviews were largely positive.

Ben Kingsley

It's a daunting thing playing any famous figure in movies based on true stories, especially when the subject is so famous, that they need only one name. Case in point: Gandhi, the 1982 bio epic about the Indian political and spiritual leader Mahatma Gandhi, directed by Richard Attenborough and performed by English actor Sir Ben Kingsley. Luckily for them, the film won Best Picture and Kingsley took home the Best Actor award. Though his next project, the 1983 film adaptation of Harold Pinter's play Betrayal, didn't get Oscar acclaim, it was well-received by critics.

Humphrey Bogart

It seems surprising that Humphrey Bogart didn't win the Oscar for a role as iconic as Rick Blaine in the 1942 classic Casablanca. No, it would actually be another eight years until ol' Bogie won Best Actor for The African Queen, starring as Canadian mechanic Charlie Allnut opposite Katharine Hepburn's Methodist missionary Rose Sayer. His post-Oscar follow-up was the 1952 noir Deadline – U.S.A.: Variety said "Bogart gives a convincing performance all the way" as a big-city newspaper editor who exposes a gangster's crimes.

Forest Whitaker

Forest Whitaker was ferocious and formidable as Ugandan dictator Idi Amin in the 2006 historical drama The Last King of Scotland, one of his best performances that got the performer a Best Actor Oscar in '07. Later that year, the actor appeared in the ensemble crime drama The Air I Breathe alongside Kevin Bacon, Julie Delpy and Brendan Fraser. Though reviews for the film were overwhelmingly negative, several singled out Whitaker's performance. Annabelle Robertson at Crosswalk wrote: "Whitaker, in particular, is extremely sympathetic in his role—a feat that is all the more outstanding after his turn as the evil dictator in The Last King of Scotland."

Dustin Hoffman

After three Best Actor nods, New Hollywood icon Dustin Hoffman received his first Academy Award for playing half of a couple going through a devastating divorce (alongside an equally great Meryl Streep) in Kramer vs. Kramer in 1980. His next movie role is just as much of a classic: as Michael Dorsey-slash-Dorothy Michaels in the beloved 1982 comedy Tootsie, which nabbed the star yet another Best Actor nomination.

Gary Oldman

Gary Oldman was nearly unrecognizable in his prosthetics-heavy performance as British Prime Minister Winston Churchill in the 2017 historical drama Darkest Hour. The Academy Awards honored the quintessential Oldman role with a Best Actor award, his second nomination after Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy. His next role was just as transformative, if not nearly as acclaimed: Oldman voiced an artificial intelligence in the 2018 sci-fi thriller Tau, which holds a woeful critical rating of 27% on Rotten Tomatoes.

Laurence Olivier

One of the most celebrated Shakespearean actors in film history, cinema icon Laurence Olivier starred in and directed adaptations of three of the Bard's best-known words, Henry V (1944), Hamlet (1948) and Richard III (1955), and earned a Best Actor Oscar for playing the Prince of Denmark. After portraying one of the most famous characters of all time, Olivier switched it up by cameoing as a no-name policeman in the 1951 drama The Magic Box, a "distinguished" bit of stunt casting that The New York Times praised as a delightful "extravagance."

Casey Affleck

Casey Affleck's devastating performance as a father grieving the loss of his three children in Kenneth Lonergan's gut-wrenching Manchester by the Sea clearly broke the collective hearts of the Academy, which voted to give the Boston-bred performer the Best Actor award in 2017. That year, he would tackle another exploration of love and loss with the supernatural drama A Ghost Story, which was a hit with critics — Richard Brody of The New Yorker included the title on his list of the decade's best films.

Brendan Fraser

Brendan Fraser experienced quite the career comeback when he took the Best Actor Oscar for his acclaimed performance as a morbidly obese, housebound English teacher in the 2022 Darren Aronofsky-directed melodrama The Whale. He kept those high-profile projects going with his next film credit, as attorney W. S. Hamilton in Martin Scorsese's stunning American crime drama Killers of the Flower Moon, which was nominated for 10 Academy Awards, including Best Picture.

Brendan Fraser is certainly an example of an actor who made a remarkable career comeback. After a series of personal setbacks, the American-Canadian gained acclaim in 2022 with a major role in Darren Aronofsky’s The Whale, which led to multiple other projects on the Brenaissance train. While still "pinching" himself, Fraser talks about the useful career advice that came from former co-star Ian McKellen and it’s truly served him well.

It took Brendan Fraser a long time to make a career comeback, with his Gods and Monsters director Bill Condon speculating the audience was growing tired of his blockbuster trope and would be welcomed again if he returned to a different role entirely. The Mummy actor definitely reinvented himself in his universally-acclaimed role in The Whale, which led to him winning his first Oscar. With the Brenaissance train not losing any steam, the Glory Daze actor said in a Deadline video that the advice his Gods and Monsters co-star Ian McKellen gave him stuck throughout the years and it’s served him well:

That’s truly some sound advice from the Shakespearean actor. You never know where a Hollywood career could take you, nor whether a role could be a breakthrough or one an actor wishes they could forget.

The “first and last time” philosophy surely could have related to The Whale. Brendan Fraser dived into the role of Charlie for the “first time” playing a character he never portrayed before. He worked with obesity advocates to help give his character justice and had to wear a prosthesis and a bodysuit to understand Charlie’s physical challenges as a 600-pound man. The “last time” could refer to the importance of honoring Charlie’s story if his performance in The Whale wasn’t well-received and did nothing for Fraser’s career. Fortunately, the A24 movie was the stepping stone the talented actor needed.

The Bedazzled actor made a career comeback that any returning actor would strive for when he received multiple accolades for The Whale, such as a Golden Globe, Screen Actors Guild, and an Oscar, to name a few. Not to mention, Brendan Fraser continued his epic run with Killers of the Flower Moon and the Amazon MGM Studios comedy Brothers, and has an upcoming D-Day movie Pressure lined up. Despite Fraser’s newfound fame he’s recently received, the Journey to the Center of the Earth actor said he still couldn't believe where his life has taken him:

With new acting roles coming Brendan Fraser’s way, I doubt that wonderful feeling of humbleness and gratitude will ever escape him. The Doom Patrol actor previously said despite all of the praise and gigs he’s gotten, he doesn’t want to be too comfortable with it all for fear it could come to an end. Even though he’s proven what a versatile actor he is, Fraser knows he still wants to show audiences what he’s made of by welcoming new acting challenges. I personally can’t wait to see if there’s any future role out there for the award-winning actor that can match the stellar performance he gave for The Whale.

It’s a good thing that Brendan Fraser had veteran actors like Ian McKellen in his circle to give him outstanding advice that’s stuck with him hard. All actors should approach each role like it could be “the first and last time” they act so they can provide meaning to their performance and leave a lasting impact on the audience. Take a look at our 2025 movie releases so you don’t miss a beat of Fraser’s surging career.

When it comes to franchise reboots no one asked for, few spark as much passionate debate as The Mummy. News recently broke that Blumhouse and Atomic Monster are teaming up for a brand-new Mummy movie slated for 2026, and social media quickly erupted with reactions. A large portion of fans? They’re still mourning the absence of Brendan Fraser, whose swashbuckling take on Rick O’Connell in the 1999 classic not only defined the film but secured its status as one of the best movies of the '90s. While Blumhouse is promising a fresh and terrifying approach to the ancient Egyptian horror, fans are making one thing crystal clear: without the original Mummy cast, it’s just not the same.

The reboot’s announcement was met with a mix of excitement and skepticism. Lee Cronin, the director behind the bloody and critically acclaimed Evil Dead Rise in 2023, is at the project's helm. Cronin’s vision is set to dig deep into the franchise’s horror movie roots—a prospect that should excite genre enthusiasts.

However, for fans of the trio of Stephen Sommers-helmed action-comedy flicks, the pivot to straight horror feels like a far cry from what made The Mummy a beloved favorite. As one viral post on X (formerly Twitter) humorously illustrated with the perfect meme, this decision is not something they want to get behind:

Brendan Fraser’s portrayal of the charismatic adventurer made him a defining figure of the late 1990s and early 2000s action-comedy landscape. Fans haven’t forgotten that charm—and many are now calling for the George of the Jungle star to return in a new installment of the franchise. Another viral post from @SeanTaj reads:

Others echoed this sentiment, with some clamoring for not just Fraser but also the return of Rachel Weisz and other cast members from the original trilogy. As @Pat_Kc perfectly summed it up:

It’s not just nostalgia driving these sentiments—fans have a deep emotional connection to The Mummy trilogy. For many, those films struck the perfect balance between thrilling adventure, lighthearted humor, and dazzling spectacle, making them timeless classics–and what fans might not know is that a Mummy 4 almost happened. And with Fraser enjoying a major career resurgence in recent years (thanks to his Oscar-winning turn in The Whale), the timing feels perfect for him to reprise his role.

The original Mummy trilogy has only grown in popularity over the years, which is why fans are vocal about a sequel to those movies. One reply from @UJStrikesBack went as far as listing out the dream reunion cast:

Another fan perfectly encapsulated the frustration many feel about Hollywood’s obsession with reboots. User @kiana_weisz shared their thoughts, writing:

Blumhouse’s version may be more terror-oriented than adventure-oriented, but as history shows, fans are drawn to the heart and humor Brendan Fraser and his co-stars brought to the series, and Hollywood may want to take note. For now, fans continue to make their voices heard.

If you want to revisit the OG Mummy trilogy, they’re available to stream with a Hulu subscription.

When it comes to upcoming horror movies, we’re about to see a ton of classic movie monsters return to the fold. From Nosferatu hitting theaters on Christmas to Universal’s new Wolf Man movie, there’s a lot to look forward to. But now it’s also been announced that another Mummy movie is on the way in 2026, and I can’t stop thinking about the Brendan Fraser movies.

Blumhouse Is Making A New The Mummy Movie

Lee Cronin, who previously did 2023’s Evil Dead Rise, is behind the next Mummy movie, per an announcement from Atomic Monster and Blumhouse, which are producing it. It has an April 17, 2026 release date, and Cronin had this to say about the project:

Cronin is penning the script for the new Mummy movie, as well as directing. He’ll have James Wan of The Conjuring movies and Jason Blum on his side as producers, along with his Evil Dead Rise producer John Keville. Other than that, we just have this Instagram teaser:

I think it’s safe to say that the next The Mummy movie is going full horror. While the property has been around way longer than when Brendan Fraser gave off big movie star energy in the 1999 movie, that’s the next movie from the franchise I want instead.

I Think The Next Great Mummy Movie Needs Brendan Fraser

The Mummy movies go way back, from the 1932 Boris Karloff version to the 1959 one with Christopher Lee. Aside from The Mummy trilogy, there’s also the awful 2017 reboot with Tom Cruise that was supposed to help set up the Dark Universe. While I totally get that Hollywood feels that it needs to give the property another try, I would much rather see Brendan Fraser back as Rick O’Connell having a blast in a tomb somewhere than see a generic horror movie about a buried corpse from Egypt coming to life... again.

Over the years, Brendan Fraser has shared his interest in doing another movie from the franchise, and as fans, we’ve been hoping to see a fourth movie in the franchise resurrected. Here are Fraser’s latest comments about being in another sequel for The Mummy from 2023:

Of course, Fraser at the time was speaking from the standpoint of someone who’s surely been asked this for many years and has yet to see a script to show for it. The 2017 reboot really showed what not to do with the franchise (as director of the 1999 Stephen Sommers said he was even insulted by the remake). Blumhouse's reputation with horror lately has been up and down, so while they could strike gold, I know what I'd prefer.

I think the sooner Hollywood realizes that The Mummy’s legend status currently comes from Brendan Fraser, the sooner they’ll have another hit from the franchise. But hey, maybe I’m totally wrong and Lee Cronin’s version will be amazing! We’ll keep you updated here on CinemaBlend.

Learning that Mike Flanagan is writing a movie about Clayface is, personally, one of the most exciting updates to the slate of upcoming DC movies I have heard in a long time (especially when considering how slow progress for Matt Reeves’ The Batman Part II appears to be going). The announcement of the Clayface movie has brought up some questions, such as who is directing and whether or not Batman will appear, but what I am most curious about at the moment is who will take on the title role.

According to Variety, Flanagan (the mind behind some of the best horror movies in recent memory) previously pitched the idea to DC Studios as a “horror/thriller tragedy,” which suggests to me that portraying this villain – basically a humanoid blob who can imitate any person he wishes – is going to take some heavy lifting. Below, I have a few ideas of what actors could handle the weight of playing Clayface in what is technically an upcoming Batman movie. Who might be in the best shape to mold the character into perfection?

Christopher Abbott

Clayface has taken on many different iterations in the pages of DC Comics and in adaptations but two of the most definitive aspects to the criminal’s story are elements similar to a body horror movie and themes of identity loss. Christopher Abbott – who recently played a villiain in a the new superhero movie, Kraven the Hunter – is an actor who has tackled both, as a man who loses control of his body in 2020’s Possessor and a husband and father undergoing a grotesque transformation in Blumhouse’s Wolf Man movie, which is due in 2025.

Brad Pitt

The first and most famous version of Clayface is Basil Karlo – a 1940s B-movie actor who takes on the eponymous moniker, based on a character he once played, after being passed for the opportunity to reprise another famous role drives him to madness. Despite the homicidal tendencies, the character reminds me a bit of Brad Pitt’s tragic role in Babylon as Jack Conrad – an aging actor longing to reclaim his glory days – which is why I believe the Academy Award winner, who is also lacking in many comic book roles, would be a great fit for the part.

Brendan Fraser

An Academy Award winner who has real-life experience with the struggle of fading in and out of the spotlight is Brendan Fraser, who has already dipped his feet in the world of DC as Robotman on Doom Patrol. However, he came oh so close to shining in a DC villain role (Firefly) before the nearly finished Batgirl movie was cancelled, and I think leading Clayface would be a wonderful consolation.

Zach Gilford

An actor whom I believe would also be a great choice to portray the vain and self-destructive tendencies of Clayface is Zach Gilford, based on his performance as a younger Roderick Usher in the great Netflix horror TV show, The Fall of the House of Usher. The miniseries is actually just one of a few acclaimed Mike Flanagan TV shows he has starred in (also including Midnight Mass and The Midnight Club), which could also increase his chances of landing the gig.

Oliver Jackson-Cohen

Another alum of the Flanagan Family whom I really admire is Oliver Jackson-Cohen, whose performance in 2018’s The Haunting of Hill House as recovering addict Luke Crain shows he has also mastered playing self-destructive characters. However, it is his performance as the ghostly Peter in The Haunting of Bly Manor that convinces me he is even better at portraying characters who are sinister but somewhat sympathetic, which would be key to playing Clayface.

Paul Mescal

Taking the necessity of making Clayface sympathetic into account, a performer who especially comes to mind as a perfect fit in that regard would be Paul Mescal. The Irish actor and Gladiator II star pours raw emotion in every role he plays and someone with his skills would make this strange comic book villain more real than ever.

Bill Skarsgård

For some, Bill Skarsgård’s attempt at playing a comic book hero with the 2024 reboot of The Crow serves as further proof that the star of Robert Eggers’ Nosferatu especially shines as a villain. Perhaps, by channeling the shapeshifting entity he previously played in the creepy clown movies, It and It Chapter Two, he could make an astounding DC movie debut as the most intimidating Clayface ever.

Ron Perlman

Most fans might agree that the absolute strongest performance as Clayface in an adaptation yet was voiced by Ron Perlman in one of the best episodes of Batman: The Animated Series, “Feats of Clay.” Combining both elements of Basil Karlo’s Silver Age and Post-Crisis iterations, the portrayal is recognized as one of the most definitive versions of the villain. Thus, the former Hellboy actor understands the role on a deeper level than just about anyone else, making him deserving of the chance to bring him to life in live-action.

Christian Bale

Since appearing in one of the recent Marvel movies (Thor: Love and Thunder) as Gorr the God-butcher, people have been curious if one of the best Batman actors, Christian Bale, could return to the world of DC Comics in another role one day. Would it not be amazing to see the chameleonic Academy Award winner make his return to the DC movies by leading Clayface as a, literally, chameleonic actor?

As noted in one of Adam Holmes’ own questions about Clayface, it is possible that Alan Tudyk already has the role, because the beloved actor already voices him for both Harley Quinn and James Gunn’s new DC TV show, Creature Commandos. Of course, that would depend on the continuity followed by this new DCU movie, which could be another Elseworlds story set in Matt Reeves’ Batman Epic Crime Saga. Until we know for sure, any of the actors above have my vote to play Clayface.

I cannot count how many times Scrubs has come up when discussing the best TV sitcoms of all time. Over the course of nine seasons (and two networks), the Zach Braff-led medical comedy introduced audiences to some of the most iconic and endearing small-screen characters of the past 25 years, as well as some legendary celebrity guests. With Academy Award winners, Star Wars alumni, and on-the-rise comedians, Sacred Heart Hospital was a hopping place when these 32 actors popped up on Scrubs.

Brendan Fraser

Though Brendan Fraser is best known for roles in movies like The Mummy, The Whale, and Encino Man, the Oscar winner played a small yet pivotal role as Ben Sullivan on Scrubs. Dr. Cox’s (John C. McGinley) brother-in-law, Ben was at the center of several of the best episodes of Scrubs as well as one of the most emotional TV moments of all time. Seriously, Ben is one of the best characters to ever appear on the show, which is saying a lot.

Michael J. Fox

One of several Spin City cast members to show up on Scrubs, Michael J. Fox appeared in a pair of episodes during the show’s third season. Taking on the role of Dr. Kevin Casey, a confident and talented doctor and surgeon dealing with obsessive-compulsive disorder.

Ryan Reynolds

Before he was leading some of the best Marvel movies and showing up in great romantic comedies, Ryan Reynolds had a one-off appearance on Scrubs. Showing up in the show’s second season, Reynolds played Spence, J.D. (Zach Braff) and Turk’s (Donald Faison) college friend who comes to visit while in town for a wedding.

Courteney Cox

A few years after Friends came to an end and a few months before Cougar Town premiered, Courteney Cox had a brief fun on Scrubs. During her handful of appearances in the show’s eighth season, Cox played Dr. Taylor Maddox, the new Sacred Heart chief of medicine following Dr. Kelso’s (Ken Jenkins) sudden departure.

Dick Van Dyke

Probably the Scrubs celebrity guest with the most prolific career, Dick Van Dyke showed up for a single episode partway through the show’s second season. The legendary actor/singer/dancer took on the role of Dr. Doug Townshend, a Sacred Heart doctor who no longer wanted to stick around and keep up with technology and decided to retire.

Elizabeth Banks

In terms of guest spots, few actors appeared in as many episodes as Elizabeth Banks. Between Seasons 5 and 8, Banks popped up in a total of 15 episodes as Dr. Kim Briggs, a urologist at another hospital who eventually became the mother of J.D.’s son before it was all said and done.

Colin Farrell

Colin Farrell was just about everywhere in the 2000s, including Scrubs. The In Bruges actor played Billy Callahan, an Irishman who was sticking around to watch over a man he knocked out in a bar fight, partway through Season 4. Though his arrival caused a stir at Sacred Heart, it all eventually worked out in the end.

Aziz Ansari

Before he became one of the biggest comedians on the planet thanks to Parks and Recreation and Master of None, Aziz Ansari had a supporting role on Scrubs. Ansari appeared throughout the show’s eighth season where he played Dr. Ed Dhandapani, one of J.D.’s young interns, and possibly the laziest person at Sacred Heart.

Heather Graham

A major player throughout Scrubs Season 4, Heather Graham took on the role of Dr. Molly Clock, a psychiatrist at Sacre Heart who kept referring to J.D. as “Johnny.” She appeared in nine episodes during her single-season run on the show.

Billy Dee Williams

Billy Dee Williams, of Star Wars and Brian’s Song fame, showed up in a single episode of Scrubs Season 5. But like other guest stars, Williams played himself, or at least a version that was Julie Quinn’s (Mandy Moore) godfather.

Matthew Perry

The late Matthew Perry (appearing alongside his real-life father, John Bennett Perry) showed up for an episode of Scrubs back in the show’s fourth season. In his one-off appearance, Perry played Murray Marks, a man who comes to Sacred Heart Hospital to donate a kidney to his ailing father.

Mandy Moore

Several years before she led another all-time great NBC series, This Is Us, Mandy Moore showed up on Scrubs as Julie Quinn. Though she only appeared on a pair of episodes during the show’s fifth season, Moore’s character made quite an impact on the staff at Sacred Heart, especially J.D. Their romance was short-lived, but one the hopeless romantic doctor wouldn’t forget.

Richard Kind

Harvey Corman is definitely one of the most iconic (and annoying) guest characters on Scrubs, and that’s all thanks to the brilliant work by Richard Kind. A hypochondriac like no other, Corman was in and out of Sacred Heart Hospital with all kinds of issues and medical emergencies throughout Seasons 2 through 4.

Masi Oka

Before having a massive breakout role on Heroes, Masi Oka appeared on Scrubs off and on between Seasons 1 and 4, in which he took on the role of a lab tech named Franklyn. Though he only appeared in a handful of episodes before leaving the show, Oka’s character showed up in some of the most memorable moments in Scrubs history.

Tom Cavanagh

In addition to leading the comedy series Ed, Tom Cavanagh also had a sizable guest spot on Scrubs. Every once in a while, Cavanagh would show up as J.D.’s older brother, Dan Dorian. There for a life, a shoulder to cry on, or an important life lesson, Dan was there for some of his brother’s most trying moments.

Tara Reid

Tara Reid was part of the Scrubs cast for 11 episodes, with all but one coming from the show’s third season. During her run, Reid took on the role of Danni Sullivan, Ben Sullivan’s younger sister, who became one of J.D.’s many girlfriends at one point.

Phill Lewis

Phill Lewis has appeared just about everywhere throughout his prolific TV career, including Sacred Heart Hospital for a stretch. During his run on Scrubs, Lewis portrayed Hooch, an orthopedic surgeon with a wild and dangerous side, to say the very least.

Jason Bateman

Jason Bateman popped up for a single episode of Scrubs during the show’s fifth season. During his one-off appearance, Bateman plays Mr. Sutton, a garbageman who refuses to thank J.D. after being treated.

John Ritter

The late John Ritter showed up in two episodes of Scrubs as Sam Dorian, J.D.’s dad. The cash-strapped and constantly unemployed character had his issues, but still cared deeply for his song.

Taran Killam

Before landing a steady gig on Saturday Night Live, Taran Killam had a recurring role on Scrubs during the show’s penultimate season. Killam took on the role of Jimmy, one of J.D.’s interns at Sacred Heart.

Jimmie Walker

Jimmie Walker, best known for his portrayal of J.J. Evans and his “Dynomite” catchphrase from Good Times, appeared in two episodes of Scrubs. During the show’s first season, Walker played himself as he appeared in two of the J.D.’s signature daydreams.

Sean Hayes

Best known for his roles as Jack McFarland on Will & Grace, Sean Hayes has made a ton of other appearances over the years. This includes Scrubs, where he played Nick Murdoch, an intern whose time at Sacred Heart was shortlived because he couldn’t handle the stress and emotional toll of watching a young patient’s slow demise under his care.

Ricky Schroder

Ricky Schroder’s career got off to a hot start as a child actor, including multiple appearances and a leading role on Silver Spoons, one of the most beloved sitcoms of the ‘80s. That career would continue well into adulthood for the former teenage star, including a four-episode turn on Scrubs. During the show’s second season, Schroder played Paul Flower, a male nurse Elliott Reid (Sarah Chalke) was embarrassed to admit she was dating.

Kelli Williams

If you look at the list of the best TV shows of all time, you’ll find multiple featuring the work of Kelli Williams. In addition to Law & Order, Quantum Leap, The Practice, and Ally McBeal, there’s also Scrubs. During her two episodes back in 2001, Williams played Kristen Murphy, a surgical student at Sacred Heart Hospital.

Cheryl Hines

In the middle of her run as Larry David’s wife on Curb Your Enthusiasm, Cheryl Hines made a brief appearance on Scrubs. During a single episode in the show’s fifth season, Hines played Paige Cox, Dr. Perry Cox’s very religious sister who shows up at Sacred Heart Hospital and forces the temperamental doctor to think about memories he long locked away in the deepest and most secure vaults of his mind.

Dave Foley

Dave Foley, best known for his time on The Kids in the Hall and movies like A Bug’s Life and Toy Story 2, had a pair of appearances on Scrubs during the middle of the show’s nine-season run. Foley took on the role of Dr. Lester Hedrick, a Sacred Heart grief counselor who was like a softer, kinder, and more easy-going mentor for J.D. when compared to the easily angered and annoyed Dr. Cox.

Julianna Margulies

E.R. wasn’t the only NBC-based show set in a hospital to feature the work of Julianna Margulies, as she also popped up on Scrubs for a couple of episodes during the show’s fourth season. But instead of playing a doctor this time, Margulies took on the role of Jenna Broderick, a candidate for the scariest lawyer award. The malpractice attorney had a habit of showing up and causing trouble, especially with J.D. Not much is known about the character’s whereabouts about J.D. put an end to things.

Keri Russell

Keri Russell, best known for her work on shows like Felicity and The Americans, had a short run on Scrubs, appearing in two episodes. In the show’s sixth season, Russell took on the role of Melody O’Harra, Elliott’s sorority sister who shows up and brings her easy-go-lucky personality and philosophy on life to the core group of the cast, but mostly J.D.

Heather Locklear

Heather Locklear added Scrubs to her long list of TV credits when she appeared for a pair of episodes during the show’s second season. During her time on the show, Locklear played Julie Keaton, a pharmaceutical rep who showed up at Sacred Heart Hospital to sell her company’s latest and greatest product. But she got more than she could chew when she started a relationship with Dr. Perry Cox, which provided a short-lived reprieve for everyone who had grown tired of his anger and outbursts while making rounds.

Christopher Meloni

Christopher Meloni played one of the most sadistic prisoners in the Oz cast as well as a dedicated and complicated detective on Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, but did you know he played a pediatrician on Scrubs? Well, that was the case for an episode during the show’s third season in which he played Dr. David Norris, Dr. Cox and Jordan Sullivan’s (Christa Miller) son’s pediatrician. Though a far stretch from his turn as Chris Keller on the landmark HBO series, Dr. Norris was still a wild card, to say the very least.

Amy Smart

Amy Smart showed up in movies like Varsity Blues, Road Trip, and The Butterfly Effect throughout the late ‘90s and early 2000s, but she also had quite a few TV appearances during that stretch of time. This included a spot on Scrubs as Jamie Moyer, aka “Tasty Coma Wife,” the wife of a car crash victim. This led to one of J.D.’s most ridiculous relationships on the series, which is saying something.

Nicole Sullivan

Mad TV star Nicole Sullivan appeared in a handful of episodes of Scrubs. Sullivan played Jill Tracy, a recurring troubled patient at Sacred Heart who made an impact on everyone she encountered, for better or worse. Her death, which ultimately led to one of the show’s most heartbreaking sequences (it features The Fray’s “How To Save a Life”), is one that had a massive impact on the medical staff for years to come.

It’s undeniable that Brendan Fraser’s return to Hollywood has been a bright one and is in full swing now. The actor’s increased prominence screen has been on par with (and even maybe surpassing) some of the best Fraser movies. And there’s only more ground to gain in the game for Fraser, who was most recently seen in Brothers (a part of our 2024 movie schedule). With other projects in various stages, it’s safe to say we’ll be seeing him (maybe even in our 2025 movie schedule). With all of that said, the Encino Man star has revealed what he’s interested in doing next in Tinsel Town.

While at the Red Sea Film Festival (via Deadline), The Killers of the Flower Moon alum talked about his return to work in Hollywood and what his future sight is set on now that he feels more grounded. He said the following about what he’d like to try out going forward:

Fraser’s interest in exploring the world of developing screenplays and producing is such an apt fit. It’s great to hear that he’s starting to feel more comfortable with his career these days. I believe the 56-year-old would be a great candidate to pursue these essential behind-the-scenes roles roles because his filmography is so eclectic. The culmination of his experiences would help curate his eye for shaping and pursuing projects, not to mention that he’d be a great mentor to younger generations.

His resurgence has been a real-life wholesome Hollywood tale, and it really started gaining steam after that standing ovation for him in Darren Aronofsky’s The Whale. The Blast From the Past alum took time away from his career for a handful of reasons, including being sexually assaulted by the then-president of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, and general wear of his body from different projects. I don’t think that it comes as a surprise that he decided to take a break from the biz, especially after almost dying on the set of The Mummy, too.

All in all, Brendan Fraser has weathered it all and is now ready to jump into the Brennaissance, seemingly, full-on. Among his upcoming projects and general resurgence is a D-Day film called Pressure in which he will be playing Dwight D. Eisenhower. Along with Fraser, the movie stars Kerry Condon (The Banshees of Inisherin), Chris Messina (Argo) and Andrew Scott (Ripley), and I bet it will deliver incredible performances across the board. I’ve got a feeling this role may propel The Whale star to even higher heights and aid in his pursuits of BTS roles.

Wherever Fraser heads next, I’m sure he will deliver. It is the Brennaissance, after all. There’s no stopping him now, and I, and many others, are here for it all.

Even the greatest actors have ups and downs in their careers. For some, it's more dramatic than others. John Travolta was virtually forgotten about before Quentin Tarantino cast him in Pulp Fiction, for example. Then there was "The McConaissance," when Matthew McConaughey roared back to prominence. Those two are hardly alone in finding roles that brought them back. Here is our list of 32 roles that saved actors' careers. 

Pulp Fiction - John Travolta

This was a big one. In the late '70s, there wasn't a bigger star than John Travolta. On the strength of a hit TV show (Welcome Back, Kotter), and two huge hits at the box office with Saturday Night Fever and Grease, Travolta was on top of the world. Then, almost all of a sudden, poof, he was gone. In the 16 years between Grease in 1978 and 1994, he appeared in only 11 movies, and three of those were Look Who's Talking movies and most of them bombed. Then Tarantino came along and cast him as Vincent Vega in Pulp Fiction and once again, Travolta was on top of the business and he's never looked back. 

Dallas Buyers Club - Matthew McConaughey

Matthew McConaughey exploded onto the scene in the early '90s in Dazed And Confused, where he delivered some of the most iconic quotes. In the mid-90s he started playing more dramatic roles in movies like A Time To Kill, Contact, and Amistad. By the early 2000s, he established himself as a popular lead in rom-coms. Then, after a few of his movies struggled to make an impact in the late 2000s, his star faded a little. That all changed in 2013 when he starred in, and won a Best Actor Oscar, for Dallas Buyers Club and The McConaissance was born. 

Stranger Things - Winona Ryder

With movies like Beetlejuice, Heathers,  The Age of Innocence, and Little Women, Winona Ryder was a superstar in the late '80s and early '90s. But in the early '00s, after some bad press for her shoplifting conviction, Ryder's star had fallen quite a bit and she even took a short break from acting. Though she never fell off the map completely, it wasn't until she starred in Stranger Things starting in 2016, that Ryder returned to the top. 

Judy - Renée Zellweger

Between Jerry McGuire in 1996 and Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason in 2005, Renée Zellweger was one of the most popular and successful actors in Hollywood. With a slew of hits and awards,  Zellweger could do no wrong. Then, after a few less-than-successful movies, the industry showed how fickle it could be and she fell off the A-list. That all changed in 2019 with Judy, followed up with the TV series The Thing About Pam.

The Whale - Brendan Fraser

the 1990s were Brendan Fraser's decade. He had some massive hits, most notably The Mummy in 1999, but soon after, it's like everything dried up. He worked still, but barely and it left the world asking what had become of the heartthrob. He answered every one with his amazing performance in The Whale, winning the Best Actor Oscar and roaring back to the top. 

Birdman - Michael Keaton

In the 1980s, Michael Keaton delivered some of the funniest lines in some of the funniest movies. In the mid-90s and early 00s, his career slowed a bit. He was still working but wasn't the big star he'd been when he got the role in Tim Burton's Batman. That is, of course, until he starred as an actor much like himself in Birdman and brought the great actor back to the top of the A-list. 

House Of Cards - Robin Wright

When she burst onto the scene in The Princess Bride, the sky was the limit for Robin Wright. She reached new heights with her role as Jenny in Forrest Gump but found herself a tabloid regular with her marriage to Sean Penn. Ultimately, she found perhaps her greatest fame when she landed the role of Claire Underwood in Netflix's House Of Cards. 

Everything Everywhere All at Once - Ke Huy Quan

Has there ever been a feel-good story in Hollywood like Ke Huy Quan's return to fame after winning an Oscar for his role in Everything Everywhere All at Once? After decades of virtually not working in the industry, having found fame as a kid, Quan was once again the toast of the town. 

Halloween (2018) - Jamie Lee Curtis

She's been called the original slasher film "final girl" for her role in the original Halloween, and Jamie Lee Curtis rode that fame to the top of Hollywood. You might not remember, but in 2006 she actually announced her retirement from acting. Though she didn't give it up completely, she was very selective about roles, mostly playing supporting characters. That changed with 2018 Halloween when she roared back into the business head first. 

Sin City - Mickey Rourke

People forget just how huge Mickey Rourke was in the 80s. Men wanted to be him and women wanted to be with him, as they say. Then, he decided he'd put acting on the back burner and become a boxer. After a somewhat successful run, he returned to acting, and with Sin City and The Wrestler, Rouke was back on top in Hollywood

Scream - Drew Barrymore

Drew Barrymore became a huge star as a kid in the 1980s with movies like E.T. and Firestarter. In her teens, some personal problems derailed things a little, but when she starred in Scream, it brought her completely back and she's never looked back. 

Wild - Reese Witherspoon

When Reese Witherspoon won the Academy Award for her performance in 2005's Walk The Line, she was on top of the world. Just a few years later though, after a string of poorly performing romance movies Witherspoon dubbed her "love triangle period," her career hit a valley. Then came Wild which marked not only her resurgence as an actor but her transition to big-time producer as well. 

Iron Man - Robert Downey, Jr

There probably isn't a more famous comeback story than Robert Downey, Jr. After years of personal problems and addiction, his career looked like it was going to be completely wasted. Then Downey sobered up and landed the role of a lifetime as Tony Stark/Iron Man and the rest is history. 

Arrested Development - Jason Bateman

Jason Bateman has had quite a few ups and downs in his career. In the '80s, he was a teen star on the verge of big things, but then his career hit a serious lull. It really wasn't until the cult success of Arrested Development that Bateman once again commanded must-see TV. 

Ryan Reynolds - Deadpool

With big roles in 90s TV shows like Sabrina the Teenage Witch and Two Guys And A Girl, Ryan Reynolds was poised for huge success. At first, that's what he found, but it started to fizzle out with a string of forgettable movies in the late '00s and early teens, including the disaster that was The Green Lantern. Then came another superhero movie in 2015 called Deadpool and now he will be doing that until he's 90. 

Yellowjackets - Christina Ricci

By no fault of her own, Christina Ricci's career hit a string of bad luck with projects that she shined in, but for one reason or another didn't capture the attention of audiences. That changed, obviously, with Yellowjackets starting in 2021. 

The Godfather - Marlon Brando

People forget that when Francis Ford Coppola cast Marlon Brando as Vito Corleone, Brando was on the outs in Hollywood. It's well-known lore at this point that Coppola had to fight to get the legend in the movie, but we're all grateful he did. 

24 - Kiefer Sutherland

With roles in Stand By Me, The Lost Boys,  and the two Young Guns movies, the late '80s and early '90s were big for Kiefer Sutherland. The mid and late '90s saw a bit of a lull with some box office disappointments. In 2001, Sutherland took on the role of Jack Bauer in 24, which quickly became one of the most popular shows on TV and Sutherland rode it to a new level of fame. 

 Orange Is The New Black - Natasha Lyonne

Legal and personal problems almost completely derailed Natasha Lyonne's promising career in the '00s. Thankfully, she got the help she needed and cleaned up, she scored a role on the Netflix hit Orange Is The New Black and she's continued to crush in a number of roles since. 

This Is Us - Mandy Moore

Around the turn of the century, Mandy Moore was unstoppable, starring in hit movies and charting on the Top 40. It was in 2016, however, when she was cast as the matriarch in This Is Us that her fame shot to an entirely new level. 

The Town - Ben Affleck

After a big decade in the '90s, Ben Affleck's fame in the '00s was more about the tabloids than it was about his filmography. It took a few years, but eventually, he proved to everyone how great a filmmaker he was with The Town in 2010, and ever since, he's been crushing it. 

Monster-in-Law - Jane Fonda

There weren't many bigger stars in Hollywood than Jane Fonda in the '70s and '80s. Then, in 1991, she announced she was retiring from acting, coinciding with her marriage to Ted Turner. She returned, to everyone's delight, in 2005's Monster-In-Law alongside Jennifer Lopez and has scoring hits ever since. 

Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle - Neil Patrick Harris

Like his character on Doogie Howser, MD, Neil Patrick Harris was a prodigy. However after the hit show ended, he struggled to move into more adult roles. Surprisingly, it was playing a fictionalized version of himself in Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle that landed him back on audiences' radar screens, and then he landed his most famous gig on How I Met Your Mother

Bohemian Rhapsody - Mike Myers

Mike Myers was everywhere in the 1990s. From SNL to Wayne's World (one of the best movies based on an SNL character) to Shrek to Austin Powers, he was on top of the world. In 2010, after a string of box office misses, he retreated from the scene, only to emerge with a glorious role in 2018's Bohemian Rhapsody. 

John Wick - Keanu Reeves

After proving to be box office gold for a couple of decades, Keanu Reeves had a string of misses in the late '00s, but when he teamed up with director Chad Stahelski for John Wick in 2014, he helped launch a whole new franchise that continues to pump out hits. 

Unfaithful - Diane Lane

Diane Lane has always been selective about her roles, going back to her early days in Hollywood in the '80s. This has led to multiple career "revivals" but the most notable has to be her turn in the hit Unfaithful in 2002 which earned her a Best Actress nomination at the Oscars in 2003. 

Airplane! - Leslie Nielsen

For a generation of audiences, Leslie Nielson will forever be known for his roles in some of the best parody movies like Airplane! and The Naked Gun. But before Nielson was delivering hilarious lines in those movies, he was known for his dramatic acting., though his career had slowed before he reinvented himself in the first Airplane!  

Striptease - Burt Reynolds

Burt Reynolds was one of Hollywood's biggest stars in the '70s, but a few poorly received movies in the '80s knocked him off that lofty perch. While many might point to his role in Boogie Nights in 1997 as reviving his career, it was really his hilarious performance in Striptease from a year earlier that put him back on the map.

No Country For Old Men - Josh Brolin

After finding success as a young star in the 1980s in movies like The Goonies, Josh Brolin hit a career drought that lasted more than a decade and left him wondering if he'd ever regain his earlier success. He did so and more after his amazing turn in No Country For Old Men in 2007 and has been one of Hollywood's best ever since. 

Trading Places - Don Ameche

With an amazing career that had started in the 1930s, Don Ameche's bookings dried up in the 1970s. Luckily for all of his, he landed a role as one of the Duke Brothers in Trading Places and he once again was a huge star, this time with a whole new, younger, generation of fans. 

Sea of Love - Al Pacino

It is easy to forget that even the greatest sometimes find themselves in slumps. Such was the case with Al Pacino in the mid 1980s. After all the incredible success of the '70s, he learned how fickle Hollywood can be and it wasn't until 1989's Sea Of Love that Pacino regained his rightful spot among the elite. 

Rocky Balboa - Sylvester Stallone

Sylvester Stallone is responsible for some of the biggest franchises in Hollywood history, but even the great ones stumble. Stallone had a pretty rough run of bad movies in the late '90s and early '00s, but when he returned to his roots in 2006's Rocky Balboa, he once again found his footing and not only starring in Rambo, reviving his other monster franchise, but he launched a new one with The Expendables.

Even the biggest and brightest stars of Hollywood have movies that they’d rather not mention being a part of in polite company. And the list you’re about to read has some of the most infamous examples of those types of projects making silver screen history…just not in the way one would have expected.

Tom Hanks - The Bonfire Of The Vanities

While we’ve seen Tom Hanks’ comments on why The Bonfire of the Vanities didn’t work, the movie’s infamy as a box office dud is something he probably doesn’t address all that often. And who could blame him, as the public considered America’s Dad to be the worst casting choice to lead a satire about the amorality of late ‘80s/early ‘90s stockbrokers.

Jamie Lee Curtis - Virus

The film adaptation of Dark Horse Comics’ Virus is uncompromisingly bad, no matter if you’re familiar with the book or not. But the most entertaining thing to come out of it was the fact that star Jamie Lee Curtis has taken every chance to roast this picture with the most cutting of remarks. It’s truly one of the best cases of entertainers who have trashed their own movies.

Michael Caine - Jaws: The Revenge

This is an example of using class and wit to politely stuff a movie like Jaws: The Revenge into the trash bin of life. Actor Michael Caine’s remarks about never seeing the film, but loving its payday, is something that always hits like the best line at a cocktail party celebrating the movies we love to loathe.

Emily Blunt - Gulliver’s Travels

History almost gave us an Iron Man 2 with Emily Blunt playing the role of Black Widow. And then contractual obligations forced Ms. Blunt to pass, in favor of starring in the Jack Black vehicle Gulliver’s Travels. So yeah, maybe it’s best not to mention this one to this star of A Quiet Place, no matter how much you think she might laugh.

Dennis Quaid - Jaws 3-D

All legendary actors have the gigs that make them, and the ones that they took so early in their career that they’d rather not think about them. Dennis Quaid’s role in Jaws 3-D more than likely falls into the latter bucket, as it’s one of the two Jaws sequels that failed to make the cut with even the franchise’s most devoted fans.

Viola Davis - The Help

Academy Award winner Viola Davis scored a nomination for her role in Tate Taylor’s film adaptation of The Help. Despite her performance’s excellence, Davis still maintains her opinion of regretting having taken part in the movie’s production, and the resulting product. 

Bill Murray - Garfield

No cinematic icon is immune to trickery, especially a trickster like Bill Murray. With his infamous Garfield casting story seeing the comedy legend mistake the movie’s writer for one of the Coen Bros, you can kind of see why he’d use his Zombieland cameo in 2009 to poke fun at the film being his only life’s regret.

Mariah Carey - Glitter

Glitter wasn’t enough of a disaster to kill Mariah Carey’s acting career, and to her credit, she went on to deliver some amazing performances in films like Lee Daniels’ Precious. But whoo-boy, does this musical drama still sting to think about from time to time? 

Elijah Wood - North

While there’s an interesting selection of beloved films Roger Ebert absolutely hated, North is one of the flops that the legendary film critic rightfully roasted. Though it definitely wasn’t Elijah Wood’s fault, it’s probably best if you don’t approach him about this one without some sort of care. 

Jennifer Lopez - Gigli

As a legendary turkey in the world of infamously bad movies, even Gigli’s director Martin Brest has pointed thoughts about that epic fail. Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck’s colossal dud of a rom-com has more than earned its place on the bad side of history, and one could bet that even its mere mention would inspire the most withering side eye from J.Lo herself. 

George Clooney - Batman & Robin

If there’s a constant in George Clooney’s career as an entertainer, it’s his regret over Batman and Robin. Stepping in after Val Kilmer bolted on Joel Schumacher’s second Gotham-based tentpole, you can bet the ER heartthrob wishes he could use a time machine to go back and prevent this experience from ever happening. 

Renee Zellweger - Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Next Generation

Out of the Oscar-winning pair of Renee Zellweger and Matthew McConaughey, it’s a safe bet that Ms. Zellweger would be the one who’d want to keep Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Next Generation off the table of discussion. Then again, she might be a bit more relaxed on the subject since so much time has passed. 

Robert Downey Jr. - The Shaggy Dog

Early on in his mid-Aughts comeback, Robert Downey Jr. diversified his acting portfolio with everything from Kiss Kiss Bang Bang to Good Night, and Good Luck. And mixed in with the lot was his role as the antagonist in Tim Allen’s remake of The Shaggy Dog. Downey would probably talk about the movie if asked, but one has to wonder what he’d say? 

Emma Watson - The Circle

For someone like Emma Watson, an actor who chooses their projects with a level of mindfulness and message in mind, The Circle must have seemed like a good choice. But the eventual public reaction to the film may have caused the Harry Potter vet to think twice even before approaching source material with names as storied as author Dave Eggers and director James Ponsoldt attached. 

Eddie Murphy - The Adventures of Pluto Nash

The Adventures of Pluto Naash is a habitual punching bag when folks choose to talk about the most infamous disasters in movie history. And thanks to that distinction, even the very open Eddie Murphy wouldn’t be mistaken for keeping this sci-fi/comedy flameout away from the conversation. 

Lucy Liu - Ballistic: Ecks vs. Sever

Ballistic: Ecks vs. Sever is an infamous movie without even taking into account that it somehow managed to snag the star power of Lucy Liu into its clutches. Admittedly, so few people remember this one that it doesn’t feel like she’d have to be on guard for random fans mentioning its existence. 

Matt Damon - The Great Wall

You might think that the “white savior” worries of Matt Damon’s character in The Great Wall are the reason he might not want to talk about this massive box office dud. But the fact of the matter is, he’d probably politely decline any discussion on the matter because it was a thundering failure that didn’t really win him any new fans.

Jennifer Lawrence - Dark Phoenix

How much did Jennifer Lawrence distance herself from the X-Men movies by time she made Dark Phoenix? Well, not only was her time in makeup severely reduced/scaled back in quality, but she died quite early in the final X-Men prequel from the Fox days. Maybe that's part of why the two-part structure was abandoned prior to its release. 

Sylvester Stallone - Stop! Or My Mom Will Shoot

It’s the movie so bad that Arnold Schwarzenegger tricked Sylvester Stallone into starring in it. Stop! Or My Mom Will Shoot is still a punch line for the Rocky franchise star/director, even decades after the film was released and tanked. One has to wonder how awkward some of those Planet Hollywood openings were, thanks to this awkward piece of history existing.

Lily Collins - Rules Don’t Apply

Actor Lily Collins is a talent that has the old Hollywood look down to a tee and isn’t afraid to show it. That confidence is probably what got her cast in Warren Beatty’s misguided rom-com Rules Don’t Apply, and to be fair, she and co-star Alden Ehrenreich are two of the only bright spots in this mostly forgettable throwback. 

Eddie Redmayne - Jupiter Ascending

If anyone is ready to admit Eddie Redmayne’s Jupiter Ascending performance is bad, it’s the man himself. While some might be inclined to give him more credit for his work in the Wachowski’s far-flung space opera, Redmayne’s criticisms of his role do come with some important caveats. 

Jennifer Hudson - Sandy Wexler

Adam Sandler is a talent who’s able to draw a wide range of actors into his orbit, and his Netflix movie Sandy Wexler was no exception. Playing a talent agent who knows a good client when he sees one, Jennifer Hudson is one of the people he rightfully tries to fast-track to fame. By no means does that proper judgment mean that this movie is something she, or most viewers, would even remember.

Hugh Jackman - Pan

Some flops crash and burn with very little trace of the wreckage. Others, like the Hugh Jackman starring Peter Pan adaptation Pan, collapse under ill-fated ambitions that don’t end up adding up in the end. But at least we got Jackman’s Captain Hook singing “Smells Like Teen Spirit,” in a totally bonkers musical number.

Pedro Pascal - Wonder Woman 1984

Pedro Pascal is almost universally recognized as one of, if not the best part of Wonder Woman 1984. That still feels like a far cry from something The Mandalorian star would even want to discuss, as its infamy is something that still echoes pretty strongly so close to its initial execution.

Dame Judi Dench - Cats

You can always count on an acting talent as iconic as Dame Judi Dench to tell it like it is. And whether it was reacting to her Razzie award nomination or the final look of her character in 2019’s Cats, she certainly hasn’t left any of her thoughts to the imagination. 

Daisy Ridley - Chaos Walking

One would probably think that Daisy Ridley would merely not want to remember Chaos Walking because of its unsuccessful bid for box office success. However, the protracted production and crazy amounts of reshoots and edits have probably ensured that the Star Wars vet has actually forgotten the ins and outs of this failed YA franchise.

Ben Kingsley - A Sound of Thunder

You don’t get to be an actor as legendary as Ben Kingsley without logging some seriously wild projects like A Sound of Thunder on your resume. This 2005 sci-fi disaster is so ill-regarded that its Game Boy video game adaptation is seen as a more favorable experience. That’s both terribly unique and just plain old terrible. 

Brendan Fraser - Monkeybone

Brendan Fraser is a lovable actor who knows how, and when, to get goofy. It’s just a shame that a project like Monkeybone never understood how to use those skills to its advantage, saddling The Mummy star with a movie that he more than likely hasn’t thought about for some time. 

Scarlett Johansson - Ghost In The Shell

There are some who might defend the live-action adaptation of Ghost in the Shell starring Scarlett Johansson. Considering how much the movie has been rejected by even the source anime’s fans, and the kerfluffle that came from her casting as Major Mira Killian being seen as a bit of whitewashing, this project is probably one that the Marvel veteran would reasonably remain silent on.

Keanu Reeves - 47 Ronin

It’s not Keanu Reeves’ fault that 47 Ronin was a stinker for the ages. Although if one were to mention the movie to him in passing, he’d probably just smile and laugh, charmingly admitting defeat in that particular case of cinematic disaster. 

Will Smith - Gemini Man

What’s worse than a movie failing with one Will Smith in the starring role? Apparently, a technologically advanced picture like Gemini Man, which saw Smith playing against a CGI de-aged younger version of himself. Finally, a movie that rivals Wild Wild West for infamy on Mr. Smith’s resume.

Jack Nicholson - How Do You Know?

Jack Nicholson has been comfortably retired ever since making 2010’s How Do You Know? One has to wonder if he’d be equally as comfortable if he were to be prompted to remember the experience and the fallout that came from its release into theaters. 

As you can see, even the most talented of actors have their potential sore spots in conversation. Maybe they're not as shy about discussing these films as we'd think, and you can get a good story out of the deal. In any case, if there was a class of losers that the best and brightest of Hollywood wished they could forget, this is more than a formidable crop of titles that would fit that bill for good reason.

Did anyone else have “The 1999 cinematic masterpiece The Mummy returning to theaters” on their 2024 movie schedule bingo card? I certainly didn’t, but considering this year was the 25th anniversary of Stephen Sommers’ horror/adventure/rom-com starring Brendan Fraser and Rachel Weisz, it was the perfect time for that throwback. 

What’s better is that thanks to another fun blast from the past, Weisz’s recollections of the intensely hot experience of making that first Mummy movie have resurfaced from the depths of entertainment journalism. Fellow fans of this beautiful “adventure romp” should take a moment to rejoice with me, as ET Online released a rare reel of interview footage from The Mummy’s 1998 on-location shoot. 

With those clips came stories of how the production was quite taxing, including Rachel Weisz’s story about the heat of the moment: 

I’m kind of feeling the heat after reading Rachel’s description of getting through The Mummy experience, which is totally valid as the film did hit up the Moroccan desserts to capture its tale of the cursed afterlife. Or, to piggyback off of how Brendan Fraser put it in this very same clip, a guy who wakes up and misses his girlfriend, but decides to throw a tantrum of Biblical proportions to get her back. Even supernatural beings like Arnold Vosloo's Imothep don't want to hang around the desert for longer than they have to.

Looking back at this vintage Mummy coverage also shows a bit of Rachel Weisz and Brendan Fraser’s uncertainty that the 1999 blockbuster would perform even half as well as it did. However, that skepticism understandably came from a history of development hell that saw this project move through around a decade of changing hands, as well as story treatments. 

With that in mind, going through all of that heated history to make a potential box office dud would have been painful. However, it does sound like Brendan Fraser, Rachel Weisz, and even John Hannah did have a lot of fun during that experience. So maybe they'd still have told these stories fondly if The Mummy Returns wasn't guaranteed to happen.

As some would tell you in their analysis of the late ‘90s, a cultural shift was happening at the box office that didn’t know what audiences wanted. I believe we’re in the middle of another sort of shift of that order right now, as reports of Furiosa’s complicated opening weekend seem to have indicated that the film had missed its money mark. With that in mind, I'm kind of further convinced that maybe it’s time for The Mummy’s potential resurrection after all.

Surely this year's theatrical rollout made enough money to show the enduring power of this property, right? Should we be lucky enough to see that come to pass, let’s hope that there’s a proper mix of practical shooting locations and select backlot shoots. If only so the magic touch that made those movies so perfect to behold can be maintained while keeping Rachel Weisz and Brendan Fraser in a comfortable level of danger and heat. 

Mummy fans, don’t fret. While there’s no official news of any sort of continuation of the adventures of Rick and Evelyn, we still have those first two films to treasure and enjoy. And if you’ve got a Peacock subscription, you can do just that, as that platform is the current home to The Mummy and The Mummy Returns, at the time of this publication. 

Brendan Fraser’s The Mummy is one of those movies that, even 25 years later, people still talk about. Unfortunately, it seems that some of that talk isn’t entirely accurate. Director Stephen Sommers recently debunked the idea that Tom Cruise was considered for the lead role, and while he’s at it, he’s also looking to put to bed the story that Fraser almost died on set.

The story that has been told, including by Brendan Fraser himself, is that the actor nearly died by strangulation when a scene in which his character is supposed to be hanged went awry. In Fraser’s version of the hanging story, it was Sommers who asked that the tension on the rope be taken up, but according to the director speaking with The Daily Beast, it was Fraser who asked that the noose be tighter. Sommers said…

In the scene, Fraser's Rick is dropped through the floor of a gallows. Luckily, his neck is apparently so strong that it doesn't break instantly, leading to him starting to die due to suffocation. He is ultimately saved by Rachel Weisz's character, who makes a deal that leads to Rick being cut down. Check out the scene here.

It's a well-done scene, and a stuntman was used for part of it. But Fraser was needed himself for the closeups, leading to him being put in the noose. Ultimately, the noose was tight enough, and Fraser was off his feet enough that the blood flow to the actor’s head was cut off, causing him to pass out.

That’s certainly not the situation you want anybody to be in on the set of a movie. Still, Stephen Sommers would like to make it clear that Brendan Fraser was in no real danger, as the set was full of people who made sure the situation was remedied quickly. He continued…

Fans have called for a fourth Mummy movie. Hopefully if that happens, nobody passes out. The franchise is still quite popular, and Revenge of the Mummy at Universal Studios Florida, which includes Fraser is a popular attraction. Fraser's Mummy has already stood the test of time better than the Tom Cruise attempt to reboot the franchise.

Sommers called it a humorous situation, but even if Fraser had been at fault, it doesn’t sound like the actor himself actually felt the situation was funny. Either way, we’re all certainly glad that nothing bad happened to Brandan Fraser. The Brenaissance showed us that man is a national treasure and needs to be protected.

There are stories all over Hollywood about the major movie roles that famous actors almost took. For instance, it's relatively well known that Will Smith was almost Neo in The Matrix. For his part, Tom Cruise has turned down many big roles over the years that we know of. However, it turns out that reports that he turned down 1999's The Mummy, before he starred in the 2017 reboot, are apparently untrue.

25 years ago, Stephen Sommers' The Mummy premiered in theaters, and it launched a franchise. It also solidified Brenden Fraser as a bonafide action star. Fraser might have seemed an unlikely choice to lead a potential summer blockbuster franchise, but Sommers tells The Daily Beast that he was always the first choice for the role, despite what he himself has read over the years. He explained… 

While Tom Cruise has certainly shown his skills as an action hero, it’s hard to imagine anybody other than Brendan Fraser in the role of Rick O’Connell in The Mummy. Fraser certainly had a willingness to have fun with the role and poke some fun at himself, something that was key to the character and a tendency that we don’t often see from Cruise. 

The series' eponymous charactor is one of the classic Universal monsters, so it’s not surprising that the idea at the studio was to let the title be the major selling point. Universal had apparently been trying to make a new Mummy movie for the better part of a decade when Stephen Sommers made his pitch. And the director admits he feels that part of the reason he got the job was simply because the studio wouldn’t have to work on it anymore.

The corporation also helped out with the production of the film by being equally disinterested in it. Stephen Sommers says that due to a changing of the guard at Universal amid the start of filming, the new bosses were largely uninterested in a movie greenlit by the previous leadership. And, based on Sommers' comments, it sounds like he had a lot of creative freedom:

Of course, Tom Cruise would eventually headline a movie that's part of the brand. It was meant to launch the Dark Universe, which was to be an interconnected universe featuring iconic monsters, with big stars playing them. Needless to say, that didn’t happen. 

Since then, largely thanks to Brendan Fraser's Oscar win in 2023 and increased notoriety, there have been calls for yet another true sequel to the '99 flick. With that, Fraser has indicated he'd be up for such a production. Honestly, if there's any question about who was the right man to lead a Mummy movie, only one of them is in a ride at Universal Studios.

Anyone who'd like to stream The Mummy and The Mummy Returns can do so using a Peacock subscription.

Fame is a tricky thing, and sometimes the biggest stars in the world can lose it all. Personal problems, changing times, and other factors can lead to a once-promising career disappearing almost over night. These stars, however, reversed their trajectories and came out on top after enduring rough times, in this list of actors who made remarkable career comebacks. 

Robert Downey, Jr.

Robert Downey, Jr was one of the most promising young actors in Hollywood in the 1980s, starring in films like Less Than Zero, Chaplin, and Natural Born Killers. In the mid-90s his life went infamously went off the rails with substance abuse problems. When it looked like he'd thrown it all away, he cleaned up and his fame exploded as he became one of the highest-paid actors in the MCU.

Jane Fonda

Jane Fonda has had a few ups and downs in her career. After breaking out as a star in the '60s, she was later shunned by many for her notorious trip to North Vietnam during the war. She rebounded and starred in hits like 9 to 5 and On Golden Pond. In 1991, Fonda married Ted Turner and completely stepped back from acting. She didn't appear in anything at all until after their divorce in 2001, but roared back to prominence in the 21st Century. 

Rob Lowe

As a member of the "Brat Pack" in the 1980s, Rob Lowe was on top of the world. That all came crashing down when a videotape of Lowe in a compromising situation was leaked. His hard partying had caught up to him, and though he got sober in 1992, he would spend much of the decade playing smaller roles or in direct-to-video movies. In 1999 he landed the role of Sam Seaborn in The West Wing and was once again on top, where he's stayed ever since. 

John Travolta

In the late '70s, there was no bigger star than John Travolta. From Welcome Back, Kotter to Grease and Saturday Night Fever, Travolta was in some of the biggest pop culture touchstones of all time. Then the '80s came and his career hit a serious lull. While he was in the hit Look Who's Talking and its sequels, it was 1994's Pulp Fiction that vaulted Travolta back to the top. 

Natasha Lyonne

In the late '90s, Natasha Lyonne was one of a group of budding stars in American Pie and other movies like Slums Of Beverly Hills before health and addiction problems derailed her career. Thankfully for all of us she came out of those those stronger and has since starred in fantastic shows like Orange is the New Black and Russian Doll. 

Brendan Fraser

Brendan Fraser winning the Oscar for 2022 The Whale capped off one of the greatest comeback stories in Hollywood history. His work had all but completely dried up in the late '00s and 2010s, but his career has had the most incredible resurgence in the 2020s. 

Winona Ryder

Winona Ryder defined "movie star" for late Gen Xers in the '90s, but after her infamous arrest for shoplifting in 2001, her career nosedived and she didn't appear in a movie for about three years after. For the next decade or so, she worked steadily but didn't regain her star power from early in her career. That changed when she starred in Stranger Things, starting in 2016, and she once again became a huge star. 

Dave Chappelle

In 2003 Dave Chappelle debuted Chappelle's Show on Comedy Central and it became a massive hit. Despite the network throwing tens of millions of dollars at the comedian to keep the show going, he turned it down and walked away. Chappelle stayed away for most of the next decade before reviving his standup career, and while Chappelle continues to garner controversy, it's safe to say he's as big as ever. 

Betty White

When Betty White died in 2021 she was mourned by millions. The beloved actress had been a television star since the 1940s, but not all of those years were in the spotlight. After early success in the '50s in Life with Elizabeth and other sitcoms, White's career hit a lull for more than a decade. She returned to the big time with her role on The Mary Tyler Moore Show in the '70s, The Golden Girls in the '80s, and then later with Hot in Cleveland in the 2010s.

Ke Huy Quan

There is no more heartwarming story than that of Ke Huy Quan's resurgence. the actor, who first found fame as a child in The Goonies and Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, completely disappeared from Hollywood. For twenty years, he appeared in not one TV show or movie, before returning in 2021 with a role in Finding ʻOhana, and then winning an Oscar for his performance in 2022's Everything Everywhere All At Once. 

Michael Keaton

Michael Keaton was a controversial choice when he was cast as Batman in Tim Burton's Batman in 1989, but it shows just how famous he was at that time. After Batman Returns, Keaton's star faded and he starred in a run of films to mixed reviews. In 2014 Keaton starred in the very meta Birdman, as a former superhero star looking to regain his fame. It worked, at least for Keaton. 

Katharine Hepburn

Anyone with a career as long as Katharine Hepburn's is bound to have some slow periods. The most amazing fact of the legendary actress' career was the 34-year span between Best Actress Oscars. She won in 1934 for Morning Glory and then again in 1968 and 1969 for Guess Who's Coming to Dinner and The Lion in Winter, respectively. She would win her fourth 13 years later in 1982 for On Golden Pond. 

Mickey Rourke

In the 1980s Mickey Rourke starred in a string of hits. Eventually, though, his reputation as being difficult to work with overshadowed his performances and he was left in the Hollywood wilderness until triumphantly returning to his past glory in 2008 with The Wrestler.

Sidney Poitier

Sidney Poitier was one of the biggest stars of the '50s, '60s, and '70s. Then came the '80s, when he stepped away from acting and concentrated on directing, to mixed reviews. In 1988 he turned back to acting and had a wonderful late career resurgence with films like Shoot To Kill and Sneakers. 

Jason Bateman

In the 1980s it looked like Jason Bateman was a surefire bet to be a huge star. Then the '90s came and his career pretty much dried up. He had some guest spots on TV shows, but little else. He was all but forgotten. In 2003, Fox debut a show you may have heard of, Arrested Development, with Bateman as the star, and he's been huge ever since. 

Keanu Reeves

It's hard to remember a time when Keanu Reeves wasn't one of the biggest stars in the world, but after his success in the '90s and early '00s with The Matrix and Speed and more, he starred in a slew of commercial and critical failures. Thankfully for Reeves fans everywhere, John Wick came along and Reeves was back on top of the mountain, where he still is. 

Drew Barrymore

Drew Barrymore almost became a Hollywood child star casualty after her string of hits as a kid in the 1980s. She had a rough childhood that led to substance abuse problems as a teenager. Against the odds, she got through it all and became an even bigger star on the other end. 

Neil Patrick Harris

Neil Patrick Harris first got famous as a child prodigy playing a prodigy on Doogie Howser, MD. After the sitcom ended in 1993, he struggled to regain that popularity. That is, until he played a fictionalized version of himself in Harold & Kumar Go To White Castle in 2004. Soon after he landed the role he's best known for, Barney Stinson on How I Met Your Mother. 

Matthew McConaughey

Most of Matthew McConaughey's early career was made up of starring roles in rom-coms. In 2009 the Lincoln Lawyer star took a two-year acting hiatus to re-evaluate his career. He emerged in 2011 by taking on more serious roles and leaving his rom-com leading man reputation behind. Since the so-called "McConaissance," McConaughey's become on of the most acclaimed actors of the 21st century. 

Nicolas Cage

By 2009 Cage was one of the biggest action stars in Hollywood, and one of the highest-paid actors in the business, but it seems he couldn't curb his spending and ended up in debt to the IRS and other creditors. As a result, Cage seemingly took every job offered to him, and he put out an immense catalog of straight-to-video movies that few people have ever watched. Finally, in 2022, Cage revealed he was finally debt-free and started being more selective with his roles. this led to acclaimed roles in The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent and 2023's Dream Scenario.

Mandy Moore

Mandy Moore's career started like a comet as a singer in the late '90s which she parlayed into an acting career. That career slowed way down in the early 2010s, only to be revived in a massive way with her starring role on the NBC hit This Is Us. 

Christian Slater

With starring roles in Heathers, Pump Up The Volume, and Gleaming The Cube, Christian Slater became a Gen X icon. He scored a number of high-profile roles in big-budget movies in the '90s, before work started drying up in the early 2000s. He returned to Hollywood prominence with his award-winning role in Mr. Robot and has maintained it ever since. 

Luke Perry

Luke Perry was one of the biggest television stars of the 1990s as part of the cast of Beverly Hills, 90210. After the show ended though, his star faded some. That is, until he was cast in the CW's Riverdale and he was discovered by a whole new generation of fans. Tragically, Perry died in 2019 at age 52. 

Christina Ricci

Childhood success for Christina Ricci didn't immediately translate to success as an adult. She's always worked steadily, but her fame never quite reached the heights of her early career in The Addams Family. That changed in 2021 with Showtime's Yellowjackets. 

Michelle Yeoh

Michelle Yeoh first found international fame with her roles in the James Bond movie Tomorrow Never Dies and Crouch Tiger, Hidden Dragon. She maintained a level of success, but she exploded to new heights with her Oscar-winning turn in 2022's Everything, Everywhere, All At Once. 

Neve Campbell

Neve Campbell was huge in the '90s with her starring role in the show Party Of Five and movies like The Craft and Wild Things. In the early 2000s, she starred in the Scream franchise, but hit a lull after that. Recently, she's been back on top with roles in The Lincoln Lawyer and Twisted Metal. 

Channing Tatum

Fans might not think that Channing Tatum has never had a career lull, but he has actually had a couple. He's always had to fight the idea that he's all looks and little substance (which is far from accurate), and that has affected his career at different points. He's always rebounded with strong performances like the one in Foxcatcher, however. 

Jennifer Lawrence

Jennifer Lawrence's career hasn't really had a financial downturn, her lull was completely her choice. After a couple of poorly reviewed films and becoming the most famous victim of the iPhone hacking scandal, Lawrence stepped away from acting for two years in 2019. She triumphantly returned in the great movie Don't Look Up in 2021. 

Patrick Dempsey

Patrick Dempsey was first famous for starring in teen comedies like Loverboy and Can't Buy Me Love. He bounced around for a few years after that, working steadily but hardly a star. That changed in a big way when he landed the role of Derek "McDreamy" Shepherd in 2005 on Grey's Anatomy. 

Marlon Brando

The 1960s weren't kind to Marlon Brando. After establishing himself as a bonafide star and one of the finest actors of the 20th century in the '50s, his mercurial nature earned him a reputation as difficult to work with. A string of box office failures didn't help. Famously, he pushed hard to get the role of Vito Corleone in The Godfather, and wow, was that the right move! He won an Academy Award and reminded everyone how great an actor he was. 

David Carradine

Leave it to Quentin Tarantino to help revive a star's career like he did with John Travolta. David Carradine was huge in the 1970s as the star of Kung Fu, and while he always found work, it took until Kill Bill in 2003 that he found that same level of fame again. 

Kiefer Sutherland

After becoming one of the biggest teen idols of the '80s, Kiefer Sutherland spent most of the '90s in smaller, supporting roles. In 2001, however, he landed the role of Jack Bauer in 24 and it became the part he's most known for, becoming a television icon over the run of the show. 

Fame, as they say, is fleeting, and these actors prove there can always be a second act in Hollywood. 

Brendan Fraser has had a career Renaissance of late that culminated in an Academy Award win. However, it’s clear the love for Fraser has not died down, as the most popular new attraction at Disney World recently was actually Fraser himself at Epcot’s Candlelight Processional. It had fans screaming and Fraser getting emotional at his own reception. He clearly enjoyed his time on stage, and if the former George of the Jungle star wasn’t a “Disney Adult” before, he almost certainly is now.

Brendan Fraser is one of this season’s new narrators at this year’s annual Candlelight Processional at Epcot. If the reactions from fans, as shown on TikTok, and Fraser himself are any indication, he will almost certainly be back, because he was adored. He also loved interacting with the audience.

Epcot holds the Candlelight Processional on multiple nights throughout December and brings in a host of celebrities to read the story of Christmas. The cast usually consists of stars with strong Disney connections, like members of the MCU, Brie Larson recently played host to the Candlelight Processional at Disneyland or Neil Patrick Harris, who recently appeared at Epcot and is a serious Disney nerd. Fraser does have Disney bona fides, having appeared in a few productions during what we now need to call his pre-Brenaissance era. Based on these TikTok reactions, fans remember.

Brendan Fraser was one of the biggest new additions to the Epcot schedule this year. Following Fraser's big Oscar win, he almost certainly has his choice of projects, or how he wants to spend his holiday, but who wouldn’t want to spend some of it at Walt Disney World? Fraser’s biggest theme park contribution to date is actually down the road at Universal Studios Florida with the Revenge of the Mummy coaster, but these folks clearly don't mind.

It’s hard not to get a little emotional seeing these videos. Fraser has clearly been touched by the reception fans have given him of late. Watching these audiences respond to him shows none of that is calming down anytime soon. Seeing Fraser’s talent recognized with both industry awards and fan reactions is incredible.

With Brendan Fraser “back” in a big way, one does have to wonder if his appearance at Epcot is part of larger work with Disney. There are certainly plenty of franchises he could begin to take part in. At this point, Fraser doesn't have any Disney projects we're aware of in his future, but that could change at any time. 

Disney fans, like the ones in these audiences, would surely love to see that. Perhaps Fraser will join the long list of stars who have played iconic Disney characters. That certainly makes the actor returning to Epcot year after year much more likely. 

After Brendan Fraser joined the list of 2023 Oscar winners for his acclaimed performance in The Whale, he continued The Brenaissance by appearing in Martin Scorsese’s Killers of the Flower Moon as the lawyer of Robert De Niro’s character. However, despite the historical drama’s incredible reviews, some are criticizing The Mummy star’s performance in the film. Now, the director has defended the actor while speaking about their movie, and I really hope his kind words put an end to this debate. 

Criticism surrounding Fraser’s performance as lawyer W.S. Hamilton stems from people calling it “baffling,” and claiming that it feels “cartoonish,” per Lad Bible. While some found his role in the movie over the top, many came to the actor’s defense, including Scorsese, who said:

Fraser appears in the scene where DiCaprio's cheracter Ernest takes the stand to testify against his uncle (who is played by Robert DeNiro). The 2023 Best Actor Oscar winner plays the lawyer defending De Niro’s character, and he works really hard to clear the man’s name, despite him being 100% guilty. As the director said, The Whale star “brought the whole scene down on Leo,” and added intensity to it. To this, Martin Scorsese explained why he felt the performer was a good choice for the role of the defender, saying:

It’s hard to argue with Martin Scorsese’s high praise. He’s worked with the best of the best, and hearing him speak so highly of Brendan Fraser shows just how talented the actor is. However, to many of us that talent has been clear for a long time, and these kind words from the director are simply an added bonus, and enough to put this debate about Fraser’s performance to rest. 

Killers of the Flower Moon is a captivating big-screen experience, and Fraser’s character (and his acting choices) add intensity to the climactic scene where Leonardo DiCaprio’s character testifies against De Niro’s. He’s commanding and loud, and it adds a new dynamic to the film. Honestly, I don’t see why people felt the need to criticize the Academy Award-winning actor and his performance. To me, he was giving the same level of commitment as the leads of the film, and he fit right in. Clearly, Martin Scorsese agrees with this notion too.  

If you want to go see the film that will likely be among some of Apple TV+’s best movies, you can currently catch Killers of the Flowers Moon in theaters. It will also be available through an Apple TV+ subscription in the near future. 

If the Academy Awards is like the Super Bowl for acting, then Brendan Fraser is the defending champion. So what is he going to do next? He’s going to Disney World! Today the theme park resort announced the list of performers who will be taking part in the annual Candlelight Processional during Epcot’s International Festival of the Holidays, and Brendan Fraser has joined the list for the first time.

The Candlelight Processional is an annual event at Epcot that sees a celebrity read the Story of Christmas as part of a larger event full of light and music to celebrate the holiday season. A handful of celebrities, like noted Disney Adults Neil Patrick Harris and John Stamos, often return year after year to perform as part of the event, but there are always a few new additions, and most of them have some sort of Disney connection.

Jordan Fisher, who got married at Walt Disney World, voiced Disney characters and sings the iconic song in the Happily Ever After nighttime spectacular, which will be appearing December 21-23. Frozen 2’s Sterling K. Brown will lend his excellent voice to the show on December 19 and 20. But the name I love the most is Brendan Fraser, and so I’ll be trying to figure out how to get to Epcot on December 12-14.

While Brendan Fraser might not be a name you automatically associate with Disney like some of the others who have done the CandlelightProcessional in years past, he is a Disney alum. He starred in the live-action George of the Jungle movie, which was a Disney production, and one of Fraser’s first films, the comedy Encino Man was a Touchstone Pictures movie, which was a Disney studio.

The Brenaissance of late 2022 and early 2023 brought Brendan Fraser back into the limelight in a big way, and his Oscar-winning turn in The Whale seems to have solidified the actor’s “comeback.” It’s certainly possible that he could have been asked to perform the Candlelight Processional without all that. But it seems all but certain this opportunity came about because Disney, just like a lot of other people, has been very recently reminded how great Brendan Fraser is. 

And doing the Candlelight Processional has to be a lot of fun. I have to assume that Disney puts you up in one of the nicer resort hotels, and gives you the VIP treatment in the park. There are few times to visit Walt Disney World that are better than the holiday season. 

And if he has time, maybe he can sneak over to Universal Studios Florida, grab a ride on Revenge of the Mummy, where Fraser actually appears, and finally get his cup of coffee. 

It will be interesting to see if this opportunity spawns a new relationship between Brendan Fraser and Disney. Fraser could become one of those mainstays that returns for the Candlelight Processional every year, and there could be more opportunities for him in Disney movies as well. 

The superhero genre has been dominating the entertainment industry for years, and is showing no signs of slowing down. The DC Universe has had plenty of twists and turns, including James Gunn and Peter Safran being named co-CEOs. Fans were disappointed when it was revealed that the Batgirl movie was scrapped, despite it being filmed and nearly completed. The movie’s director thinks Brendan Fraser’s performance as Firefly was “Oscar-worthy” and my FOMO is so real. Give us Batgirl, you cowards!

Brendan Fraser’s professional comeback was lovingly named the Brenaissance, and centered around both his Oscar winning performance in The Whale and portraying the villainous Firefly in Batgirl. Unfortunately, it’s unclear if we’ll ever actually get to see that DC movie. Director Adil El Arbi spoke to Yahoo about that superhero flick, and why fans like me would potentially love the project. In his words:

Do you hear that sound? It’s me and other DC fans crying out about the scrapped blockbuster. Because on top of finally seeing the title character join the DCU in live-action, Fraser also may have given yet another Oscar-worthy performance in Batgirl. And we never got to see one frame of footage.

El Arbi’s comments make some solid points, especially related to what DC fans have gotten to see in the DCU so far, and what could have been brought to the table with Batgirl. As he mentioned, fans love the Bat-family. While Batman himself has been adapted for film a number of times throughout the years (The Flash had three different ones including George Clooney), the DCU has yet to bring the Bat-family into the fun. None of Bruce Wayne’s protegees have shown up so far in the shared universe, with the one exception being the mysterious dead Robin’s suit in Batman v Superman. 

Of course, this will change with the new shared universe that Gunn and Safran are forming. The first chapter is called Gods and Monsters, and includes a movie focused on both Batman and Robin. Titled The Brave and The Bold, we’ll follow as Bruce Wayne works with his son Damian, who was trained by assassins from a young age. So even if Batgirl is scrapped, we’ll finally see the Bat-family back on the big screen. But it's unclear when my Fraser-related FOMO will subside. 

The next DC movie hitting theaters is Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom on December 20th. In the meantime, check out the 2023 movie release dates to plan your next movie experience. 

I was excited for and proud of David Corenswet when I learned he had joined writer and director James Gunn’s Superman: Legacy cast as the new DCU’s official Clark Kent. However, I also recognize that some will alway see Christopher Reeve as the definitive Man of Steel, and others are still bummed about Henry Cavill’s exit from the role, and I imagine there are many who still believe no one has topped George Reeves since he debuted in 1951.

Of course, as we could say about the lead role in just all the best superhero movies ever made, none of these icons were the first choice to play the Last Son of Krypton and some big names have been approached to don the old red and blues, but never took flight for one reason or another. Let’s take a look back at some of the most notable actors who almost played Superman — starting with one who is no stranger to live-action DC movies already.

Joe Manganiello

Years after playing Flash Thompson in Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man, Joe Manganiello joined the DC Extended Universe as deadly assassin, Slade “Deathstroke” Wilson — a role met with “much disappointment,” as he ended up only making brief appearances in a post-credits scene in 2017’s Justice League and a dystopian flash-forward in the Snyder Cut. That was actually not his first disappointing experience with a DC role, as he recalled to ComicBook.com, having previously met with Zack Snyder about leading 2013’s Man of Steel. Unfortunately, the actor claims his contractual commitment to one of Manganiello’s best TV shows, HBO’s True Blood, prevented him from taking the time he needed off for the project.

Brendan Fraser

Speaking of disappointing DC movie experiences, Brendan Fraser’s role as pyromaniac villain, Firefly, was one of the things we wished we could have seen in Batgirl before Warner Bros. cancelled the movie. Yet, as he told Howard Stern, the Academy Award-winning star of The Whale experienced his first disappointment involving a DC character in the early 2000s when he auditioned for a Superman movie that never got made, called Superman: Flyby. While Fraser was, admittedly, intimidated by the idea of the Man of Steel being his definitive role, losing the opportunity with the project’s cancellation was a let down, but at least he can say he got to voice RobotMan on Doom Patrol for Max.

Matt Bomer

Speaking of Doom Patrol, Fraser’s co-star, Matt Bomer, plays Larry “Negative Man” Trainor, who must keep his radioactive skin covered in bandages. However, underneath them is a dead ringer for Clark Kent, which is why it comes as no surprise that — according to ComicBook.com — he was also considered for the lead role of Superman: Flyby, coincidentally. Luckily, the former White Collar cast member would go on to voice a couple of iconic heroes in animated DC movies — namely The Flash in Justice Society: World War II and Legion of Super-Heroes, and the Man of Steel himself in 2013’s Superman: Unbound.

Josh Hartnett

Despite having a couple of non-superhero comic book movies under his belt — Sin City and 30 Days of Night — Josh Hartnett has had more than one chance to be a superhero, being an actor who could have played Batman and Superman, as well. The Oppenheimer cast member revealed to Mr. Porter that he turned down the lead role in 2006’s Superman Returns — which eventually went to Brandon Routh — because he was more interested in projects outside of the mainstream following the major boost in fame he got from starring in Pearl Harbor.

Jude Law

Another actor who was considered for the mid-2000s Superman reboot before Routh was cast was Jude Law. The two-time Oscar nominee recalled to Stephen Colbert on Late Show that he actually tried on the hero’s iconic costume in private and initially enjoyed the experience, but was frightened by the idea of seeing what he saw in the mirror on advertisements all over the world. He would eventually take a supporting role in one of the Marvel movies — Yon-Rogg in Captain Marvel.

Sylvester Stallone

An actor who can say he has been in a few of the best Marvel movies and a DC movie, as well, is Guardians of the Galaxy (Vol. 2 and 3) and The Suicide Squad actor Sylvester Stallone. While he would make his comic book movie as the title role of 1995’s Judge Dredd, it could have happened much earlier when he met with director Richard Donner about leading 1978’s Superman. According to the filmmaker’s words to THR, Donner liked the Rocky movies star, but he was against the idea of casting a big name and eventually got his wish when the then-relatively unknown Reeve was brought in.

Paul Newman

Another big name who was considered to for Donner’s Superman before Reeve was Paul Newman, who was in his early 50s when the film was in development. On an audio commentary recorded for the film’s 2006 DVD release, producers Ilya Salkind and Pierre Spengler claimed that the future Academy Award winner (for 1986’s The Color of Money) was actually offered the choice to play either Clark Kent, his nemesis Lex Luthor (which went to Gene Hackman), or his father Jor-El (whom Marlon Brando famously played). Newman did wind up starring in a much different kind of comic book movie, Road to Perdition, which, coincidentally, also stars Law.

Will Smith

In 2008, while promoting his own superhero movie not inspired by a comic book, Hancock — in which he plays a cynical, drunken bum with Superman-esque abilities — Will Smith revealed to MTV that he could have been the real thing. He passed on the Superman Returns script, though, because, as he put it, playing Jim West in the 1999 flop, Wild Wild West, convinced him, “you can't be messing up white people's heroes in Hollywood!” The Academy Award winner (for 2021’s King Richard) would later agree to play the anti-heroic Deadshot in DC's Suicide Squad, which turned out to be one of his most financially successful films.

Nicolas Cage

Perhaps the best-known example of an actor who almost played the Man of Steel comes from the story behind one of the most famous (if not infamous) DC movies that never happened — Superman Lives. As he recalled to Variety, in the 1990s, Nicolas Cage was cast in his dream role for the film that was set to be directed by Tim Burton, until it was scrapped after a series of behind-the-scenes issues. However, Cage would eventually receive the honor of playing Superman on two different occasions: voicing him in Teen Titans GO! to the Movies in 2018 and a digitally de-aged cameo in The Flash, in which he fights the giant spider Superman Lives producer Jon Peters requested.

There are several actors our own Sarah El-Mahmoud once thought would be perfect to play Superman after Henry Cavill — such as Yellowstone’s Wes Bentley or Michael B. Jordan, who is producing a miniseries about a Black version of Superman named Val-Zod that we hope still happens. However, as we may come to find out, Gunn and co. choosing David Corenswet, alongside Rachel Brosnahan as his Lois Lane, might work out for the best.

On the surface, it doesn’t seem like Brendan Fraser’s 2023 Oscar-winning turn as Charlie in Darren Aronofsky’s The Whale has anything in common with horror movies. However, looks can be deceiving because, The Mummy actor recently explained the really cool connection the drama has with everyone’s favorite killer plaything, M3GAN.

The Whale sees Fraser taking on the role of Charlie, a character grappling with obesity and the complexities of food addiction. He had to don hundreds of pounds of prosthetics and harnesses to portray the complicated character. In an interview with Backstage, the Doom Patrol alum revealed that the make-up which made his performance possible was done by legendary make-up artist Adrien Morot, who also designed M3GAN for the 2023 sci-fi horror box-office smash. While the pint-sized murderous robot at the center of the creepy doll horror movie was designed so audiences would crawl in their skin, Charlie had to be a real-life breathing person. The prosthetics were meticulously designed to enhance Fraser’s portrayal of Charlie believably. Here’s how Fraser describes it:

Fraser’s dedication to portraying Charlie goes beyond the superficial; he has delved deep into the character’s complexities, ensuring that he resonates with the audience on a profound level. While he acknowledges the divisive reactions to the film, which received backlash, Fraser is no stranger to such polarizing reception and stands by his choices. Interestingly, the No Sudden Move actor’s worldview aligns closely with the thought-provoking theme presented in The Whale’s climax: the idea that people are inherently incapable of not caring. Fraser eagerly embraces the chance to respectfully disagree with those who take issue with the movie’s sentiments, saying:

Fraser has consistently been careful in his choice of words, adamantly refusing to label the prosthetics as a mere “fat suit.” He and his character adhered to the principles of physics and gravity, adding an extra layer of authenticity to their performances. Unlike previous actors who have tackled plus-sized roles, the George of the Jungle actor experienced the genuine physical challenges that Charlie faced due to his mobility limitations. This unique approach required make-up artist Morot to tackle the intricate task of conceptualizing prosthetics that respected the character’s identity. From prosthetic arms and legs to a chest, neck, and oversized cheeks, Charlie’s appearance was meticulously crafted. The attention to detail paid off, as evidenced by Morot’s well-deserved Academy Award nomination, especially for the compelling shower scene where Charlie bared it all.

Despite having a few upcoming projects scheduled for the 2023 new movie releases, including the highly anticipated Killers of the Flower Moon directed by Martin Scorsese, Brendan Fraser has surprisingly not confirmed his next film after his Oscar win. The accomplished actor is taking a selective approach in choosing his next venture following this significant milestone. While his future plans remain unknown, Fraser has openly expressed his interest in the possibility of another Mummy movie. And let’s be honest, who better than the talented mastermind behind the captivating looks of both Charlie and M3GAN to bring ancient creatures to life? All eyes are on you, Mr. Morot!

If you want to stay up on what Brendan Fraser chooses to do next, stay tuned to Cinemablend. Fans of the actor might also be interested in revisiting 1999's The Mummy, now streaming for anyone with a Peacock subscription. 

2022 was a big year for Brendan Fraser, as he received considerable praise and numerous accolades for his performance in Darren Aronofsky’s The Whale. Fraser capped off the stellar awards season run with a Best Actor win at the 2023 Oscars. He has a few upcoming productions that are on the schedule of 2023 new movie releases. However, it would seem that Fraser has yet to line up another gig since receiving his gold statue. That’s apparently because the veteran actor  is being very “picky” about his next movie.

Brendan Fraser is obviously no stranger to picking out acting jobs, as he’s had to do it throughout his decades-long career. Of course, one would assume that winning an Academy Award can change your mindset when it comes to selecting a role. The beloved actor addressed his professional future amid an interview with People, during which he also mentioned how the ongoing WGA writers strike might also factor into plans: 

Because of the strike, a number of film and TV projects – that are in numerous stages of production – have been delayed. So even if the Mummy icon were to sign on for something right now, there’s a chance that it could be a while before the cameras would actually start rolling. He doesn’t sound all that worried about that, though, based on his comments. If anything, it would appear that he’s more preoccupied with the strike and the prospect of joining his colleagues on the picket line. 

If one were to be honest, I don’t think the Encino Man alum is going to have any trouble landing work after his Oscar win, a result of his first-ever nomination (which he celebrated with his son). Hollywood pretty much knows what he’s capable of as a performer at this point, and his work in The Whale will possibly put him on the radar of even more top-tier filmmakers. As fate would have it, his next collaboration involves one of the greatest directors of our time. 

The actor is set to star in Martin Scorseses’s adaptation of Killers of the Flower Moon, which is set to premiere at the Cannes Film Festival later this month before hitting Apple TV+ in the fall. Scorsese’s latest feature puts Brendan Fraser alongside acting greats like Leonardo DiCaprio, Robert De Niro and John Lithgow. Fraser will also appear in the comedy film Brothers, which stars Josh Brolin, Glenn Close and Peter Dinklage. In addition, fans can still look forward to his work in the upcoming final episodes of DC’s Doom Patrol. 

I think Brendan Fraser could actually use a bit of rest considering all of the work he’s done as of late. It would seem that he’s going to take some time to think over his options amid the ongoing strike And once the industry returns to some sense of normalcy, I’d expect him to choose a project that speaks to him just as Darren Aronofsky’s Oscar-winning drama did.