Believe it or not, Brendan Fraser's Mummy franchise isn't dead. Sure, the spin-off Scorpion King was a bomb, but apparently, The Mummy lives on. TMZ says a third movie is on the way, with shooting to begin next year.
According to several sources Fraser has already been signed to reprise his leading role in the film. What's surprising is that apparently Rachel Weisz is clamoring to be involved again.
Since The Mummy Returns she's immersed herself in a wide variety of more high-brow projects, and found success doing it. She earned critical acclaim for The Constant Gardener and she'll probably earn more for The Fountain out later this year. Why would she want to go back to battling CGI monsters? Who knows, maybe she needs a bigger paycheck. Whatever the reason, Rachel says she'd "definitely like to be in it".
If she wants it, odds are she'll get it. Our friend Clint over at Moviehole says her character is already written in to the script. Universal would be foolish not to take her back.
There will however, be changes for the next Mummy movie. Specifically in its title. Universal is determined to stay away from calling it a sequel or using a title with a number in it. Seems Hollywood has talked itself into believing that if they don't call their sequels sequels, then audiences will be inclined to believe they're producing a more original product than they actually are. Word is that screenwriters Alfred Gough and Miles Millar have been taked with "reimagining" the thing for a new generation as opposed to say… those of us who watched it five years ago. When did the generational window get so small? Has Hollwyood narrowed their focus all the way down to 13-15 year olds now? And if they're really reimagining it, why aren't they using an entirely new cast? Sounds to me like a pretty thin façade. The reimagining is quickly becoming worse than the prequel. Let's just be honest about it folks. You're making a sequel. Own up to it.
