Universal Orlando Resort still has some growing pains to account for in its daily operations. Epic Universe is currently under construction for its 2025 opening, but older attractions in Universal Orlando’s legacy park are either being removed or refreshed. Revenge of the Mummy is one of the rides that falls into the latter category, and while it’s made some progress towards its eventual summer reopening, the rumors surrounding Brendan Fraser’s fate in the attraction are still up in the air.
It’s still going to be some time until the “late summer” time frame that this long running ride will be reopened, but Inside Universal snapped some pictures of the progress. Showing the front courtyard area for Revenge of the Mummy now exposed to the public, the construction walls have been pushed back a bit. Also, the overall entrance signage to the attraction looks to have gotten a fresh coat of paint, and those walls hiding the hard work beyond them are still covered with Universal Monsters posters.
Unfortunately, no one knows what’s going on inside of Revenge of the Mummy’s extensive refurbishment, which started in January. Which means there’s still no confirmation as to whether or not the 2004 roller coaster is indeed trying to remove Brendan Fraser’s appearance in both the ride queue and the coaster itself. However, this update may have debunked a previous theory that came up in passing.
Previously, it was rumored that a classic Universal Monsters retheming was in the works. If that potential fresh coat of paint on the entrance is any sign, Revenge of the Mummy just might be here to stay. So while Brendan Fraser could still be removed from the attraction altogether, at the very least the coaster itself will still be in operation for the foreseeable future.
I understand that attractions need to be refreshed in major theme parks like Universal Orlando Resort, or even Universal Studios Hollywood. We recently caught wind of a rumor that stated the Fast Saga might get a drifting coaster in the latter park, and that’s an exciting example of improving something that fans have seen as a mixed bag at best. That being said, parkgoers have enjoyed the Brendan Fraser aspect of Revenge of the Mummy, and it’s kind of an iconic piece to the experience.
As Fraser enjoys the current career renaissance that’s seeing him take roles like Firefly, the villain in DC’s Batgirl film, the urge of nostalgia might override that of innovation. Again, no one really knows what’s being altered or refurbished on Revenge of the Mummy, and it’s still too early to tell. We’ll have to wait and see what the late summer brings to Universal Orlando Resort, but thankfully there’s still plenty of other awesome rides to check out in the process. Perhaps one of those queues could spare some room for Brendan Fraser’s lovable likeness.
