The Mummy (Universal film franchise)
The Mummy is the title of several horror-adventure film series centered on an ancient Egyptian priest who is accidentally resurrected, bringing with him a powerful curse, and the ensuing efforts of heroic archaeologists to stop him.
Universal Classic Monsters film series (1932–1955)
The original series of films consisted of six installments, which starred iconic horror actors such as Boris Karloff ; Tom Tyler and Lon Chaney Jr. as Kharis; and lastly Eddie Parker, who played Klaris, a cousin of Kharis. The series of films is part of the larger Universal Classic Monsters series.| Year | Film | The Mummy actor |
| 1932 | The Mummy | Boris Karloff |
| 1940 | The Mummy's Hand | Tom Tyler |
| 1942 | The Mummy's Tomb | |
| 1944 | The Mummy's Ghost | |
| 1944 | The Mummy's Curse | |
| 1955 | Abbott and Costello Meet the Mummy | Eddie Parker |
Stephen Sommers series (1999–2008)
Originally a proposed remake of The Mummy would have been directed by horror filmmaker/writer Clive Barker. Barker's vision for the film was violent, with the story revolving around the head of a contemporary art museum who turns out to be a cultist trying to reanimate mummies. Barker's take was "dark, sexual and filled with mysticism", and that, "it would have been a great low-budget movie".In 1999, Stephen Sommers wrote and directed a remake of The Mummy, loosely based on the original film of 1932. This film switches genres from the emphasis on horror to adventure, concentrating more on action sequences, special effects, comedy, and a higher element of Egyptian. The film became a box office success spawning two sequels, several video games, a spin-off series, and an animated television series. The first two films received mixed to positive reviews and gathered a huge cult following, while the third one received mostly negative reviews.
| Film | Rotten Tomatoes | Metacritic | CinemaScore |
| The Mummy | 60% | 48 | B |
| The Mummy Returns | 47% | 48 | A- |
| ' | 13% | 31 | B- |
- The Mummy
- The Mummy Returns
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After Tomb of the Dragon Emperor was released, actress Maria Bello stated that another Mummy film will "absolutely" be made, and that she had already signed on. Actor Luke Ford was signed on for three films as well. But in 2012, Universal Pictures announced that they had cancelled the film and were focusing on a reboot.
''The Scorpion King'' spin-off series (2002–2018)
This spin-off series follows the adventures of Mathayus, who would later be known as the Scorpion King and, eventually, become a foe in The Mummy Returns. The films are as follows:- The Scorpion King
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Dark Universe
In April 2012, Universal Studios announced they were developing a reboot of the series with writer Jon Spaihts, and with Sean Daniel returning as producer. In May 2012, Universal also signed a two-year deal to produce the film with K/O Paper Products. In September 2012, Universal announced it hired Len Wiseman to direct the film. In December 2012, it was reported the film would use different mythology and would be set in the present. In February 2013, Universal asked The Hunger Games writer Billy Ray to write a competing draft against Spaihts written script. July of 2013, Wiseman left the film project due to schedule conflicts. In September 2013, news reported that Mamas director Andrés Muschietti was in talks to direct the film.In October 2013, Orci hinted that both The Mummy and Van Helsing reboots would have a shared universe. November of 2013, Universal set the film to release on April 22, 2016. On May 6, 2014, director Muschetti left the film due to creative differences. On July 16, 2014, Universal announced that they had tapped Alex Kurtzman and Chris Morgan to develop all classic movie monsters which include Frankenstein, Dracula, The Wolf Man, Creature from the Black Lagoon, The Invisible Man, Bride of Frankenstein, and The Mummy. The first film they developed together was The Mummy, for which they had begun the meetings. So on July 30, Kurtzman was set to direct the film. Next day, the film's release date was pushed back to March 27, 2017, when Universal announced the April 22 for its new film The Huntsman. The film's plot is set in Iraq and follows a Navy SEAL and his team that battle mummies led by Ashurbanipal.
On October 14, 2015, The Hollywood Reporter reported that Kurtzman and Spaihts has two scripts with a male and a female mummy villain. On November 24, 2015, Variety reports that Tom Cruise is in talks to star in the film. Variety also reports that Cruise isn't expected to produce, but he will play a major part in development. On December 8, 2015, The Hollywood Reporter has reported that Sofia Boutella is in talks for the female Mummy role in the reboot. It was announced that Cruise and Boutella will star in the reboot with a June 9, 2017, release date. In March 2016, Variety and The Hollywood Reporter has reported that Annabelle Wallis and Jake Johnson are in talks for a role of an archaeologist and a member of the military. The film began production in April 2016 located in Oxford, England.
Feature films
Cast and characters
List indicator
- A dark grey cell indicates the character was not in the film.
- A indicates the character was shown in a photograph.
- A indicates an uncredited role.
- A indicates a voice-only role.
- A indicates a cameo appearance.
- A indicates an appearance wherein an actor's facial features were digitally imprinted upon another actor's face.
- A indicates an appearance as a younger version of a pre-existing character.
- An indicates an appearance through archival footage, audio or stills.
Crew
Derivative works
Two video game adaptations of The Mummy were developed by Rebellion Developments and published by Konami in 2000: an action-adventure game for the PlayStation and PC as well as a Game Boy Color puzzle game. Dreamcast version was announced but later cancelled in the late 2000. The Mummy Returns released in late 2001 for the PlayStation 2 and developed by Blitz Games, the Game Boy Color version was developed by GameBrains, both versions were published by Universal Interactive. was released in 2008, developed by Eurocom for the PlayStation 2 and the Wii, the Nintendo DS released was developed by A2M, all versions were published by Sierra Entertainment. In March 2012, a massive multiplayer online game known as The Mummy Online was released.In May 2001, Chaos! Comics released the first of a three-issue series inspired by the film, titled The Mummy: Valley of the Gods. The plot was supposed to take place between the first film and The Mummy Returns. Rick and Evelyn are on their honeymoon in Egypt and end up embarking on yet another adventure where they must unravel the mysteries of the Orb of Destiny and discover the location of the Valley of the Gods hidden beneath the sands. However, the second and third issues were never published.
This was most likely due to Chaos later filing bankruptcy in 2002 and selling the rights to all their titles at that time.
Years later in 2008, another Mummy comic series was released by IDW Publishing, spanning four issues. This series was titled The Mummy: The Rise and Fall of Xango's Ax. Unlike the preceding comic series, all of the planned issues were published.
From 2001 until 2003, an animated series simply titled The Mummy was made by Universal Animation Studios where it was based on the Stephen Sommers series of films. The series was later renamed in the second season as The Mummy: Secrets of the Medjai.
The film also inspired a roller coaster ride named Revenge of the Mummy: The Ride in Universal Studios Theme Parks, Florida. Similar rides can also be found in Hollywood and Singapore.