The Mummy
Summary
The 1999 adventure filmThe Mummywas almost made by three different horror directors , who would have made completely unlike movies . The 1932 repugnance classicThe Mummy , directed by Karl Freund and star Boris Karloff , got a “ remaking ” in the late nineties , but with a completely different story . The Mummykept Imhotep as the antagonist but enclose adventurer Rick O’Connell ( Brendan Fraser ) and Egyptologist Evelyn Carnahan ( Rachel Weisz ) as protagonists . The Mummy , then , come across Rick , Evelyn , and her brother Jonathan ( John Hannah ) traveling to Hamunaptra and unexpectedly wake up the high non-Christian priest Imhotep ( Arnold Vosloo ) .
Despite receiving interracial reviews from critic , The Mummywas a box seat berth hitting , leave it to expand with two subsequence – The Mummy ReturnsandThe Mummy : Tomb of the Dragon Emperor – and making way for a spinoff prequel series . The Mummyhas amass a loyal following , who praise its action , visual effects , and performances , but had the labor lead as originally be after , The Mummycould have been guide by an iconic revulsion director , thus produce it a completely unlike movie .
The Scorpion King motion picture are twisting - offs from The Mummy series , and here ’s the entire enfranchisement in order in terms of vent date and chronology .
George A. Romero, Clive Barker, & Joe Dante Almost Directed 1999’s The Mummy
Before Stephen Sommers charter over the project , The Mummywas almost directed by three dissimilar horror film director . maturation on a new , modern take on 1932’sThe Mummystarted in the late eighties , and in 1987 , George A. Romero write a film treatment for it and was attach to organise – however , he ended up drift forth from it and eventually dropped out . Clive Barker was inscribe next , and he delivered a treatment in 1990 . According to producer James Jacks , Barker ’s concept forThe Mummywas “ dark sexual , and take with mysticism ” and would have been “ a not bad low - budget picture ” . Barker toldCinefantastiquethat his concept was “ too weird ” for Universal , so he leave behind the project .
Joe Dante was brought on board after Barker ’s issue , and he increased the budget as he want Daniel Day - Lewis to recreate the Mummy . After the book was rewrite by John Sayles , the project came very skinny to being made , and it would have had some horror elements like flesh - eat scarabs , but in the end , Universal refused to move ahead due to the gamy budget . In 1994 , Romero returned toThe Mummy , now with the approximation of making it into a zombi - style repugnance movie , with component of tragical love story and ambivalence of personal identity .
In October 1994 , Romero finished a conscription Colorado - drop a line with Alan Ormsby and John Sayles , in which a female archaeologist key Helen Grover would have foundthe tomb of Imhotep , with Helen being draw into a tentative relationship with him . However , Romero ’s handwriting was discover to be too dark and red , and as he could n’t free himself from a contract with MGM , he officially leftThe Mummy . The hunting for a film director forThe Mummycontinued , and at some point , Wes Craven was propose the project , but he turn it down .
How 1999’s The Mummy Changed With Stephen Sommers As Director
In 1997 , Stephen Sommers called manufacturer James Jacks and Sean Daniel to share his imagination forThe Mummy , which was entirely different from what premature directors had been working on . Sommers proposed a movie “ kind of Indiana Jones or Jason and the Argonauts with the mommy as the creature have the hero a intemperate time” . The Mummyended up becoming an activity - adventure film , but it keep some horror elements , as seen in howImhotep turn the townspeople into zombie - like existence . Sommers ’ plan was not to refashion the 1932 version but to make it into a romantic adventure with horror constituent , and it call on out to be a fully grown success .
Sources : Cinefantastique
