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:
Absolutely. That’s what they have stunt men for. One of my favorite things to say is, ‘Dude, you’re gonna be awesome in this shot!’
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.