Tom Cruise has been a part of many franchises and has single-handedly revived the exhibition industry with Top Gun: Maverick after it received a huge blow due to the COVID-19 pandemic. However, there was one franchise that seemed to be beyond saving and that was The Mummy.
Cruise starred in Universal’s reboot of The Mummy directed by Alex Kurtzman. While the intended beginning of the Dark Universe ended before it even started, a fan-made trailer for a sequel titled The Mummy: Tomb of Secrets starring Keanu Reeves has been making the rounds, reinvigorating interest in the franchise.
Fan-Made Trailer Of The Mummy Sequel Is Better Than Tom Cruise’s Disaster
Brendan Fraser’s The Mummy is one of the most beloved adventure films. His chemistry with Rachel Weisz and Stephen Sommers’ brilliant direction turned the reboot of an old horror IP into a bonafide classic. However, after three films, Universal decided to reboot the franchise, planning to use it as a launchpad for a shared universe.
The Tom Cruise-led The Mummy (2017), however, was a disappointment. It did not fare well critically and while it earned $410 million at the box office, it was a failure due to having a $195 million budget (via The Numbers). It also put a rest to any further plans of Universal with the Dark Universe.
A recent fan-made trailer has reportedly made the rounds which might revive interest in the franchise. Titled The Mummy: Tomb of Secrets, the fan-made trailer sees Keanu Reeves and Dawson headlining the film which has clips from Cruise’s film as well as several other adventure films. A deep-faked Reeves also makes an appearance in the trailer.
The conceptual video was made by the YouTube channel Darth Trailer, who also has created other fan-trailers of films like Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, 300: Born of an Empire, and Black Adam v Superman: Dawn of Justice 2. The trailers seem to use AI-generated imagery and the voices of prominent actors.
Will Brendan Fraser Return To The Mummy Franchise?
While Tom Cruise’s The Mummy may not have managed to capture the magic of the original, with lead actor Brendan Fraser having a career resurgence, fans have been demanding a return of the original Rick O’Connell. Whether Keanu Reeves would be able to save the Dark Universe or not, Fraser’s return would definitely do wonders for the franchise.
In an interview with EW, Fraser mentioned that he would love to return to the role and has reportedly heard from fans. He said,
Not, like, officially, no, but I know the fans have. I’ve been having a great time in recent years, in my so-called hiatus, going to fan conventions, keeping it real, meeting everybody, and thanking them personally for putting me where I am.Â
However, there seem to be no plans for a revival with the original cast, which included Fraser and Rachel Weisz. Director Stephen Sommers mentioned to THR that no one had approached him for a sequel nor did he know any of the current executives at Universal for him to approach.
The Mummy (2017) is available to rent on Apple TV.
