The Mummy 4 Needs To Repeat A Twist From Brendan Fraser's OG Sequel For 1 Missing Character
The Mummy 4 is bringing back most of the original cast, but will it pull a familiar trick to bring back one missing character? The Mummy movie trilogy peaked with the 1999 original, which was an impressive blend of action, comedy, romance and horror. Neither of the sequels lived up to it, and neither did The Scorpion King movie spinoffs, which somehow ran for five entries.
The upcoming Mummy 4 looks set to right some franchise wrongs and will reunite OG stars Brendan Fraser, Rachel Weisz and John Hannah. Plot details are currently under wraps (heh), but considering most of the original cast - including Oded Fehr and Kevin J. O'Connor - are returning, it appears the new story will have strong ties with the first two outings.
O'Connor's comeback is especially intriguing, considering the bleak fate of his weasely subvillain Beni in the original film. The Mummy 4 will need to resurrect Beni somehow, though given that the series already involves magic and otherworldly beings, that shouldn't be too hard to explain away. While his casting isn't confirmed, it appears the saga's original villain is making a comeback too.
The Mummy 4 Seems Likely To Bring Back Arnold Vosloo As Imhotep
During a chat with Italian magazine CiaK, John Hannah claimed Arnold Vosloo was close to signing a deal to return for The Mummy 4 as Imhotep. Considering every other major cast member is coming back, Vosloo's return felt inevitable. If anything, it would have been strange if Imhotep had been left out.
After Rachel Weisz passed on The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor, her role was recast with Maria Bello.
Imhotep was the main villain in the first two Mummy movies, and ended the second instalment by being dragged into the underworld. Reportedly, early versions of The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor would have brought Imhotep back as a reluctant ally of the O'Connell clan, but this concept (if these rumors are even true) didn't come to pass.
Assuming Vosloo is returning for The Mummy 4 after all, it would be nice to mix up Imhotep's role. Having him team up with the O'Connells could be interesting - so long as it doesn't make him a true good guy. The next sequel could round out the original saga by acting as the final chapter in a trilogy, making the return of Imhotep a must.
How Imhotep Can Return In The Mummy 4
Fans scratching their heads over how Imhotep could come back should consult a little movie called The Mummy Returns for one possible answer. That entry simply had a cult recover "The Creature's" remains and use a ritual from the Book of the Dead to bring him back to life. A flaw of this 2001 follow-up was that it is, in essence, a noisier remake of the previous film, so it didn't get very creative with bringing back its titular villain.
Audiences shouldn't act all shocked if The Mummy 4 uses the Book of the Dead again to bring Imhotep back from Hell. Again, the big question is what his function in the story will be. Imhotep tried to both destroy and conquer the world in the first two outings, so the fourth adventure might need to shake up the character's goals next time, and again, making him an ally instead of a foe would be a fresh approach.
However things play out, it will just be cool to see The Mummy 4 reuniting all the key players. The film needs to do more than simply replaying the greatest hits of the 1999 original to succeed, but it's definitely sounding exciting thus far. It will also be interesting to see if Dwayne Johnson is asked back as the Scorpion King, with The Mummy Returns having been Johnson's film debut before he went on to front the spinoff of the same name. Johnson has said he'd be open to an appearance, but time will tell how this plays out.