The Mummy
Short description
The Mummy follows Nick Morton, a soldier and treasure hunter serving in Iraq, who with archaeologist Jennifer Halsey uncovers a tomb hidden beneath the desert. Inside rests Ahmanet, an ancient Egyptian princess who was mummified alive after she turned against her own destiny and sought power beyond the natural order. Freed after millennia of imprisonment, she rises into the modern world carrying centuries of accumulated rage and aims to complete the ritual she was stopped from finishing, calling on the god Set. Nick is drawn unwillingly into her path, and resisting her requires help from Henry Jekyll and the secret organisation he leads.
The film is directed by Alex Kurtzman, his second feature after People Like Us in 2012. Tom Cruise leads the cast as Nick, with Annabelle Wallis as Jennifer, Sofia Boutella as Ahmanet, Jake Johnson, Courtney B. Vance, and Russell Crowe as Jekyll and Hyde. It was produced by Sarah Bradshaw, Sean Daniel and Kurtzman from a screenplay by David Koepp, Dylan Kussman and Christopher McQuarrie, with 52 credited cast members and 152 credited crew.
Made for about 125 million dollars, it took roughly 409 million worldwide, so it recovered its investment. Audience response was modest: on IMDb it holds 5.4 from about 221,000 votes, and on TMDB 5.5 from nearly 8,000. A critics' rating of 4.2 from 315 reviews sits below both audience scores.
What's left behind the scenes
- Before Russell Crowe was confirmed for the role of Doctor Jekyll, the filmmakers considered Tom Hardy, Javier Bardem, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, and Eddie Redmayne.
- When Universal was planning its Dark Universe, "Dracula" (2014) was originally intended to be the first installment, with "The Mummy" (2017) as the second, however, during the production of this film, the decision was made to make it the first part, and to exclude "Dracula" from the universe.
- This film was released 85 years after the original "The Mummy".
- The zero-gravity sequence in the falling plane took 2 days to film, with 64 takes.
- The initial script envisioned the action taking place in Iraq, where Navy SEALs would battle mummies led by Ashurbanipal.
- The plane crash scene was partially filmed on a zero-gravity aircraft.
- In September 2012, Len Wiseman was appointed director of the film, but he left the project before filming began. Wiseman was replaced by Andrés Muschietti, but he also left later due to creative differences with the studio.
- When Doctor Jekyll transforms into Hyde, he begins to speak with a Cockney accent, which belongs to the lower classes of London.
- Baltasar Kormákur was offered the director's position, but he declined the offer.
- The film contains several references to previous studio films. For example, a vampire's skull and a monster's hand from the film "Creature from the Black Lagoon" (1954).
- Tom Cruise's character was originally named Tyler Colt, but the name was later changed to Nick Morton.
- The design and sarcophagus of the mummy were altered due to the appearance of Apocalypse, who appeared in the post-credits scene of the film "X-Men: Days of Future Past" (2014).
- The film's tagline, "Welcome to a new world of gods and monsters," is a quote from the film "Bride of Frankenstein" (1935), which was also produced by Universal.
- When Jake Johnson was offered a role in the film, he liked the idea and the opportunity to work with Tom Cruise, knowing that he performs most of the stunts himself. He immediately agreed, but when he read the script and learned what dangerous actions would be required of him, he admitted that he was scared. However, Cruise allowed him to undergo a 4.5-month course of rigorous training at his private facilities to prepare him for all the stunts.
- Hyde says during the fight that Nick is younger than him, although in reality, Tom Cruise is a year older than Russell Crowe.
- During the fight in Dr. Jekyll's office, one can notice the golden Book of Amun-Ra, which is a reference to the film "The Mummy" (1999).
- Tom Cruise, a fan of the dramatic series "Peaky Blinders" (2013), insisted that Annabelle Wallis, who starred in it, be invited to audition.
- During the casting for "The Mummy" (1999), director Stephen Sommers considered offering the lead role to Tom Cruise, but ultimately chose Brendan Fraser.
- In May 2017, Universal Pictures officially named its new monster universe the Dark Universe.
- Director Alex Kurtzman stated that there is no post-credits scene in the film, as that is Marvel's territory.
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