Entertainment Tonight: How would you describe this (costume)?

The Rock: Well ... obviously ancient Egyptian times. The Scorpion King was there and he was the bad ass that he was! So he wore all these and of course the shoes down there ... they may be Nike or Addidas ... I'm not too sure at that time period.

But of course, this says it all. This is the bracelet of all bracelets.

ET: How do you feel about the hair?

The Rock: Oh, I think it's great. I think the hair looks good. I've always wanted to have long hair, but unfortunately, the way my hair grows, it grows out and not down, so I'd be up here looking like the Rock with the a big Afro!

ET: How long did it take to get into character?

The Rock: A good two-and-a-half, three hours. Getting up at one, two o'clock in the morning, getting in the chair, falling asleep, driving those people crazy. They're trying to put the wig on, I'm like ... (Nods his head as if he's falling asleep).

ET: So now, who is the Scorpion King? You're supposed to be The Rock!

The Rock: Well The Rock is playing the Scorpion King. The Scorpion King was a fierce warrior, a very uncompromising warrior, uncompromising savage, who led his army, thousands and thousands of men, into battle in ancient Egypt times. He was the man back then!

Unfortunately his army was defeated and after his army was defeated, he made a pact with the god Anubis... he said, "If you give me one more chance to fight for redemption against my enemies, I'll give you something worth more than gold. I'll give you my soul." He paid the ultimate price ... but at the same time Anubis granted him that wish and he got his opportunity.

ET: Does the Scorpion King sting? How much does he sting?

The Rock: He stings. He has these pinchers, he's cutting people in half, he's going after BRENDAN FRASER, he's going after the mummy Anavazlu, he's going after everybody.

ET: Now, are you moving more into acting now? Is this a new side of the Rock?

The Rock: Well, it certainly is of course. With 'The Mummy Returns' being my first feature film debut. It's been a goal of mine for a long long time. Of course, the World Wrestling Federation has really enabled me and given me the opportunity to kind of showcase a little bit of charisma I've been blessed with....

Warren talks now of doing a movie with the Scorpion King himself, which I'm really excited about. If that comes through fruition, which we all think it will, it's going to be awesome. It's going to be fantastic. But doing 'The Mummy Returns' again, it was a great great experience. First class all the way. With Universal and the cast and the crew -- it was great to work with a lot of those guys.

ET: How was it working with Brendan?

The Rock: Ironically enough, it was great working with Brendan -- but I haven't actually worked with him -- that's the funny thing. I had to go through all the motions like I was trying to chop his head off and go after him and kill him. And of course he shot all his scenes running away from me, when I actually wasn't there. So I look forward to meeting you, Brendan!

ET: So now, you're going to have you're own star vehicle with 'The Scorpion King,' the next movie you're going to do. Would you ever leave wrestling for acting?

The Rock: Well, I've got to be honest for you. I've said it before and I'll always say this, nothing compares to being in front of a live audience. Nothing compares to the fans of the WWF and that electricity that they emit. Nothing compares to The Rock's music going off, and 20-30 thousand people just erupt and blow the roof off the place.

There's no greater feeling than that. But at the same time, there's still a little desire, a goal of mine to go from that world into this. I look forward to it. It's going to be a challenge, but it's definitely exciting, no question. But you can always count on The Rock laying the smack down in the WWF.

ET: All right. That's what we wanted to know.

Empire Online caught more of The Mummy Returns last night as a bus chase scene was filmed on London's Lambeth Palace Road. John Hannah's character nicks the bus that we captured on film last month (see below for link) in an attempt to whisk Brendan Fraser and Rachel Weisz's kidnapped son back to safety, having first broken his car keys in the lock. The bus then careers into a bridge, ripping the top off. Hannah and the boy continue their escape by car and return to Egypt.

Three buses have been used for this scene - one with the top torn off, one intact and another for special effects (word is this film is even more effects-heavy than the last one). Watch out for a typical 'This Is London' scene, with Big Ben looming in the background and rain-machine generated sogginess.

Filming also took place on Sunday 13th at Tower Bridge, in a scene where Fraser tries to scale the bridge as it's closing, and is left hanging off it precariously. Passers-by watched a stunt man clinging to a specially-made piece of bridge which prevented him from risking a fall into the Thames. Crew say UK filming of The Mummy Returns is now complete.

By Dave McNary
January 20, 2000
Daily Variety Online

Brendan Fraser and co-star Rachel Weisz have agreed to sign on for 'The Mummy 2,' with Universal Pictures and Alphaville Prods. announcing Wednesday that lensing will start this spring for a May 2001 release.

Final details of Fraser's pact have not been worked out, but his salary is expected to be in the $12.5 million range. Fraser, who made $5 million for 'The Mummy,' recently agreed to a $10 million payday for 20th Century Fox’s remake of 'Bedazzled.'

Decision by Fraser and Weisz to reprise roles as Rick O’Connell and sidekick Evelyn Carnahan from last year's surprise hit had been expected ever since Universal received a sequel commitment six months ago from screenwriter-director Stephen Sommers.

John Hannah recently agreed to return to the sequel in the comic-relief role of Jonathan Carnahan for his first $1 million deal.

Project will also reteam Sommers with producers Jim Jacks and Sean Daniel.

Swashbuckling hit

'The Mummy,' set in 1923 Egypt and combining a swashbuckling tone with extensive special effects by Industrial Light & Magic, began with Fraser’s character accidentally awakening a powerful 3,000-year-old priest bent on revenge. Sommers has indicated the sequel would focus on the creature resurfacing in London. Universal production president Kevin Misher said the script calls for Fraser and Weitz’s characters to be married with a 9-year-old son showing the same daring flair as his father.

First pic debuted 12 days before 'Star Wars: Episode I 'The Phantom Menace' and blew away expectations with a $43.6 million opening weekend, which immediately sparked talk of a sequel.

Universal noted “The Mummy” has taken in more than $400 million worldwide to date, placing it 31st on the all-time box office list. The homevideo version was the bestselling live-action title last year, holding the top spot for three straight weeks, and the DVD was the second bestselling title last year with more than 1 million units shipped.

"We're going to give all the fun of the first and then some with even worse villains," Misher said of the upcoming sequel. Possible locations include Egypt, London and Morocco, he added.

Fraser is represented by CAA.

UNIVERSAL CITY -- Old mummies never die, they just come back to life in remakes. The premiere of "The Mummy" on Tuesday, May 4 at the Universal Citywalk demonstrated the undying power of the ancient creature to terrify audiences anew, sixty years after the original black and white film starring Bela Lugosi.

Instead of a bandaged beast, the '90s hi-tech version features a decaying corpse with shapeshifting powers. A battalion of special effects equal to any ancient magic transforms the screen into a surreal battleground between good and evil. Scuttling scarabs and morphing sandstorms form an army of darkness to aid the mummy's quest for domination.

Brendan Fraser stars as American Rick O'Connell, who joins the Foreign Legion in search of adventure overseas. With the help of brother and sister Egyptologists Evelyn Carnarvon (Rachel Weisz) and Jonathan Carnarvon (John Hannah, Fraser unearths the black magic tome the Book of the Dead. The trio accidentally awakens the mummy by reading a passage from the book, and archaeology soon gives way to simple survival.

At the premiere, leading man Brendan Fraser arrived arm-in-arm with his wife, Afton. Fraser continues his fascination with the horror genre, fresh off his role as the object of desire of "Frankenstein" director James Whale in "Gods and Monsters." For his next on-screen adventure, Fraser plays the lovably dim-witted hero of "Dudley Do-Right."

Other cast members on hand included John Hannah, Erick Avari, Omid Djalili and director Stephen Sommers. The premiere's Egyptian theme provided an opportunity for Universal to unleash its powers on the red carpet. The festivities began outside a replica of an ancient Egyptian tomb, replete with props from the film as well as entertainment in the form of belly dancers and camels.

While its $43 million opening weekend record figures to stand only two weekends, Universal's "The Mummy" may trigger a turnaround that could demonstrate to Edgar Bronfman Jr., CEO of its Seagram parent, why studios endure losing streaks hoping to get on the winning track.

Despite both a poor quarter for Seagram pegged to underperforming movies and the perception that Universal executives are tightfisted until the new fiscal year in July, "The Mummy" and Eddie Murphy's recent release "Life" are first in a string of promising films that might soon make many forget that the studio's recent string of flops topped by "Meet Joe Black" and "Babe 2."

"Mummy" director Stephen Sommers and producers Jim Jacks and Sean Daniel will soon meet with Universal brass about a sequel, for which they laid the groundwork in their original, with a redo centering around the creature resurfacing in London.

Brendan Fraser will be courted to return. On course to turn in his second straight summer $100 million earner after "George of the Jungle," Fraser's price is expected to go from the $5 million he was paid on the original to $10 million.

All this is predicated on "Mummy" continuing to unwrap strong grosses, but another strong weekend and a few weekends as runner-up to "Phantom Menace" could put the film above $130 million.

Do yourself a favor: Bring your sense of humor and don't get nitpicky. You'll laugh and howl during this riot of an evil-be-damned ride with Brendan Fraser, Rachel Weisz and John Hannah, who roll with the punches in Universal's "The Mummy." Stephen Sommers' $80 million film is chock-full of old-fashioned pow-bang-boom thrills coupled with Industrial Light & Magic's miraculous images in Stephen's epic send-up of Boris Karloff's 1932 camp classic that was directed by Karl Freund. Over the years, "The Mummy" has spawned numerous reincarnations ("The Mummy's Hand," "Tomb," "Ghost," "Curse," etc.", creating international presences of horrormeisters Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing and serving as a springboard for more monster properties at Universal that include Frankenstein, the Wolf Man, the Creature from the Black Lagoon and the Invisible Man. When producers James Jacks and Sean Daniel learned of Stephen Sommers' enthusiasm about writing and directing a "Mummy" for the next century, they were interested, impressed as they were with his "Rudyard Kipling's The Jungle Book" movie, with Universal's Casey Silver then green-lighting the project. "His fresh take on 'The Mummy' was a hell-bent action-adventure with horror in it, rather like those swashbuckler stories starring Errol Flynn," says James Jack. "Films like 'Captain Blood' and 'The Sea Hawk.'" Stephen adds that his inspiration was to create "a big roaring romantic adventure dating back to ancient Egypt, with the main story occurring during the 1920s, which I imagine as the most romantic era of our century." And James Jack reflects that if they had a role model, it was probably "Raiders of the Lost Ark" or "Gunga Din," while Sean Daniel describes "The Mummy" as "a fun film that's scary, but not gory ... funny, not campy ... also to show our affection for those original movies." With Stephen adding, "A film with characters that are romantic ... High Priest Imhotep, the Mummy, is basically a romantic. Even in the original, Boris Karloff was a hopeless romantic, too."

"The Mummy's" Perils-of-Pauline cliffhangers are hoots, and Brendan Fraser as the French Foreign Legionnaire Rick O'Connell is simply wonderful, a mercenary adventurer with brains and brawn who leads the expedition into the ancient City of the Dead. Would that a tongue-in-cheek performance as polished as Brendan's -- and others who've perfected an accomplished comedic style -- somehow could be acknowledged by our Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences. Brendan's versatility as an actor continues to impress. "After reading the script," Brendan says, "I knew I had to do it ... it had that spooky madness along with the sophisticated computer-generated technology." Rachel captures the jokey spirit as the "serious" Egyptologist, and John's her hanger-on brother (Rachel, at the moment, is starring in a London production of Tennessee Williams' "Suddenly Last Summer" under Sean Mathias' direction). Filming began a year ago to the day of Universal's premiere at the Universal Cineplex Odeon Cinemas, and the shooting was completed after 17 weeks, with locations in Morocco and England. "In Morocco and the Sahara with its 130-degree heat," says Brendan, "James Jacks took out kidnapping insurance on us ... we were cautioned that if we went over a sand hill we would not come back. And that was 130 degrees in the early morning!" John Hannah shrugs, "Not only the heat, but snakes, scorpions and spiders made it difficult." Plus sandstorms, endless rivers of scarab beetles, etc. The actors trained to ride camels at high speeds and were given weapons and ammunition lessons. "All were sweethearts," commends Stephen Sommers. "Suffering for days with smelly camels and horrific temperatures ... for one week, Rachel was manacled to an altar with live rats racing along her body, and live locusts tangling through her hair."

Universal's Hollace Davids, Linda Pace Alexander and Carla Amendola created an Egyptian-themed premiere at CityWalk with replicas of royal tombs, camels, chariots, bellydancers, snake charmers, bare-chested Pharaoh's guards -- and 20 tons of sand. Brendan Fraser and wife Afton were sought after for autographs during the party on the lawn near the Cineplex Odeon Cinemas, with Brendan and his WMA agent Peter Levine discussing "Dudley Do-Right," which is Brendan's next released film, and "Monkey Bone" that will be directed by Henry Selick ("James and the Giant Peach"), a fantasy about an illustrator who finds himself living in his comic book world. "We'll start filming in a few weeks in Los Angeles," says Brendan, "and I'll finally have time to be with Afton." As for an upcoming project, the Minnesota-born Stephen Sommers, who has talent to spare, says, "Universal's been incredibly supportive. What do I really want to do? Something bigger!"

It probably won't surprise you to hear that there's a Mummy attraction in the works for Universal Studios in Hollywood, but for only a short time. According to the Hollywood Reporter columnist Martin Grove, something called The Mummy Maze will be operational during Universal Studios‰ annual Halloween Horror which runs three weekends at the park starting October 15. Stephen Sommers, the film‰s director and writer, "directed" the design and construction of the attraction and has provided some of the film‰s original props. The maze, which will be low on the gore score compared to other mazes in the park, will take the participants on a walk through an underground necropolis with "gooey walls, crunching scarabs and falling pillars." Sommers reveals, "It's like the movie -- it scares you, but we tried to be a little more creative with our scares instead of just throwing blood at you."

Collector's Edition DVDs are becoming more prevalent. Once reserved for the elite laserdisc crowd who were willing to pop for the $100.00 or more price tag.

Now, it is commonplace to see "Special Editions" of movies that contain nothing more than a theatrical trailer and director's commentary track.

There are a couple of companies, however, that really know how to do a special edition, and among the finest are those from Universal Home Video. Their "Collector's Edition" series really shines. Other studios should take notes - this is how it should be done.

So, knowing the effort Universal generally puts into these projects, I was thrilled when a copy of their new Mummy: Collector's Edition appeared on my desk for review.

Overshadowed by Star Wars: Episode One, The Mummy was released as Universal's big summer blockbuster. It also marked the revamping of one of Universal's most famous franchises. Part of the "Universal Monsters" lineup, the 1932 original starring Boris Karloff as the monster, is considered to be a classic.

The new Mummy borrows as much from the Indiana Jones trilogy as it does from any horror movie, but still provides a few good chills throughout the adventure. Don't mistake this for one of those artsy horror films that are supposed to make you think. This is Saturday matinee fair that, if overanalyzed, falls apart.

The film stars Brendan Fraser as Rick O'Connell, a macho, hard edged American adventurer, who while serving with the Foreign Legion, finds the ancient Egyptian city of Hamunaptra - The City of the Dead. Said to be filled with countless treasures, unfortunately a fierce battle between the Legion and the Tuareg Horsemen keeps the adventurer from cashing in.

Three years later, Egyptologist Evelyn Carnarvon, (Rachel Weisz) and her brother Jonathan (John Hannah) come into possession of a puzzle box containing a map showing the famed city. Enlisting the help of O'Connell - by conveniently saving his life - the group sets off to find the treasure under the sand.

Small adventures ensue as our heroes make their way to the city. They meet up with a group of Americans, also looking for the treasure, and are pursued by a group of warriors, sworn to guard the ancient city and the horror that lies beneath its ruins.

Once in the City, the first treasures found are a book and sarcophagus containing the decayed body of our villain. The book is the famed book of the dead, and when Evelyn reads from it, the Mummy is awakened.

The rest of the movie focuses on containing the mystical creature they have unleashed before it can destroy the world.

Although the film is a little slow at first, once the Mummy has been awakened, things move along quite well. It is obvious that the minds behind this film were trying to make an exciting and sometimes scary movie that would be accessible to people of all ages, not just those old enough to get into an R rated film.

While the story is really only fair, the acting and the special effects make this an enjoyable film all the way around. Fraser plays the unflappable hero with cartoony panache, and Weisz brings off a very convincing strong female role. Even though the film is set in the 1930's, she somehow seems to fit into the times without being a complete wimp.

Arnold Vosloo (Darkman II) is perfect as Imhotep, The Mummy. He is evil, but not for evil‰s sake. The character is driven by love and carries forth an air of assurance that makes him as frightening when he is whole as when he is just a rotting corpse.

The quality of the transfer on this DVD is excellent. Transferred at 2.35:1 and anamorphically enhanced for Widescreen TV's, the details are crisp even in the shadowy tomb and the colors never over-saturate, even in the bright desert sun.

The Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtrack is balanced, although slightly lacking in the booming bass you would expect from an action film. Surround speakers are used with good effect, making one glance behind occasionally due to the subtly of certain sounds.

Finally, what makes this disc a true "Collector's Edition" is the pile of extras offered. Along with the usual commentary track, with Director Stephen Sommers and Editor Bob Ducsay, and some very skimpy Production Notes there is a bevy of above average to excellent bonus features.

For those who like trailers, there are plenty. Along with two different trailers for The Mummy there are trailers for two upcoming films, End of Days and For Love of the Game. If you dig for them, you can also find trailers for Gods and Monsters, also a fine Universal Studios Collector's Series DVD, and Darkman II: The Return of Durant.

There are a total of three deleted scenes, which brings us to my one real problem with any of the supplemental materials. When choosing the Deleted Scenes option from the menu, you don't have the opportunity to choose which scene you want to watch. The three scenes are shown one after another without any explanation or even a reason they were cut. I suggest that viewers watch the film first so that they can place these scenes into context. It seems as if Universal was reaching to included some never before seen material and couldn't really come up with much.

The Egyptology 101 section provides rudimentary knowledge of various aspects of ancient Egypt, including: The Gods, The Immortals, The Plagues (from the Bible book of Exodus), The Artifacts, and a Map of the area with descriptions of locations.

There is also a DVD-ROM section for those with DVD drives on their computers. This section includes Postcards, Screensavers, A small Mummy game (play as The Mummy and avoid the scarabs, gain magic and conquer humans ), some making of information - much of which is already available in the regular discs bonus materials - and, Universal Web Links. It would appear that most of this information was lifted directly from the movies own website, http://www.themummy.com, and those who have already visited there may want to give this section a pass.

The bonus materials of greatest interest are probably the section on Visual Effects and the original 50-minute documentary, "Building a Better Mummy." It is very easy to take the work that goes into a film like this for granted, until you get a good look at the complex behind-the-scenes effort that goes in to creating believable special effects in the '90s.

The Visual Effects section takes five scenes from the film and shows how the effects for each were accomplished. Narrated by Visual Effects Supervisor John Berton, each scene is broken down into three segments: The original Plate Photography, The Adding of the Special Effects Sequences, and the Final Shot looks, both with and without narration.

Watching the actors go through their paces before the effects are added in will lend a new appreciation to how hard these talented people work.

"Building a Better Mummy" shows the through process that went into the creation of the film as well as the progression of the effects from conception through execution. This is one of the best making-of documentaries I have ever seen and it provides more information on the creation of visual effects in 50-minutes that you will find in many books dedicated to the craft.

All in all, Universal's The Mummy: Collector's Edition is a top-notch DVD and a testament to the quality product that studios can turn out if they put a little work into it.

This disc is highly recommended for both fans of the movie and SFX geeks everywhere.

Though he may still have plans to remake Around the World in 80 Days, Stephen Sommers is already at work on the script for the follow-up to Universal's surprise hit, The Mummy. While talking to Hollywood Reporter columnist Martin Grove, Sommers revealed, "I'm writing away. Our intention is to try to make it as good, if not better, than the first one. Not necessarily bigger -- just better. I think The Mummy worked so well mainly because of its character. The special effects were fantastic. I've got to come up with a whole new set, not rely on old tricks."

Sommers also revealed when he thinks the film might start production, saying, "Sometime in the next year. Ideally, we'd love to start next May, but we'll see how it goes... But we want to make sure it's the right script."

When asked what the film‰s title will be, Sommers answered, "I've been working on it for a couple months. I'm just calling it Mummy 2 right now. I actually haven't gotten to (a title yet). I like when people give them to me -- like The Jungle Book, Huck Finn and The Mummy."

Universal Studios Home Video's latest reawakening of "The Mummy" had the biggest opening sales week on home video of any non-animated VHS title this year, according to the VideoScan data tracking service. It also amassed the highest opening-week revenue of any rental title since "Saving Private Ryan" in May. "The Mummy" knocked "The Matrix" out of the top spot in rental stores last week, raking in $9.47 million in its first week compared with $6.91 million for "The Matrix" in that title's second week of release. Despite enormous sales and rentals on VHS, sales of the DVD version were also gigantic, surpassing second-week sales of Warner Home Video's "The Matrix," which became the top-selling DVD a week earlier.

Box office success ``The Mummy,'' which has grossed over $400 million in theatres worldwide, has headed to pay-per-view. Universal Studios Pay-Per-View (PPV) has released the thrill-a-minute action-adventure smash hit domestically to pay-per-view. Currently underway until February 2000 is a special promotion entitled ``Unwrap The Mummy Online Sweepstakes'' where consumers can win one of hundreds of prizes including a Dodge Durango, a trip to the Luxor in Las Vegas, $500 in gold or ``The Mummy'' t-shirt and poster.

To enter the sweepstakes, consumers must unwrap the secret code by either ordering the movie on pay-per-view or playing the 3-D ``Unwrap The Mummy Online Adventure Game'' at www.universalstudios.com/ppv. The object of the game is to search for treasure and save the beautiful Evelyn from the high priest Imhotep.

In addition to the online game, Universal allows consumers to order ``The Mummy'' online. In an industry first, Universal Studios PPV has made a strategic alliance with TelVue to offer online ordering of The Mummy on pay-per-view where consumers are able to order the premiere showing up to five days early and all subsequent plays in real time. The movie is distributed to consumers' television sets through their c