The re-release of Brendan Fraser’s 1999 classic The Mummy opened in April in honor of the film’s 25th anniversary. According to Box Office Mojo, the action-adventure movie grossed over $1 million across 1,200 theaters in North America. Now that audiences are getting back into The Mummy spirit, its director Stephen Sommers has already debunked early casting rumors surrounding Tom Cruise and Brad Pitt as well as a dangerous Brendan Fraser stunt.
During Brendan Fraser’s career resurgence with The Whale, rumors about The Mummy’s production from its 1999 release resurfaced. As Sommers looked back on the film with The Daily Beast, he debunked a casting rumor that said Cruise and Pitt were first considered for the lead role of Rick O’Connell before Fraser.
“I read somewhere recently that we originally went to Tom Cruise and Brad Pitt [for the role of Rick O’Connell] — but no. My editor read the first draft and right away said, ‘Your lead guy is Brendan Fraser,'” Sommers recalls. “We needed a guy who could throw a punch, take a punch, had a wink in his eye and a sense of humor, and there weren’t a lot of actors at that point who did that. Brendan can make fun of himself and goes all out. He was the only one considered from the get-go. [Universal] weren’t looking for a star; the title was the star.”
Before The Mummy, Brendan Fraser starred in George of the Jungle. Grossing an impressive $174.4 million at the box office, Fraser absolutely had the star power to pull off the lead role.
Tom Cruise did end up making his way to The Mummy franchise in the 2017 remake. Despite aiming to launch Universal‘s Dark Universe, its poor box office and negative reviews led to that universe’s cancellation.
What About the Rumor Surrounding Brendan Fraser’s Mummy Stunt?
There was another rumor that Brendan Fraser almost died during The Mummy when a hanging scene went wrong. Stephen Sommers claimed the dangers surrounding that scary moment weren’t as bad as headlines made it out to be.
“Brendan put the rope around his neck and got too into it,” said Sommers. “He’s a very eager guy and was like ‘tighten it up . . . make it tight around the neck.’”
Shockingly enough, Brendan Fraser’s carotid arteries cut off during that scene which made The Whale actor go unconscious. Sommers assured The Daily Beast that everyone made sure to stay with him to see he was okay. When Fraser woke up, the American film director said the lead actor had no recollection of what happened.
Another wild rumor existed that The Mummy cast had kidnapping insurance taken out on them while shooting in Morocco.
“My sister sent me an article that said ‘Stephen Sommers took out some sort of insurance on all the actors and never told them.’ No,” said Sommers. “Studios probably take out insurance in case someone dies halfway through but I certainly wouldn’t be the one to take out insurance on any of my actors. We were very well protected in Morocco.”
Luckily, no amount of rumors stopped production and The Mummy went on to become a blockbuster classic you can relive theaters now.
