The Mummy | |
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Trilogy box set cover
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Directed by |
Stephen Sommers (The Mummy and The Mummy Returns) Rob Cohen (The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor) |
Produced by |
Sean Daniel James Jacks |
Screenplay by | Stephen Sommers (The Mummy and The Mummy Returns) Alfred Gough Miles Millar (The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor) |
Starring | List of The Mummy characters |
Music by |
Jerry Goldsmith Alan Silvestri Randy Edelman John Debney (additional music) |
Edited by |
Bob Ducsay Ray Bushey III Kelly Matsumoto Joel Negron |
Production
company |
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Distributed by | Universal Pictures |
Release date
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1999–2008 |
Running time
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366 minutes |
Country | United States Egypt |
Language |
English Arabic |
Budget | $323 million |
Box office | $1.415 billion |
The Mummy is the title of several horror-adventure film series centered on an ancient Egyptian priest who is accidentally resurrected, bringing with him a powerful curse, and the ensuing efforts of heroic archaeologists to stop him. These three series of films accompany a spin-off film series, two comic book adaptations, three video games, an animated television series, and a roller coaster ride.
The original series of films consisted of five installments which starred iconic horror actors such as Boris Karloff (only in the original one, as Imhotep); Tom Tyler and Lon Chaney Jr. as Kharis; and lastly Eddie Parker, who played Klaris, a cousin of Kharis. The series of films is a part of the larger Universal Monsters franchise.
In 1959, the British Hammer Film Productions began its own The Mummy series of films. These include the following:
Originally a proposed remake of The Mummy would have been directed by horror filmmaker/writer Clive Barker. Barker’s vision for the film was violent, with the story revolving around the head of a contemporary art museum who turns out to be a cultist trying to reanimate mummies. Barker's take was "dark, sexual and filled with mysticism", and that, "it would have been a great low-budget movie".
In 1999, Stephen Sommers wrote and directed a remake of The Mummy, loosely based on the original film of 1932. This film switches genres from the emphasis on horror to adventure, concentrating more on action sequences and effects, and a higher element of Egyptian lore. The film became a box office success spawning two sequels, a spin-off series, and an animated television series. The first two films received mixed reviews, while the third one received mostly negative reviews.
After Tomb of the Dragon Emperor was released, actress Maria Bello stated that another Mummy film will "absolutely" be made, and that she had already signed on. Actor Luke Ford was signed on for three films as well. But in 2012, Universal Pictures announced that they had cancelled the film.