The Mummy (franchise)

Universal Horror series (1932–1955)

The original series of films consisted of six installments in 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.

Hammer Horror series (1959–1971)

In 1959, the British Hammer Film Productions began its own The Mummy series of films. These include the following:

Overview

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. Barkers 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 and a cancelled fourth film, a spin-off series, and an animated television series. The first two films received mixed reviews, while the third one received mostly negative reviews.

The three Sommers films

Cancelled Fourth film

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.

Reboot / Shared Universe

On April 4, 2012, Universal Studios announced that they are developing a reboot of the series, with Jon Spaihts to write the film and Sean Daniel who produced the three films, will be returning as producer. On May 1, 2012, Universal signed on with Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman a two-year deal to produce the Mummy reboot through their K/O Paper Products banner. On September 24, 2012, it was announced that Universal has set Len Wiseman to direct the film. In December 2012, it was being said that The Mummy reboot will be different from the classic trilogy, itll be a completely new take on the mythology, and it will be set in present day. On February 14, 2013, Universal set The Hunger Games writer Billy Ray to write a competitive draft for the Mummy reboot against Spaithss written script. On July 31, 2013, director Wiseman has left the film project due of schedule conflicts. On September 13, 2013, news reported that Mamas director Andres Muschietti is in talks to direct the film. In October 2013, Orci has spoken to IGN, hinted that both The Mummy and Van Helsing reboots will have a Shared Universe. On November 27, 2013, Universal has set the film for an April 22, 2016 release. On May 6, 2014, director Muschetti left the film due to creative differences, which Spaihts wrote the latest draft of the script, which reimagined The Mummy in modern day with new characters not seen in previous iterations and a protagonist imbued with a human personality. On July 16, 2014, Universal announced that they had tapped Alex Kurtzman and Chris Morgan to develop all classic movie monsters which include Frankenstein, Dracula, The Wolf Man, Creature from the Black Lagoon, The Invisible Man, Bride of Frankenstein, and The Mummy. The first film they will develop together will be The Mummy, for which they had begun the meetings. So on July 30, Kurtzman was set to direct the film. Next day, the films release date was pushed back to March 27, 2017, when Universal announced the April 22 for its new film The Huntsman. The films plot is set in Iraq and follows a Navy SEAL and his team that battle Mummies led by Ashurbanipal.

The Scorpion King spin-off series (2002–2015)

This spin-off series follows the adventures of Mathayus, who would later be known as the Scorpion King and, eventually, become a foe in The Mummy Returns. The films are as follows:

Other films

Novels

Other media

Two video game adaptations of The Mummy (1999) were developed by Rebellion Developments and published by Konami in 2000: an action-adventure game for the PlayStation and PC as well as a Game Boy Color puzzle game. Dreamcast version was announced but later cancelled in the late 2000. The Mummy Returns released in late 2001 for the PlayStation 2 and developed by Blitz Games, the Game Boy Color version was developed by GameBrains, both versions were published by Universal Interactive. The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor was released in 2008, developed by Eurocom for the PlayStation 2 and the Wii, the Nintendo DS released was developed by A2M, all versions were published by Sierra Entertainment. In March 2012, a massive multiplayer online game known as The Mummy Online was released.

In May 2001, Chaos! Comics released the first of a three issue series inspired by the film, titled The Mummy Valley of the Gods. The plot was supposed to take place between the first film and The Mummy Returns. Rick and Evelyn are on their honeymoon in Egypt and end up embarking on yet another adventure where they must unravel the mysteries of the Orb of Destiny and discover the location of the Valley of the Gods hidden beneath the sands. However, the second and third issues were never published. This was most likely due to Chaos later filing bankruptcy in 2002 and selling the rights to all their titles at that time. Years later in 2008, another Mummy comic series was released by IDW Publishing, spanning four issues. This series was titled The Mummy: the Rise and Fall of Xangos Ax. Unlike the preceding comic series, all of the planned issues were published.

From 2001 until 2003, The Mummy: The Animated Series was made by Universal Animation Studios. It was based on the Stephen Sommers series of films and was set between 1934 and 1935. The series was later renamed The Mummy: Secrets of the Medjai.

The film also inspired a roller coaster ride named Revenge of the Mummy: The Ride in Universal Studios Theme Parks, Florida. Similar rides can also be found in Hollywood and Singapore.

Features in other media