The Mummy (franchise)
Encyclopedia
The Mummy is any one of three series of adventure film
s about an ancient Egyptian priest accidentally resurrected, who brings with him a powerful curse, and the efforts of heroic archeologists to stop him.
(in the original only) and Lon Chaney Jr., were produced for Universal Studios
from 1932 to 1955.
began its own Mummy series.
. 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 and an up coming fourth film, a spin-off series, and an animated television series.
stated that another Mummy film will "absolutely" be made, and that she has already signed on. Actor Luke Ford
is signed on for three more films.
for the PlayStation
and PC
, as well as a Game Boy Color
puzzle game. Mummy Returns and Tomb of the Dragon Emperor were also made into games.
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 Xango's Ax'. Unlike the preceding comic series, all of the planned issues were published.
The film also inspired a roller coaster
, Revenge of the Mummy
in Universal Studios Theme Parks, Florida. Another is in Hollywood
.
Adventure film
Adventure films are a genre of film.Unlike pure, low-budget action films they often use their action scenes preferably to display and explore exotic locations in an energetic way....
s about an ancient Egyptian priest accidentally resurrected, who brings with him a powerful curse, and the efforts of heroic archeologists to stop him.
Universal Horror Films
The original series of six installments, starring iconic horror actors Boris KarloffBoris Karloff
William Henry Pratt , better known by his stage name Boris Karloff, was an English actor.Karloff is best remembered for his roles in horror films and his portrayal of Frankenstein's monster in Frankenstein , Bride of Frankenstein , and Son of Frankenstein...
(in the original only) and Lon Chaney Jr., were produced for Universal Studios
Universal Studios
Universal Pictures , a subsidiary of NBCUniversal, is one of the six major movie studios....
from 1932 to 1955.
- The MummyThe Mummy (1932 film)The Mummy is a 1932 horror film from Universal Studios directed by Karl Freund and starring Boris Karloff as a revived ancient Egyptian priest. The movie also features Zita Johann, David Manners and Edward Van Sloan...
, 1932. The movie features the story of an ancient Egyptian priest mummy called ImhotepImhotep (character)Imhotep is a fictional character and the titular antagonist in the 1932 film The Mummy, and later featured in its 1999 remake and its sequel The Mummy Returns again as one of the main antagonists...
(Karloff), who is resurrected in the present day. - The Mummy's HandThe Mummy's HandThe Mummy's Hand is a black-and-white horror film, produced by Ben Pivar for Universal Studios. Although it is sometimes claimed by fans as a sequel or follow-up to the 1932 film The Mummy, it does not continue the 1932 film's storyline, or feature any of the same characters, and its plot...
, 1940. Not a direct sequel to the 1932 film, only the resurrected mummy theme is the same. This film features KharisKharisKharis is a fictional character featured in Universal Studios's Mummy series in the 1940s following their original 1932 film The Mummy, which starred Boris Karloff as a different mummy character, Imhotep...
(played by Tom Tyler), another Egyptian priest turned living dead mummy. Some flashbacks, using scenes from the original film, feature Karloff. - The Mummy's TombThe Mummy's TombThe Mummy's Tomb is the 1942 sequel to The Mummy's Hand .Lon Chaney, Jr. disliked the role of Kharis the mummy. Make-up artist Jack Pierce spent up to eight hours to wrap Lon Chaney. A rubber mask was used for long shots...
, 1942. Direct sequel to the 1940 film. Tom Tyler is replaced by Lon Chaney, Jr. in this and the next two films. Tyler, however, still plays Kharis in flashbacks to Ancient Egypt. - The Mummy's GhostThe Mummy's GhostThe Mummy's Ghost is the 1944 Universal Pictures sequel to The Mummy's Tomb. Lon Chaney, Jr. again takes on the role of Kharis the mummy.-Plot:...
, 1944. Direct sequel to the 1942 film - The Mummy's CurseThe Mummy's CurseThe Mummy's Curse is the 1944 horror film follow-up to The Mummy's Ghost which was also released in 1944. This film marks Lon Chaney, Jr.'s final appearance as Kharis, the Egyptian mummy. The Universal Mummy series boasts of a parallel-earth kind of timeline...
, 1944. Direct sequel to the first 1944 film
- Abbott and Costello Meet the MummyAbbott and Costello Meet the MummyAbbott and Costello Meet the Mummy is a 1955 film directed by Charles Lamont and starring the comedy team of Abbott and Costello. It is also the 28th and final Abbott and Costello film produced by Universal Pictures.-Plot:...
, 1955. Indirect sequel/spoof of the first five films. According to the Universal Horror tie-in novel Return of the Wolf Man, Klaris, the mummy in this film, was a cousin of Kharis, the mummy from the previous four films.
Hammer Horror Films
In 1959 the British Hammer Film ProductionsHammer Film Productions
Hammer Film Productions is a film production company based in the United Kingdom. Founded in 1934, the company is best known for a series of Gothic "Hammer Horror" films made from the mid-1950s until the 1970s. Hammer also produced science fiction, thrillers, film noir and comedies and in later...
began its own Mummy series.
- The MummyThe Mummy (1959 film)The Mummy is a 1959 Technicolor British Hammer Horror film starring Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing.Though the title suggests Universal Pictures' 1932 film of the same name, the film actually derives its plot and characters entirely from two later Universal films, The Mummy's Hand and The Mummy's...
, 1959. Set in 1895, the film stars Peter CushingPeter CushingPeter Wilton Cushing, OBE was an English actor, known for his many appearances in Hammer Films, in which he played the handsome but sinister scientist Baron Frankenstein and the vampire hunter Dr. Van Helsing, amongst many other roles, often appearing opposite Christopher Lee, and occasionally...
and Christopher LeeChristopher LeeSir Christopher Frank Carandini Lee, CBE, CStJ is an English actor and musician. Lee initially portrayed villains and became famous for his role as Count Dracula in a string of Hammer Horror films...
as KharisKharisKharis is a fictional character featured in Universal Studios's Mummy series in the 1940s following their original 1932 film The Mummy, which starred Boris Karloff as a different mummy character, Imhotep...
. The plot is based on Universal's The Mummy's Hand and The Mummy's Tomb. - The Curse of the Mummy's TombThe Curse of the Mummy's TombThe Curse of the Mummy's Tomb is a 1964 British horror film by Hammer Film Productions.-Plot:A mummy discovered by three Egyptologists is brought back to London by a showman...
, 1964. Features Dickie Owen as the Mummy Ra-Antef. - The Mummy's ShroudThe Mummy's ShroudThe Mummy's Shroud is a 1967 horror film made in the UK by Hammer Film Productions. It was directed by Hammer veteran John Gilling.It stars André Morell and David Buck as explorers who uncover the tomb of an ancient Egyptian mummy. It also starred John Phillips, Maggie Kimberly and Michael Ripper...
, 1966. Features Eddie Powell as the Mummy Prem. - Blood from the Mummy's TombBlood from the Mummy's TombBlood from the Mummy's Tomb is a 1971 British film starring Andrew Keir, Valerie Leon, and James Villiers. This was director Seth Holt's final film, and was adapted from Bram Stoker's novel The Jewel of Seven Stars. The film was released as the support feature to Dr...
, 1971. Based on Bram Stoker'sBram StokerAbraham "Bram" Stoker was an Irish novelist and short story writer, best known today for his 1897 Gothic novel Dracula...
1903 novel The Jewel of Seven StarsThe Jewel of Seven StarsThe Jewel of Seven Stars is a horror novel by Bram Stoker, first published in 1903. The story is about an archaeologist's plot to revive Queen Tera, an ancient Egyptian mummy.-Second edition:...
. Features Valerie Leon as the Mummy Queen Tera and her reincarnation Margaret Fuchs.
New Mummy Series (1999-2008)
Originally a proposed remake of The Mummy would have been directed by horror filmmaker/writer Clive BarkerClive Barker
Clive Barker is an English author, film director and visual artist best known for his work in both fantasy and horror fiction. Barker came to prominence in the mid-1980s with a series of short stories which established him as a leading young horror writer...
. 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
Stephen Sommers
Stephen Sommers is an American screenwriter and film director, best known for The Mummy and its sequel, The Mummy Returns. He also directed Disney's live action version of Rudyard Kipling's The Jungle Book, the action/horror film Van Helsing, and the 2009 film G.I...
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 an up coming fourth film, a spin-off series, and an animated television series.
- The MummyThe Mummy (1999 film)The Mummy is a 1999 American adventure film written and directed by Stephen Sommers and starring Brendan Fraser, Rachel Weisz, John Hannah and Kevin J. O'Connor, with Arnold Vosloo in the title role as the reanimated mummy. The film features substantial dialogue in ancient Egyptian language, spoken...
, 1999. It is the year 1925 and Richard “Rick” O'Connell, an american explorer, has discovered HamunaptraHamunaptraHamunaptra is the name of a fictional city in the 1999 horror/action film, The Mummy, as well as a real city in India.-Hamunaptra:In the 1999 film, The Mummy, Hamunaptra is an ancient Egyptian city hidden deep in the desert some distance from Thebes and is the primary setting for the story...
, the city of the dead. Three years later, O'Connell returns to the site with a beautiful librarian, Evelyn 'Evie' Carnahan and her brother, Johnathan. When Evie accidentally revives the mummified corpse of an Egyptian priest, ImhotepImhotep (character)Imhotep is a fictional character and the titular antagonist in the 1932 film The Mummy, and later featured in its 1999 remake and its sequel The Mummy Returns again as one of the main antagonists...
, the pair must find a way to kill him before he rises back into power and destroys the world. - The Mummy ReturnsThe Mummy ReturnsThe Mummy Returns is a 2001 American adventure film written and directed by Stephen Sommers, starring Brendan Fraser, Rachel Weisz, John Hannah, Arnold Vosloo, Oded Fehr, Patricia Velásquez and Freddie Boath. The film is a sequel to the 1999 film The Mummy...
, 2001. It is the year 1933 and Rick O'Connell and Evelyn Carnahan are married with an 8 year-old son, AlexAlexAlex is a common English name, usually a nickname of the male given name Alexander, its female equivalent Alexandra. The East European male name Alexey sometime is also nicknamed as Alex.-People whose names are Alex:...
. When Alex triggers a curse and Imhotep is resurrected, Rick and Evie must once again try to save the world and defeat the mummy. - The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon EmperorThe Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon EmperorThe Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor is a 2008 American action adventure film and sequel to The Mummy and The Mummy Returns . The film stars Brendan Fraser, Maria Bello, John Hannah, Luke Ford, and Jet Li, and was released on August 1, 2008 in the United States...
, 2008. Set in 1946, the movie continues the adventures of Rick O'Connell, his wife Evie, and his son Alex against a different mummy, the Dragon Emperor (Jet LiJet LiThe fame gained by his sports winnings led to a career as a martial arts film star, beginning in mainland China and then continuing into Hong Kong. Li acquired his screen name in 1982 in the Philippines when a publicity company thought his real name was too hard to pronounce...
) of China.
The Mummy Sequel Trilogy
Tomb of the Dragon Emperor actress Maria BelloMaria Bello
Maria Elena Bello is an American actress and singer known for her appearances in the movies Coyote Ugly, The Jane Austen Book Club, Permanent Midnight, Thank You for Smoking, A History of Violence, Payback, and The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor. For television she is known for her role as Dr...
stated that another Mummy film will "absolutely" be made, and that she has already signed on. Actor Luke Ford
Luke Ford (actor)
Luke Ford is a Canadian-born Australian actor.-Early life:Ford was born in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada but raised in Sydney, Australia. He attended Parramatta Marist High School in Westmead, Sydney, and once worked at the Winston Hills Hotel, and a short stint at Universal Magazines in...
is signed on for three more films.
Cast and characters
Character | Film | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
The Mummy The Mummy (1999 film) The Mummy is a 1999 American adventure film written and directed by Stephen Sommers and starring Brendan Fraser, Rachel Weisz, John Hannah and Kevin J. O'Connor, with Arnold Vosloo in the title role as the reanimated mummy. The film features substantial dialogue in ancient Egyptian language, spoken... |
The Mummy Returns The Mummy Returns The Mummy Returns is a 2001 American adventure film written and directed by Stephen Sommers, starring Brendan Fraser, Rachel Weisz, John Hannah, Arnold Vosloo, Oded Fehr, Patricia Velásquez and Freddie Boath. The film is a sequel to the 1999 film The Mummy... |
The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor is a 2008 American action adventure film and sequel to The Mummy and The Mummy Returns . The film stars Brendan Fraser, Maria Bello, John Hannah, Luke Ford, and Jet Li, and was released on August 1, 2008 in the United States... |
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Rick O'Connell | Brendan Fraser Brendan Fraser Brendan James Fraser is a Canadian-American film and stage actor. Fraser portrayed Rick O'Connell in the three-part Mummy film series , and is known for his comedic and fantasy film leading roles in major Hollywood films, including Encino Man , George of the Jungle , Dudley Do-Right , Monkeybone ,... |
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Evelyn Carnahan-O'Connell / Princess Nefertiri | Rachel Weisz Rachel Weisz Rachel Hannah Weisz born 7 March 1970)is an English-American film and theatre actress and former fashion model. She started her acting career at Trinity Hall, Cambridge, where she co-founded the theatrical group Cambridge Talking Tongues... |
Maria Bello Maria Bello Maria Elena Bello is an American actress and singer known for her appearances in the movies Coyote Ugly, The Jane Austen Book Club, Permanent Midnight, Thank You for Smoking, A History of Violence, Payback, and The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor. For television she is known for her role as Dr... |
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Jonathan Carnahan | John Hannah John Hannah (actor) John David Hannah is a Scottish actor of film and television. He has appeared in Stephen Sommers' Mummy Series, Richard Curtis' Four Weddings and a Funeral and Sliding Doors with Gwyneth Paltrow... |
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Imhotep | Arnold Vosloo Arnold Vosloo Arnold Vosloo is a South African American actor, best-known for playing Imhotep in The Mummy and its 2001 sequel The Mummy Returns, as well as the role of the superhero Darkman in the sequel Darkman II: The Return of Durant and its 1996 sequel, Darkman III: Die Darkman Die... |
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Beni Gabor | Kevin J. O'Connor | |||||
Egyptologist | Jonathan Hyde Jonathan Hyde Jonathan Hyde is an Australian-born English actor, well known for his roles as J. Bruce Ismay, the managing director of the White Star Line in Titanic, Egyptologist Allen Chamberlain in The Mummy and Sam Parrish/Van Pelt, the hunter in Jumanji. He is married to the Scottish soprano Isobel Buchanan... |
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Ardeth Bay | Oded Fehr Oded Fehr Oded Fehr is an Israeli film and television actor now based in the United States. He is known for his appearance as Ardeth Bay in the 1999 remake of The Mummy and its sequel The Mummy Returns, as well as Carlos Olivera in Resident Evil: Apocalypse, Resident Evil: Extinction and Resident Evil:... |
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Curator | Erick Avari Erick Avari Erick Avari is an Indian American television, film and theater actor known for his roles in various science-fiction serial productions.-Early life:... |
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Henderson | Stephen Dunham Stephen Dunham Stephen Dunham is an American actor. He is best known for his role as Edward Pillows in DAG. He is married to actress Alexondra Lee.- Career :... |
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Daniels | Corey Johnson Corey Johnson Corey Johnson is an American actor largely active in the United Kingdom. Johnson was born John Johnson in New Orleans, Louisiana.... |
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Burns | Tuc Watkins Tuc Watkins Tuc Watkins is an American actor. He is known for his role as David Vickers on One Life to Live and for his role as Bob Hunter on Desperate Housewives .-Personal life:Watkins is of Welsh descent and is the son of Charles Curtis Watkins II, a salesman, and a... |
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Warden | Omid Djalili Omid Djalili Omid Djalili is a British Iranian stand-up comedian, actor, television producer and writer.-Personal life:Djalili was born in Chelsea, London to Iranian Bahá'í parents and is a Bahá'í himself... |
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Pharaoh Seti I | Aharon Ipale | |||||
Winston Havelock | Bernard Fox | |||||
Meela Nais / Anck-su-namun | Patricia Velásquez Patricia Velásquez Patricia Carola Velásquez Semprún is a Venezuelan actress and fashion model. She is often considered to be the first Latin supermodel.-Early life:... |
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Alex O'Connell | Freddie Boath Freddie Boath Freddie Boath is an English actor. He is known for his role as Alex O'Connell in The Mummy Returns.Boath was born in London to a banker and a producer, respectively his father and mother. He has an older brother, Jack and a younger sister, Millie. Boath attended the Catholic prep school St Phillip's... |
Luke Ford Luke Ford (actor) Luke Ford is a Canadian-born Australian actor.-Early life:Ford was born in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada but raised in Sydney, Australia. He attended Parramatta Marist High School in Westmead, Sydney, and once worked at the Winston Hills Hotel, and a short stint at Universal Magazines in... |
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Baltus Hafez | Alum Armstrong Alun Armstrong (actor) Alun Armstrong is a prolific British character actor. Armstrong grew up in County Durham in North East England. He first became interested in acting through Shakespeare productions at his grammar school. Since his career began in the early 1970s, he has played, in his words, "the full spectrum of... |
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The Scorpion King | Dwayne Johnson | |||||
Lock-Nah | Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje is a British actor, and former fashion model best known for his roles as Mr. Eko on Lost, Simon Adebisi on Oz and Nykwana Wombosi in The Bourne Identity.-Early life and career:... |
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Izzy | Shaun Parkes Shaun Parkes Shaun Parkes is an English actor currently appearing in the ITV drama Identity.-Biography:At 16 he enrolled at Seltec College to study drama, two years later he was accepted into the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art.-Career:... |
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Red | Bruce Byron Bruce Byron Bruce Michael Byron is an English actor best known for his role as DC Terry Perkins in The Bill. He originally followed a career in music, and he started acting at 20.... |
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Jacques | Joe Dixon Joe Dixon (actor) Joe Dixon is a British television and film actor who is perhaps best known for his role as Jacques in The Mummy Returns.-Biography:Joe was born in Birmingham, England in 1965... |
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Spivey | Tom Fisher | |||||
Emperor Han | Jet Li Jet Li The fame gained by his sports winnings led to a career as a martial arts film star, beginning in mainland China and then continuing into Hong Kong. Li acquired his screen name in 1982 in the Philippines when a publicity company thought his real name was too hard to pronounce... |
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General Yang | Anthony Wang | |||||
Lin | Isabella Leong Isabella Leong Isabella Leong Lok-Sze is a Hong Kong-based actress and former singer.- Career :Her father was a descendant of a prominent Macanese family of Portuguese-English heritage, and her mother is Chinese... |
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Maguire | Liam Cunningham | |||||
Roger Wilson | David Calder David Calder (actor) David Calder is a British actor.Calder was born in Portsmouth, England, and trained at the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School. His most high profile TV roles include Det. Insp... |
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Ming Guo | Russell Wong Russell Wong Russell Girard Wong is an American actor and photographer, as well as the brother of actor/model Michael Wong.-Biography:... |
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Zi-Yuan | Michelle Yeoh Michelle Yeoh Michelle Yeoh Choo-Kheng is a Hong Kong-based Malaysian Chinese actress, well known for performing her own stunts in the action films that brought her to fame in the early 1990s.... |
Other media
Two video game adaptations of The Mummy (1999) were published in 2000: an action-adventure gameAction-adventure game
An action-adventure game is a video game that combines elements of the adventure game genre with various action game elements. It is perhaps the broadest and most diverse genre in gaming, and can include many games which might better be categorized under narrow genres...
for the PlayStation
PlayStation
The is a 32-bit fifth-generation video game console first released by Sony Computer Entertainment in Japan on December 3, .The PlayStation was the first of the PlayStation series of consoles and handheld game devices. The PlayStation 2 was the console's successor in 2000...
and PC
Personal computer game
A PC game, also known as a computer game, is a video game played on a personal computer, rather than on a video game console or arcade machine...
, as well as a Game Boy Color
Game Boy Color
The is Nintendo's successor to the 8-bit Game Boy handheld game console, and was released on October 21, 1998 in Japan, November 19, 1998 in North America, November 23, 1998 in Europe and November 27, 1998 in the United Kingdom. It features a color screen and is slightly thicker and taller than...
puzzle game. Mummy Returns and Tomb of the Dragon Emperor were also made into games.
In May 2001, Chaos! Comics
Chaos! Comics
Chaos! Comics was a comic book publisher that operated from 1994 until 2002.-Overview:Their titles included Lady Death, Purgatori, Evil Ernie, Chastity, Jade, Omen, Bad Kitty, Cremator, Lady Demon, and Smiley The Psychotic Button.They also published licensed comics for the World Wrestling...
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
IDW Publishing
IDW Publishing, also known as Idea + Design Works, LLC and IDW, is an American publisher of comic books and comic strip collections. The company was founded in 1999 and has been awarded the title "Publisher of the Year Under 5% Market Share" for the years 2004, 2005 and 2006 by Diamond Comic...
, spanning four issues. This series was titled 'The Mummy: the Rise and Fall of Xango's Ax'. Unlike the preceding comic series, all of the planned issues were published.
The film also inspired a roller coaster
Roller coaster
The roller coaster is a popular amusement ride developed for amusement parks and modern theme parks. LaMarcus Adna Thompson patented the first coasters on January 20, 1885...
, Revenge of the Mummy
Revenge of the Mummy
Revenge of the Mummy is an enclosed steel roller coaster featured at Universal Studios Florida. The roller coaster is based upon the popular Mummy movie franchise directed by Stephen Sommers. It opened on May 21, 2004 and was built by Premier Rides. The ride was reputed to be built at a cost of...
in Universal Studios Theme Parks, Florida. Another is in Hollywood
Revenge of the Mummy (Hollywood)
Revenge of the Mummy is an indoor steel/dark ride roller coaster featured at the Universal Studios Hollywood theme park. The roller coaster is based upon the popular Mummy movie franchise directed by Stephen Sommers and Rob Cohen. The ride opened on June 25, 2004 and was built by Premier Rides. The...
.