With a legacy sequel to The Mummy apparently in the works at Universal, fans of the franchise have been feeling nostalgic lately. In an approach similar to movies like Halloween H20, this new instalment is rumoured to pick up where The Mummy Returns left off, thus banishing any memories of Rob Cohen’s lamentable Tomb of the Dragon Emperor for good. Once the announcement was made, rumours immediately began to circulate as to who might be returning. Would Oscar winners Brendan Fraser and Rachel Weisz be coaxed back into playing Rick and Evelyn? Could John Hannah, the beloved Scot, be convinced back into that white linen suit? At the time of writing, it all feels deliciously plausible.
As we wait for those rumours to unravel, it seems like as good a time as any to look back on the original movies and see what became of their many stars. The following list contains actors who were already established when the first Mummy was released in 1999, and some who would go on to bigger and brighter things. For each, I’ve included some recommendations of where else to see them. Hit the guide below to find out where to watch some of those movies on services like AppleTV, Netflix, Prime Video and elsewhere.
Brendan Fraser
It’s fair to say that no actor in any of the Mummy movies has had a more unpredictable career in the years since than Brendan Fraser. The actor entered the franchise already minted as a Hollywood heartthrob, having starred in George of the Jungle two years earlier. However, in the years that followed, a series of personal and professional misfortunes led to him spending most of the 2010s in relative obscurity.
That all changed after a run of prestige TV appearances led to a role in Steven Soderbergh’s No Sudden Move in 2021. From there, Fraser went from strength to strength, earning a shock Oscar win for Darren Aronofsky’s The Whale and landing a supporting role in Martin Scorsese’s Killers of the Flower Moon.
One to watch: If you love a comeback (think Keaton in Birdman or Rourke in The Wrestler), it’s gotta be The Whale.
Rachel Weisz
Compared to Fraser, Rachel Weisz’s post-Mummy ascendancy has been nothing if not steady. In fact, few actors in the 21st century have managed to balance popcorn cinema (The Bourne Legacy, Black Widow), romantic comedies (Definitely, Maybe), award season prestige (The Lovely Bones) and auteur experimentation (The Fountain, To the Wonder) with such apparent ease.
Along with marrying James Bond, it’s difficult to choose a high point in the last two decades. Still, her Oscar win for The Constant Gardener and her remarkable performances for Yorgos Lanthimos (in The Lobster and The Favourite) have to take the biscuit.
One to watch: Her daring, uncompromising work in The Favourite remains her finest achievement.
John Hannah
His costars might be the bigger stars now, but John Hannah actually came into The Mummy as the most celebrated thespian of the three, having received a BAFTA nomination for his heart-wrenching turn in Four Weddings and a Funeral a few years earlier.
In the years since, however, Hannah has kept things relatively low-key. On the big screen, he’s appeared in comedies like Overboard and period movies like Another Mother’s Son while maintaining a consistent presence on British television. In more recent years, he’s appeared in high-profile shows like The Last of Us and Black Mirror.
One to watch: If you are any kind of fan of British cinema, it has to be Four Weddings and a Funeral.
Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson
After Dwayne Johnson graced our movie screens for the first time, as The Scorpion King in The Mummy Returns, it wasn’t entirely clear what direction the WWE star’s acting career would take. Would he continue to choose slightly more adventurous projects (as he was about to do with Be Cool and Southland Tales) or become the leading action star we saw in Walking Tall?
As we all know, it was almost exclusively a case of the latter. This meant several not very good movies (like Tooth Fairy) and a few kind of great ones (like Pain and Gain and Fast Five). These days, Johnson is attempting a serious rebrand with a role in Benny Safdie’s The Smashing Machine that might just land him a nomination at the Academy Awards.
One to watch: Fast Five is a great heist movie and the best instalment in the franchise.
Kevin J. O’Connor
The name Kevin J. O’Connor might not be familiar to most people, but alongside his consistent television work and roles in movies like Van Helsing, the actor who played Beni Gabor—Rick’s double-crossing sidekick—has gone on to appear in a couple of modern classics.
Since appearing alongside Weisz and Fraser, O’Connor’s most prestigious work has, without doubt, been his two collaborations with Paul Thomas Anderson. In 2012, he played Bill William in The Master, but his performance as Henry Plainview (opposite no less than Daniel Day-Lewis) in There Will Be Blood remains the high point in his career.
One to watch: There Will Be Blood.
Jonathan Hyde
In 1999’s The Mummy, the Australian actor Johnathan Hyde donned a mildly inappropriate fez to play the benevolent and unfortunate Egyptologist Allen Chamberlain. This was a slight change of pace for an actor better known for playing smarmy villains at the time, as he had done two years earlier as Bruce Ismay in Titanic.
Since The Mummy, Hyde has continued to work as a reliable character actor, popping up in everything from The Tailor of Panama and Crimson Peak to last year’s The Brutalist.
One to watch: His Titanic role is iconic for a reason, but for something more recent, why not try The Brutalist?
Oded Fehr
The Israeli actor Oded Fehr is probably still best known for playing Ardeth Bay—the Medjai chieftain who becomes friends with Rick and Evelyn—in the first two Mummy movies. Since then, he’s appeared in a bunch of big and small screen productions, including the Deuce Bigalow movies and, more recently, as Admiral Charles Vance in Star Trek: Discovery.
Fehr’s biggest franchise role outside of the Mummy movies has been in Paul WS Anderson’s Resident Evil movies—in which he played Carlos Olivera in Apocalypse and Extinction, and later returned as a clone in Retribution.
One to watch: Resident Evil: Extinction. It’s one of the best of the series, and he’s one of the best parts of it.
Shaun Parkes
Since playing the airship pilot Izzy Buttons in Mummy Returns, Shaun Parkes has enjoyed a consistent career across movies and television, appearing in British favourites like Doctor Who and Line of Duty while landing roles in celebrated films like Notes on a Scandal.
In 2020, however, Parkes gave his greatest performance to date in Steve McQueen’s wonderful Small Axe miniseries for the BBC. Appearing in the first episode, titled Mangrove, Parkes’ portrayal of civil rights activist Frank Crichlow earned the actor a deserved nomination for Best Actor at the British Academy Television Awards.
One to watch: It has to be Small Axe.
Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje
After appearing as the antagonist Lock-Nah in The Mummy Returns, the British actor Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje has played villains in a host of beloved franchises—including Kurse in Thor: The Dark World, Nykwana Wombosi in The Bourne Identity and Killer Croc in the 2016 Suicide Squad.
On the small screen, his roles have been arguably more iconic—notably his portrayal of Malko in Season 5of Game of Thrones. For Lost fans like me, however, he will always and forever be Mr Eko.
One to watch: Lost.
Arnold Vosloo
Having fallen into a bed of scorpions at the end of The Mummy Returns, it’s unclear if Arnold Vosloo’s Imhotep will be returning for the new movie—but having seen him resurrected once in the series already, fans won’t be betting against it.
Whether Vosloo will return in the role is another question. Since that movie, the South African actor has appeared in various TV shows, a couple of G.I. Joe movies and opposite Leo DiCaprio in Blood Diamond—the latter of which is probably the high point of his career from that period.
One to watch: Blood Diamond
Patricia Velasquez
Surprisingly enough, given her prominence in the first two Mummy movies (where she played Anck Su Namun), the model-turned-actress Patricia Velasquez hasn’t appeared in too many movies and TV shows since.
You might have spotted her in Season 1 of Arrested Development, where she played the actress Marta Estrella, or more recently in the horror movie Malignant. Outside of acting, Velasquez has dedicated her time to assisting indigenous Wayuu communities in northern Venezuela.
One to watch: Arrested Development
