Brendan Fraser Explains Why Tom Cruise's 'Mummy' Film Flopped

Brendan Fraser shared his thoughts about why the 2017 Mummy reboot simply didn't work.

Fraser played adventurer Rick O'Connell in the iconic 1999 film The Mummy, as well as its two sequels.

Playing a new character named Nick Morton, Tom Cruise took over the starring role for Universal's more horror-minded reboot, which ultimately flopped in theaters.

"It is hard to make that movie. The ingredient that we had going for our Mummy, which I didn’t see in that film, was fun," Fraser explained, speaking to Variety.

"That was what was lacking in that incarnation. It was too much of a straight-ahead horror movie. The Mummy should be a thrill ride, but not terrifying and scary," he continued.

Proving why he should be the one to resurrect the series should the opportunity arise, Fraser added, "I know how difficult it is to pull it off. I tried to do it three times."

When asked if he would consider returning for another installment in his own Mummy franchise, Fraser expressed his openness but said it would depend on the story.

"I don’t know how it would work. But I’d be open to it, if someone came up with the right conceit," he shared.

Stephen Sommers, who directed 1999's The Mummy, sung Fraser's praises to Variety, sharing the actor "could throw a punch and take a punch and he had a great sense of humor."

"You really like the guy. He never comes across as cocky or arrogant," Sommers continued, explaining why Fraser's character in The Mummy worked so well.

Sommers also said Fraser was "game for anything they threw at him," including doing his own stunts, even if they resulted in injury.

Fraser's Mummy franchise concluded with 2008's The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor. Fraser's co-star Rachel Weisz, who played Evelyn in the first two films, was unable to join the third installment due to scheduling conflicts.

Following a complicated few years in Hollywood, Fraser has made a major comeback to acting with The Whale. In the film, he plays a 600-pound gay man trying to reconnect with his estranged teenage daughter.

His role in the film earned an explosive standing ovation at the Venice Film Festival in September and has also garnered Oscar buzz.

Actors Who Were Replaced for Unexpected Reasons

Below, check out why these 19 movie and TV actors left or lost their roles.

ncG1vNJzZmion6Wws8HSoWWcp51kr7OxzZ2Yp2WWp660sdFmnLGonJa2r7%2BMsJ%2ByZaSkum6v0a6grJ2jYrq2ucyyZJ%2BhnKJ6p7jOqaeenF8%3D