Brendan Fraser has been photographed on the set of the next instalment in The Mummy franchise for the first time.
The 57-year-old action star was seen both in costume and out of it in Suffolk, eastern England, on Monday while filming the untitled sequel. The project is expected to become the fourth movie in the main Mummy series.
The new film adds to Fraser’s so-called “Brennaissance,” the career resurgence that began in the early 2020s and culminated in his Best Actor Oscar win for his acclaimed performance in The Whale.
Fraser was seen returning to the Mummy franchise 18 years after appearing in the 2008 horror thriller The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor.
His original co-star Rachel Weisz was confirmed to be returning just days earlier, after she was spotted filming a separate scene for the sequel in London.
Fraser appeared to be shooting a sequence in which his character drives a rocket-shaped vehicle capable of reaching high speeds.
Brendan Fraser has been photographed on the set of the next instalment in The Mummy franchise for the first time
The 57-year-old action star was seen in and out of costume in Suffolk, eastern England, on Monday while filming the untitled sequel, which is expected to be the fourth movie in the main Mummy series
Fraser appeared to be filming a sequence in which his character drives a rocket-shaped high-speed vehicle.
The sequence called for Fraser’s character, treasure hunter Rick O’Connell, to take the experimental machine for a spin. However, the actor’s stunt double stepped in to handle the driving.
Fraser and his double wore rugged brown leather jackets, matching gloves and brown trousers for the scene.
Both men were later seen covered in soot-like makeup, suggesting the vehicle’s high-speed run had taken its toll.
Filming took place at a former military base that is doubling as the fictional Daubach Air Base. Its runway had been transformed into a track where O’Connell tests the vehicle in an attempt to set a new speed record.
The sleek, silver rocket car was painted blue and red and decorated with stylized lightning bolts and the words “Great Britain Speed Shop.” American and British flags were also displayed on its tail fin.
Fraser’s stunt double appeared to carry out the driving as the rocket car sped past a cheering crowd, trailing a dense cloud of smoke.
The upcoming Mummy movie will disregard the events of Fraser’s previous entry and instead take place decades after 2001’s The Mummy Returns, the last film in the franchise to feature Weisz.
Weisz’s character, Evelyn Carnahan, was played by Maria Bello in Tomb of the Dragon Emperor. The new sequel, however, is reuniting the franchise’s original leading cast.
The sequence called for Fraser’s character, treasure hunter Rick O’Connell, to take control of the experimental vehicle, but the actor’s stunt double (R) stepped in to do the driving
Fraser and his stunt double wore rugged brown leather jackets, matching leather gloves and brown trousers
Both men were seen with soot-like makeup after piloting the long, tubular vehicle; above, Fraser’s stunt double
Fraser’s stunt double appeared to do the actual driving of the high-speed car
The vehicle zoomed past a cheering crowd and left a trail of thick smoke in its wake
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John Hannah is also returning as Carnahan’s brother, while Arnold Vosloo – who played the title monster in the original films – will be back.
Kevin J. O’Connor, who played the mummy’s henchman, has also been cast in the upcoming sequel, even though his character met a gruesome fate at the conclusion of the original film.
Although the new film is set decades after the last Mummy film starring Weisz, few details have been revealed about the sequel’s plot.
The 54-year-old actress – who is married to former James Bond star Daniel Craig – was pictured filming a scene outside the British Museum, which is expected to be featured early on in the movie.
Stephen Sommers, who directed the first two modern Mummy films, is being replaced on the latest entry by the directing team of Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett, who were previously credited as Radio Silence.
The two broke out with the 2019 horror-comedy hit Ready or Not, as well as the fifth and sixth entries in the Scream franchise and a sequel to Ready or Not that was released earlier this year.
In May, the latest entry in Fraser’s return to prominence, Pressure, was released in theaters.
He starred in the World War II film as Dwight D. Eisenhower, who collaborated with the Scottish meteorologist James Stagg (played by Andrew Scott) as he planned out the monumental Operation Overlord, which began on June 5, 1944, with the storming of the beaches in Normandy.
Fraser’s double is pictured in the cockpit
The silvery rocket car, which was painted blue and red with stylized lightning bolts and the words ‘Great Britain Speed Shop,’ had a pair of American and British flags painted on its tail fin
The scene was shot at a former military base, now standing in for the fictional Daubach Air Base
The runway had been converted into a track for Fraser’s character to barrel down for speed trials as he tries to set a new record
The new film marks the return of Fraser’s costar Rachel Weisz, who last appeared in the franchise’s second film, The Mummy Returns (2001)
While Pressure disappointed at the US box office after its May release, it was only released in France and the UK earlier this month.
Last year, Fraser led the dramedy Rental Family, which also disappointed at the box office but charmed critics.
He played an American actor living in Tokyo who found unconventional work as part of a company that hires actors to stand in as fake family members to its clients.
Fraser’s return to prominence began in 2021, when Steven Soderbergh cast him as a heavy in his period crime thriller No Sudden Move, but it wasn’t until the following year that he cemented his return with his Oscar-winning role in The Whale.
He starred in the Darren Aronofsky–directed drama as a morbidly obese homebound English teacher who struggled to teach his classes remotely while also using his limited time to reconnect with his estranged teenage daughter.
Fraser’s upcoming Mummy sequel was originally scheduled to hit theaters in May 2028, but its release was later bumped up to October 15, 2027.
