Actor Dwayne Johnson is set to reprise one of his most iconic roles after more than two decades away from the franchise.
Dwayne Douglas Johnson, best known for becoming a blockbuster sensation and one of the most recognizable figures in Hollywood, has been in the limelight quite a bit over the last few months, some of which have been for discouraging reasons. His last couple of films to go to theaters have left much to be desired.
Disney’s Jungle Cruise (2021), which starred Dwayne Johnson as Skipper Frank Wolff alongside Emily Blunt, grossed an abysmal $220.9 million, with a budget of $200 million. Despite the lackluster reviews and performance at the box office, The Rock’s recognizable status has still led Disney to sequel plans. Of course, those have been put on hold for the time being.
In addition, the DC Universe’s Black Adam (2022) also bombed at the box office. Black Adam grossed $393.3 million with a budget of more than $200 million. Though there were already plans in place for a sequel, which likely would bring Henry Cavill (Superman) into the mix, these plans were quickly axed when James Gunn took over the DC Universe. Gunn reportedly decided to move on from Dwayne Johnson’s character for the time being and also cut Henry Cavill from his role as Superman.
With all this uncertainty, Johnson finds himself back in a couple of familiar roles. He recently made a cameo in Fast X (2023), and plans have since been announced that he’ll return to his role as Hobbs in the Fast & Furious franchise. In addition, Johnson announced alongside Disney CEO Bob Iger that he’d be returning to reprise his role as Maui in a live-action Moana film. Though the film’s announcement was met with some backlash, Disney has plans to begin filming this October.
Now, we have more news to share related to Dwayne The Rock Johnson, this time, related to his return to a $500 million franchise.
Though Universal Pictures attempted to reboot The Mummy franchise with Tom Cruise several years ago, the movie failed at the box office terribly. As a matter of fact, the film was so poorly-received, it caused Universal to change its plans for several Classic Monsters films, as part of a project called “Dark Universe.”
According to the latest reports, Universal Pictures is set to head back to its traditional look with a new installment of the franchise. Dwayne Johnson has reportedly signed on to reprise his role as The Scorpion King. In addition, GFR has reported that Rachel Weisz, Oded Fehr, and John Hannah have all signed on to reprise their roles in the upcoming installment. The only person who hasn’t been confirmed? Brendan Fraser.
Brendan Fraser, who played the role of Rick O’Connell in The Mummy (1999), The Mummy Returns (2001), and The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor (2008), shared in a previous interview that he’d be open to returning to the franchise.
“I don’t know how it would work. But I’d be open to it if someone came up with the right conceit,” Fraser said.
With so many names already reprising their roles, it would only make sense for Brendan Fraser to make a return. For now, however, we’ll have to wait and see if he’ll reprise his role and join forces again with the former WWE champion after more than 20 years separated.
The next film that fans can see Dwayne Johnson in is titled Red One (2023), which stars him alongside Chris Evans and is set to be released this holiday season.
