Brendan Fraser

Brendan Fraser's big comeback tour continues apace, reuniting with his 2000s co-star at a special London Film Festival screening of The Whale.

The two were photographed together in London's Ham Yard Hotel, a devilish reunion twenty-two years in the making. She did, however, slip into Beelzebub's cloven hooves opposite Fraser in 2000's Bedazzled, a modernisation of the 1967 Faustian comedy in which Fraser's computer geek takes seven wishes in exchange for his mortal soul. [the Brenaissance](https://www.gq-magazine.co.uk/culture/article/brendan-fraser-the-whale-review) has truly warmed the cockles.

How about they make an actual horror Mummy movie instead of an action movie? The Universal Mummy movies from the 30's and 40's are great and the first Hammer ...

Everything was grassroots and done for the love of the film and the genre. [Variety](https://variety.com/2022/film/news/brendan-fraser-mummy-sequel-tom-cruise-reboot-1235399752/) asked the actor this week. With nostalgia for the trilogy on the rise, The Mummy 4 could be huge for Universal. The film wasn’t studio-backed and we had no money for marketing. The extended theatrical run is happening after the film earned an astounding $400,000 in its special event slot last Thursday night. Fraser led the films to massive box office success, a level of success that the Tom Cruise-led reboot just wasn’t quite able to achieve more recently.

Brendan Fraser, star of The Mummy 1999, has some thoughts about The Mummy 2017 starring Tom Cruise.

[The Whale](http://avclub.com/film/reviews/the-whale-2022) star hasn’t ruled out returning to the big screen as Rick O’Connell for a fourth installment. [Oscar favorite](https://www.avclub.com/darren-aronofsky-addresses-the-whale-obesity-backlash-1849648376?_ga=2.107133643.857534011.1665409516-1488648406.1652714420) with a [Martin Scorsese film](https://www.avclub.com/brendan-fraser-joins-martin-scorseses-killers-of-the-fl-1847417692?_ga=2.86220497.857534011.1665409516-1488648406.1652714420) in the works. [profile](https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=2ahUKEwilv8XZrdv6AhUhGFkFHYVNAWYQFnoECA0QAQ&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.avclub.com%2Fbrendan-fraser-says-he-was-groped-by-ex-hfpa-president-1823237740&usg=AOvVaw0hAvSSPNxM1Er03M8YrO-D), he listed several surgeries he’d had (a laminectomy, a partial knee replacement, surgery on compressed spinal pads, and vocal cord repairs) that could be traced back to his action stardom. [Tom Cruise reboot](http://avclub.com/film/reviews/the-mummy-2017) in 2017, Fraser tells [Variety](https://variety.com/2022/film/features/brendan-fraser-the-whale-career-1235399057/), “It is hard to make that movie. That was what was lacking in that incarnation. But in the late ’90s/early 2000s, he was best known for playing a string of beloved himbos and dashing action heroes with a sense of humor like Rick O’Connell in [The Mummy](http://avclub.com/film/reviews/the-mummy-1999).

Brendan Fraser says he is open to making another "Mummy" movie and he shares his thoughts on why the 2017 Tom Cruise reboot flopped.

“I tried to do it three times.” “He was game for anything we threw at him,” Sommers says. And he hasn’t returned to the land of the undead since 2008’s “The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor,” but Fraser says he’s open to revisiting the franchise that made him a megastar.

Brendan Fraser discusses the cancellation of "Batgirl" while Darren Aronofsky opens up about his failed pitch to make "Batman: Year One"

“It was really important for me to shoot in Japan,” Aronofsky says. “It had promise, but it was just a first draft,” he says. Aronofksy agreed that “Batgirl’s” cancellation was “a disappointment for all the fans. “It was after ‘Batman & Robin,’ the Joel Schumacher one,” Aronofsky remembers. It also felt that “Batgirl” wasn’t commercial enough to retrofit as a theatrical release and it was easier to take a tax write-off and shelve it permanently. “It’s tragic,” Fraser told Variety as part of a cover story on “The Whale.” “It doesn’t engender trust among filmmakers and the studio.

Ahead of the release of Tomb of the Dragon Emperor, Fraser's co-star Rachel Weisz, who for two films played adventurous librarian Evelyn Carnahan-O'Connell, ...

Should the series return for a fourth film, it would be these elements, not to mention the original cast including Fraser, Weisz, John Hannah, and Oded Fehr. Though Fraser said in an interview that he's uncertain if reporting his assault led him to being blacklisted, many of us have unfortunately born witness to exactly what happens to performers who try to hold the powerful to account in cases like this. The film was intended to kick off the "Dark Universe" franchise, a series of films each centered around Universal's legendary roster of monsters. The second, more significant time the franchise was rebooted was in 2017, with a brand-new film, also titled The Mummy and starring Tom Cruise and Russell Crowe. Though he admits he doesn't know how a fourth film would be done, Fraser said “But I’d be open to it if someone came up with the right conceit.” A hypothetical fourth film would not be the first time the franchise saw a reboot since the 1999 release — soft or otherwise.

Tom Cruise's big-budget 2017 "Mummy" reboot was a box-office disaster, earning just $80 million in the US.

2020's "The Invisible Man" grossed $144 million worldwide, nearly half of which came from the US. Fraser's three "Mummy" movies earned over $1.2 billion worldwide combined, with the last movie released in 2008. Tom Cruise's 2017 "Mummy" movie was a critical and box-office disaster. Cruise's movie earned $409 million worldwide, including just $80 million in the US. I tried to do it three times." I know how difficult it is to pull it off.

The Doom Patrol star is no fan of the direction Warner Bros. Discovery took with the DC movie.

“It doesn’t engender trust among filmmakers and the studio,” he said of the [merger casualty taken for tax purposes](https://gizmodo.com/batgirl-hbo-max-cancelled-purchase-accounting-explained-1849365191) and to retool the DC universe... [Variety](https://variety.com/2022/film/news/brendan-fraser-batgirl-cancelled-darren-aronofsky-batman-year-one-wolverine-1235399658/#recipient_hashed=0c1411103a6418b345556e3fea3ddbff704e6c8832aa05985ea33ca9bfd6e096&recipient_salt=3f40af4e2bca05740d3af9afd5e263b8684f4cdffe957f057a23544a9fca6cb0), Fraser was honest about how it affects talent in the industry at large. The actor was to be featured as the [DC](https://gizmodo.com/warner-bros-dc-release-dates-hbo-max-cast-details-1848354161) film’s villain Firefly in the superhero spin-off directed by [Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah](https://gizmodo.com/batgirl-directors-respond-warner-bros-dc-cancellation-1849366667) (Ms.

Brendan Fraser reunited with his devilish Bedazzled co-star Elizabeth Hurley at the London premiere of his latest film The Whale. See the cute snap below.

He's received long standing ovations at screenings of the film in Toronto and London. And that kind of response feels completely new in my professional life." The duo posed together after the Oct.

Brendan Fraser is the star of the new Darren Aronofsky movie 'The Whale' with Sadie Sink, Ty Simpkins, Samantha Morton, Hong Chau and Sathya Sridharan...

Critical of the Cruise-led action movie, the actor clarifies that ‘fun’ “was what was lacking in that incarnation. “It is hard to make that movie,” Fraser stated, adding: “The ingredient that we had going for our Mummy, which I didn’t see in that film, was fun”. Last starring in the series in 2008s The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor, where he starred alongside Maria Bello, Jet Li and Michelle Yeoh, Fraser wouldn’t exactly slip back into the action-adventure series that made him famous, with the star likely not as agile as his youthful self.

Brendan Fraser thinks people struggling with mental health issues should be given more support. The 53-year-old actor plays an extremely obese man trying to ...

It was too much of a straight-ahead horror movie. The Mummy should be a thrill ride, but not terrifying and scary.” It's true: the Mummy films helmed by Fraser ...

[Variety](https://variety.com/2022/film/news/brendan-fraser-mummy-sequel-tom-cruise-reboot-1235399752/), Fraser said he’d be down for a fourth Mummy movie if the vibe was right. Speaking to Brendan Fraser may be in a prestige, Oscar-y moment, but he’s not afraid to get back in the sand.

The actor portrayed the adventurous Rick O'Connell in first movie, as well as in the 2001 sequel, “The Mummy Returns,” and third and final film released in 2008 ...

“I know how difficult it is to pull it off.” “It is hard to make that movie,” the actor said. He supported me coming into his ‘Mummy Returns’ franchise for my first ever role, which kicked off my Hollywood career,” Johnson “It was too much of a straight-ahead horror movie. “The ingredient that we had going for our ‘Mummy,’ which I didn’t see in that film, was fun. In a new interview with

Brendan Fraser, who starred as Rick O'Connell in the original Mummy trilogy, reveals why he thinks Tom Cruise's The Mummy reboot failed in 2017.

[Variety](https://variety.com/2022/film/news/brendan-fraser-mummy-sequel-tom-cruise-reboot-1235399752/), Brendan Fraser shares his thoughts on Tom Cruise's The Mummy movie and offers an explanation as to why it may have failed. While 2017's reboot isn't all bad, it certainly left much to be desired, and Fraser's comment affirms that, in his mind, fun is the biggest ingredient when it comes to crafting a successful Mummy movie. With the reboot going for a much scarier and more serious tone, Fraser believes that one important element that was present in his own Mummy films got lost in the process. If it hadn't been solely responsible for setting up Universal's entire Dark Universe, Cruise's The Mummy likely would have been more effective. After lying dormant for almost 10 years, The Mummy franchise was brought back to life in 2017 with a film from director Alan Kurtzman. Although none of the films in Fraser's Mummy trilogy totally struck a chord with critics, audience responses, especially to the first two, were very positive, and the movies are still remembered fondly today.

Brendan Fraser Is "Open" to Doing Fourth 'The Mummy' Film: The original franchise star also explained why Tom Cruise's 2017 reboot flopped in the box ...

“I tried to do it three times.” That was what was lacking in that incarnation. [Variety](https://variety.com/2022/film/news/brendan-fraser-mummy-sequel-tom-cruise-reboot-1235399752/) about the possibility of returning to the franchise, and what will need to be done in order for him to sign on. “The ingredient that we had going for our Mummy, which I didn’t see in that film, was fun. [reboot in 2017](https://hypebeast.com/2017/4/the-mummy-tom-cruise-trailer-2) that instead starred [Tom Cruise](https://hypebeast.com/tags/tom-cruise). “I don’t know how it would work,” Fraser said.

"'The Mummy' should be a thrill ride, but not terrifying and scary," Fraser said. "I know how difficult it is to pull it off. I tried to do it three times."

He [defended his performance this week](https://www.huffpost.com/entry/brendan-fraser-responds-to-backlash-over-wearing-fat-suit-in-the-whale_n_63470be5e4b03e8038cfe0fb). [he said he had been](https://www.huffpost.com/entry/brendan-fraser-says-he-was-groped-by-former-hfpa-president_n_5a8ee6f3e4b005bb0fef3283) blackballed for alleging Philip Berk, a former president of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, groped him in 2003. Fortunately for fans, Fraser is open to reprising his role — and he has an idea of why the [Tom Cruise](https://www.huffpost.com/entertainment/topic/tom-cruise)-helmed reboot flopped. He never comes across as cocky or arrogant.” I felt like there was a ball in my throat. The role has been criticized for its negative depiction of fat people and the fact that Fraser wore a fat suit. I felt like a little kid. “I know how difficult it is to pull it off. [is now in the midst of a full-blown comeback](https://www.huffpost.com/entry/brendan-fraser-tiff-award-win_n_6320a20ce4b0ed021df6c6de) and earning acclaim for his role in [Darren Aronofsky](https://www.huffpost.com/topic/darren-aronofsky)’s “The Whale” as a 600-pound man fighting for redemption. I tried to do it three times.” “I felt ill. That was what was lacking in that incarnation.

When the franchise was rebooted in 2017, it was Tom Cruise who took on the challenge of playing the lead in the new Mummy film. The movie performed so poorly at ...

"My journey to where I am now has been to explore as many characters as I can and this presented the biggest challenge to me that I wanted," Fraser said during a press conference about the movie. [Brendan Fraser Moved to Tears During 6-Minute Standing Ovation](https://www.etonline.com/brendan-fraser-moved-to-tears-during-6-minute-standing-ovation-for-the-whale-at-venice-film) [See Brendan Fraser Transform Into a 600-Lb. Fraser's Mummy Returns co-star, Dwayne Johnson, couldn't help but share his excitement for the actor's success. "The standing ovation for #TheWhale was so enthusiastic, Brendan Fraser tried to leave the theater but the crowd’s applause made him stay. However, the movie performed poorly at the box office -- leading all plans for more films in the Dark Universe series to be canceled -- and Fraser explains why he believes the reboot flopped. In videos that surfaced online of the touching moment, Fraser can be seen getting visibly emotional as the crowd cheers.

Brendan Fraser has discussed the decision to cancel the Batgirl movie. fraser-batgirl Warner Bros./20th Television. Beloved actor Brendan ...

[Though it is now unlikely that we will ever see Brendan Fraser as a DC villain](https://movieweb.com/brendan-fraser-fans-batgirl/), the Brenaissance continues, with The Mummy star now an Academy Award favorite for his performance in director Darren Aronofsky’s The Whale. Hunter, The Whale will find Brendan Fraser leading the latest outing from Darren Aronofsky as Charlie, a 600-pound middle-aged man who tries to reconnect with his 17-year-old daughter. [Batgirl was unceremoniously canceled in August](https://movieweb.com/batgirl-reportedly-scrapped-by-warner-bros-despite-having-completed-filming/), and while details behind the decision have been somewhat vague, it seems that Batgirl’s $90 million budget was ultimately determined to be more valuable as a tax write-off. Fraser continued, revealing that he never got see Batgirl in whatever state it was in at the time. It was a big-budget movie, but one that was just stripped down to the essentials.” Everything that we shot was real and exciting and just the antithesis of doing a straightforward digital all green screen thing.

The CW series starring Brendan Fraser isn't great, but — as far as "The Whale" Oscar campaign is concerned — it's a far cry from "Norbit."

[“The ‘Norbit’ Effect”](https://ew.com/gallery/norbit-effect-9-oscar-killers/?slide=423546#423546) was born. It’s not a performance anyone needs to see, but it’s not one to cause any embarrassment either — an important distinction when it comes to Oscar odds, since the specter of “Norbit” still haunts actors to this day. Murphy’s run was framed as a comeback, as well: After a series of box office flops met with harsh reviews, the comedian was taking his profession seriously again — so seriously that he starred in a serious film, met with serious acclaim, and deserving serious consideration. [“Spider-Man: No Way Home”](https://twitter.com/SadHillDevan/status/1502701062641229824?s=20&t=CPvLKJYNT_UD0GftRZhsbQ) look like “Blade Runner.” (To be fair, the disparate location work used to Peter’s convey globe-trotting adventures sure keeps things lively.) But none of that comes back on Fraser. At the advice of his girlfriend, the project’s “medical visionary” Dr. [Best Picture](https://www.indiewire.com/feature/2023-oscars-best-picture-predictions-1234734247/) and [Best Actress](https://www.indiewire.com/feature/2023-oscars-best-actress-predictions-1234745595/) nods in 2023, premiered two days before the 2022 Oscars — but most major contenders plot a course from September (at Telluride, Venice, and TIFF) through March (at the winners’ ceremony). Now, just as the one-time George of the Jungle is making the rounds for “The Whale,” anyone with an antenna can watch him provide comic relief for “Smallville’s” Tom Welling. The film’s rollout has to be seen as “successful” — or successful enough to avoid casting a pall on its participants. This is TV, not HBO — the latter of which is so well-respected, it’s routinely credited (or blamed) for Matthew McConaughey’s 2014 Best Actor win, when the first season of “True Detective” rolled out out as Academy voters considered his turn in “Dallas Buyers Club.” Perhaps it’s fitting then that The CW could have an inverse impact on this year’s Oscar race: costing an actor their trophy rather than pushing them to the podium. And while the film has seen a steady stream of [negative](https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2022/09/the-whale-movie-review-brendan-fraser) [notices](https://www.polygon.com/reviews/23351261/the-whale-review-brendan-fraser), Fraser’s performance has persevered. [Brendan Fraser](https://www.indiewire.com/t/brendan-fraser/) finds himself — in the midst of an Oscar push for his heavily touted [“comeback”](https://variety.com/2022/film/features/brendan-fraser-the-whale-career-1235399057/) turn in “The Whale,” a Darren Aronofsky film starring everyone’s favorite “Mummy” lead (sorry, [Tom](https://twitter.com/roxana_hadadi/status/1089658287535079424?s=20&t=TrmtVf74U8R_gqoOYV25eg)) as a reclusive English teacher living with severe obesity. Depending on your preferred prognosticator, he’s either a [surefire nominee](https://www.vulture.com/2022/10/oscar-futures-a-tar-is-born.html) or [right on the cusp](https://www.indiewire.com/feature/2023-oscars-best-actor-predictions-1234736218/).