The two “Mummy” films have grossed over $350 million dollars at the box office, making them lucrative properties for their owner, Universal Pictures. It has been six years since the release of the second film, “The Mummy Returns“, and now Universal is making preparations to blow off the dust from the franchise and create a new “Mummy” picture in time for a summer 2008 release date.
Martial arts superstar Jet Li is in talks to play the villain in “The Mummy 3″. Unlike the previous two movies, Li would have a new role and play a Chinese emperor mummy who was buried with his army of thousands of terra-cotta statues. As well the new “Mummy” movie will be set in the year 1940, twelve years further than the events in “The Mummy Returns”.
Talks are also underway to bring back Brendan Fraser as adventurer Rick O’Connell and Rachel Weisz as Evelyn, his wife. As well there is a part for Rick and Evelyn’s son, Alex, who we last saw in the second movie as a young boy. In the new film Alex is now all grown up and a two-fisted adventurer like his dad.
The screenplay for “The Mummy 3″ was written by the writing team of Miles Millar and Alfred Gough and it will be directed by Rob Cohen (”The Fast and the Furious”).
Martial arts superstar Jet Li is going to be super wealthy after his next movie. The “Romeo Must Die” and “Lethal Weapon 4” star will earn a reported $13 million dollars for working in “The Warlords”, a Chinese-language picture about to begin filming shortly. The $13 million payday is the biggest ever paycheck for an actor appearing in a Chinese movie. Li also held the record previously for starring in “Hero” for which he was paid $9 million dollars.