‘That’s What They Have Stuntmen For!’ — 56-Year-Old Brendan Fraser Shakes Off Age Concerns Ahead of The Mummy 4

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Brendan Fraser doesn’t sound too bothered about the prospect of reprising his role as Rick O’Connell for The Mummy 4 nearly 20 years later, and has said stunt men will help him out.

The 56-year-old Oscar-winning actor last played Rick O’Connell in 2008’s The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor, when he was 40. But he’s set to return to the franchise alongside co-star Rachel Weisz for a new The Mummy film in the coming years.

Speaking to Happy Sad Confused host Josh Horowitz during a live interview filmed at 92nd Street Y, Fraser joked that stunt men are right there to make everything on-screen look amazing.

“Absolutely. That’s what they have stunt men for,” Fraser replied when asked if his age was a consideration when it came to real stunts in The Mummy 4. “One of my favorite things to say is, ‘Dude, you’re gonna be awesome in this shot!’”

If the 61-year-old Keanu Reeves can play John Wick in yet another sequel, and 83-year-old Harrison Ford can play Red Hulk in the MCU, Fraser can surely give The Mummy a run for his money, right?

While The Mummy 4 isn’t officially, officially confirmed, based on reports in the trades and comments from Fraser himself, this one feels nailed on. Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett — the filmmaking duo billed as Radio Silence — are said to be directing the long-awaited sequel. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Weisz will also return as Evelyn Carnahan. Apparently The Mummy 4 will be a sequel to the trilogy, but will disregard the events of the third movie, which Weisz did not star in.

Radio Silence’s breakout film was 2019’s Ready or Not. They then rebooted the Scream franchise with 2022’s Scream and 2023’s Scream 6, and also directed the vampire flick Abigail.

Speaking to Associated Press this week, Fraser was asked if he had considered The Mummy movies in his past before the fourth film was announced.

“The one I wanted to make was never made,” he replied. “The third one was a model of… how can I say this to the AP reporter? NBC had the rights to broadcast the Olympics that year. So they put two together and we went to China. Working in Shanghai, an incredible experience. I’m proud of the third one because I think it’s a good standalone movie. We picked up and did what we do with a different crew on deck and gave it our best shot. But the one I wanted to make is forthcoming. And I’ve been waiting 20 years for this call. Sometimes it was loud, sometimes it was a faint telegraph. Now? It’s time to give the fans what they want.”

Photo by Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images.

Wesley is Director, News at IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.