Brendan Fraser’s fitness goals include fighting ancient mummies and saving the world.
Appearing on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon on Wednesday, May 6, the Oscar-winning actor teased his return for the highly-anticipated fourth installment of the original The Mummy franchise and revealed that he’s trying his best to get in shape for the role nearly 20 years after the last film.
“Please wish me luck. I’m doing my best to get this 57-year-old gear in shape,” he quipped.
Fraser was 31 years old when the first Mummy film hit theatres in 1999. He famously performed his own stunts for his character, Rick O’Connell — a treasure hunter and adventurer who decides to use his skills for good after meeting librarian and aspiring Egyptologist Evelyn Carnahan, portrayed by Rachel Weisz. The duo team up to defeat Imhotep (Arnold Vosloo) and end up falling in love in the process.
The stunts ended up taking a huge toll on Fraser. In 2023, the actor told The Telegraph that he needed surgeries for his knee, spine, and vocal cords due to performing his own stunts. The Mummy director Stephen Sommers revealed in 2024 that Fraser actually passed out while filming Rick’s hanging scene in the first film.
By the time the third Mummy movie, Tomb of the Dragon Emperor, rolled around in 2008, Fraser felt like he was “putting [himself] together like a gladiator with muscle tape and ice packs, strapping on this Transformer-like exoskeleton just to get through the scene.”
For a long time, fans believed the adventures of Rick and Evie had come to an end — until late 2025. Alongside Fraser, Rachel Weisz was also confirmed to reprise her role after she was replaced by Maria Bello in Dragon Emperor.
“Well, we’re going to get the band back together. The only way to do it, right?” Fraser told Fallon. “So, we’re going to give the audience what they have been bothering all of us for, for the last 20-something years,” he added.
