The Unofficial Guide to The Scorpion King and The Mummy Universe

By Brad Mengel

In 1999, Steven Sommers recreated the Adventure film for the new millennium with his reboot of The Mummy. This film spawned sequels, books, comics, video games, cartoons, and a spin-off series – The Scorpion Kin. With the death of both the Mummy and Scorpion King franchises with reboots, it seemed the perfect time to explore the universe created by Steven Sommers.

The Unofficial Guide to The Scorpion King and The Mummy Universe is a uniquely comprehensive yet humorous excavation of the adventures of the O'Connell family and Mathayus, the Scorpion King in all their incarnations as well as the influences and legacy of these franchises.

This volume digs and delves into the questions left by the universe, and exhumes the unfinished comic series The Mummy: Valley of the Gods and answers "what do we really know about the unmade fourth Mummy movie hinted at the end of The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor?"

Brad Mengel is an Australian New Pulp author. He is the author of Serial Vigilantes of Paperback Fiction, the first major work on the paperback heroes of the 70s, 80s such as The Executioner and The Destroyer. His fiction work includes new adventures of Sherlock Holmes, Domino Lady and Senorita Scorpion. He is the author of the novel Australis Incognito, a new pulp novel set in Australia with a team of multi-generational heroes.

• Language: English
• Publisher: BearManor Media
• Release date: Jan 2, 2023
• ISBN: 9798215986455

Book preview

The Mummy

The Mummy (1999)

24 Release Date: June 24, 1999

The Cast:

Brendan Fraser .........Rick O’Connell

Rachel Weisz ............Evelyn Carnahan

John Hannah ............Jonathan Carnahan

Arnold Vosloo ...........Imhotep

Kevin J O’Connor .....Beni Gabor

Oded Fehr ................Ardeth Bay

Erick Avari ................Dr Terrence Bey (the Curator)

Jonathan Hyde .........Dr Allen Chamberlain (the Egyptologist)

Stephen Durham ......Mr. Henderson

Corey Johnson .........Mr. Daniels

Tuc Watkins .............Mr. Burns

Bernard Fox .............Capt. Winston Havlock

Patricia Velasquez ...Anck-Su-Namun

Aharon Ipale ............Pharaoh Seti I

Writer/Director: Stephen Sommers.

Don’t I know you?:

Brendan Fraser: This leading man appeared in many movies including Encino Man (1992), George of the Jungle (1997), Bedazzled (2000), Looney Tunes: Back in Action (2003), Inkheart (2008), Journey to the Centre of the Earth (2008) and Robotman in Doom Patrol (2019).

Rachel Weisz: Won an Oscar for The Constant Gardner (2005) as well as appearing in Constantine (2005), Eragon (2006) and Black Widow (2021).

John Hannah: Appeared in Spartacus (2010-2013) and Agents of SHIELD (2013-2020) as well as the movies Four Weddings and a Funeral (1994) and Sliding Doors (1998).

Arnold Vosloo: This South African actor appeared as Darkman in the Direct to DVD sequels Darkman II: The Return of Durant (1995) and Darkman III: Die, Darkman, Die (1996). He later appeared as Vincent in Veritas: The Quest (2003-2004).

Kevin J. O’Connor: A frequent collaborator with director Stephen Sommers, he has appeared in Deep Rising (1998), Van Helsing (2004) and GI Joe: The Rise of Cobra (2009).

Oded Fehr: Since the Mummy, Fehr has appeared in several TV series UC Undercover (2001-2002), Blood & Treasure (2019), and as a series regular in season 3 of Star Trek: Discovery (2017). He also provided the voice for N’Kantu, The Living Mummy in the animated series Ultimate Spider-Man (2012-2017) and Hulk and the Agents of S.M.A.S.H. (2013-2015).

Erick Avari: One of only two actors to appear in both the Stargate movie and the spinoff series Stargate SG1, Avari has a long list of acting credits including appearing in episodes of both Leverage and Castle that deal with a mummy’s curse.

Bernard Fox: This Welsh actor had starred in many film and TV productions but was best known for the role of Doctor Bombay, the Witch Doctor in Bewitched (1964-1972).

Stephen Sommers: Wrote and directed The Jungle Book (1994), Deep Rising (1998), Van Helsing (2004), G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra (2009) and Odd Thomas (2013).

Historical Backstory:

1290 BC - In Thebes, the city of the living, the high priest Imhotep is caught in a relationship with Anck-Su-Namun, the mistress of Pharaoh Seti I. The pair slay the pharaoh and Imhotep flees as Anck-Su-Namun kills herself before the Medjai, the Pharaoh’s bodyguard.

Imhotep steals her body and races to Hamunaptra, the city of the dead, to resurrect her with his fellow priests. They are captured by Medjai, and the priests are mummified alive.

Imhotep is cursed with the Hom-dai – an eternal life to be tortured and eaten by scarab beetles.

Plot Summary

1923 Battle of Hamunaptra. The French Foreign Legion garrison of Corporal Rick O’Connell has marched from Libya to Egypt after the discovery of a map to Hamunaptra, the city of the dead where Seti I was rumored to store his treasure. Upon arrival the Legionnaires are attacked by Tuaregs. Most of the Legionnaires are killed in the battle before the Tuaregs flee in terror as a giant face appears in the sand. The Medjai watch the battle and as Rick flees Hamunaptra, they don’t kill him as they believe the desert will get him.

Three Years Later (1926) Librarian Evelyn Carnahan, the daughter of noted Egyptologist Howard Carnahan and his Egyptian wife, is visited by her older brother Jonathan. He has discovered a puzzle box which contains a map to Hamunaptra.

After the map is burnt by Evelyn’s boss Dr Terrence Bey, it is revealed that Jonathan has picked Rick’s pocket for the puzzle box at the bar the night before.

The Carnahan siblings visit Rick in jail, where he was thrown after having a good time the night before. Rick recognizes and punches Jonathan before he offers to lead them to Hamunaptra if they can get him out of jail. Evy negotiates with warden as Rick is being hung. The pair come to terms just in time to save Rick’s life.

The next morning, the Carnahans are joined by Rick and the warden on a boat heading down the Nile. The group discovers another party consisting of Egyptologist Dr Allen Chamberlin and three American adventurers, Burns, Daniels, and Henderson are also on board. Rick discovers that the rival party are being guided Beni, Rick’s old Legionnaire buddy, who also survived the battle three years earlier.

Despite the setback of an attack on their ship by the Medjai, both parties make it to Hamunaptra and begin digging. The Chamberlin party discovers the black Book of the Dead and Canopic jars, while the Carnahan party finds the sarcophagus containing the cursed remains of Imhotep.

Despite a warning to leave from Ardeth Bay of the Medjai, the dig continues. Evy reads from the Book of the Dead, that she has surreptitiously borrowed from the other party, and awakens the mummy and unleashes a plague of locusts. As the parties flee they encounter the mummy, who steals Burns’ eyes and tongue. Imhotep mistakes Evy for his lover AnckSu-Namun but Rick blasts the mummy with his shotgun. The Medjai rescue both parties who return to Cairo, but Beni is left behind and makes a deal to serve Imhotep.

Back in Cairo at Fort Brydon, the men are all ready to leave but Evy wants to try and stop the mummy. More plagues strike the city including turning water into blood. Imhotep kills Burns and tries to steal Evy. Rick chases Imhotep away with a white cat and the surviving party visits Dr Bey. They find him talking with Ardeth Bay, revealing that the curator is one of the Medjai. They pool information and discover that the golden book of Amun-Ra is the key to stopping Imhotep.

The mummy kills the rest of Chamberlin’s party restoring his body and his full powers. After a standoff Imhotep abducts Evy sweeping her off to Hamunaptra. Rick, Jonathan, and Ardeth Bay follow in a biplane flown by Winston Havlock, a WWI veteran.

Imhotep attacks the plane with a sandstorm causing the plane to crash. He then takes Evy into Hamunaptra to use her to resurrect Anck-Su-Namun. During this Beni explores the city and discovers the treasure room. In his greed, Beni makes several runs, loading up a camel with treasure. On his last run, he accidentally pulls a lever that causes Hamunaptra to sink beneath the sands.

Our heroes rescue Evy and find the Book of Amun-Ra. Rick fights Imhotep long enough for the Carnahans to open the book and read the spell that makes Imhotep mortal so Rick can kill him.

Rick and the rest of the party race against the sinking city to escape but are unable to rescue Beni who is trapped surrounded by scarabs. Our heroes leave the city riding on the camels that Beni had loaded with