I have to be honest, I thought The Mummy was a piece of crap, and I didn’t bother seeing the sequel or its spinoff The Scorpion King (or if I did, I don’t remember them). I know a lot of people thought they were simply fun popcorn movies, but I just can’t get into Brendan Fraser as an action star and the questionable CG effects. We’ve been hearing for a while that Fraser and co-star Rachel Weisz would probably return for a 3rd Mummy film, and now an interesting addition to the cast has been confirmed: Jet Li will play the movie’s villain (ie. The Mummy). This time around the story is set in China, originating in ancient times and fast-forwarding to a post-WWII setting. It is believed that Li will play an ancient emperor, who commands an army of 6,000 terracotta warriors.

Stephen Sommers will not direct this third film, instead he will co-produce and Rob Cohen (Stealth, xXx) will take the helm. The script was written by Alfred Gough and Miles Millar (Smallville). I find it interesting that they’ve cast Li in this film, it kind of echoes Chow Yun Fat’s role in Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End. That said, I doubt he will be showcasing much of his martial arts prowess this time around, but at least the main enemy will not be completely computer-generated this time. As for Rob Cohen directing, my first instinct is to assume bad things based on Cohen’s previous work, but maybe he will bring something new to the franchise. Who knows, maybe I’ll actually see this one. The tentative title for the movie is rumoured to be The Mummy: Curse of the Dragon (how original), and is aiming for a 2008 release.