The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor (2008)
- Rob Cohen originally wanted a completely different ending for the film, but test audiences preferred the one we see today.
- Before Brendan Fraser was cast, several major A-list stars turned down the lead role because they felt the script was too risky.
- During the filming of The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor, Brendan Fraser improvised one of the most famous lines in the movie.
The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor is a 2008 American action-adventure fantasy directed by Rob Cohen, the third installment in the Mummy franchise. Brendan Fraser returns as Rick O'Connell, now retired and living in England, who is drawn back into adventure when his grown son Alex, played by Luke Ford, unearths the cursed Emperor Han, played by Jet Li, a Chinese emperor who was transformed into a terracotta statue 2,000 years ago by a sorceress, played by Michelle Yeoh, and who will gain immortality and the power to command the terracotta army if he reaches the mystical pool at Shangri-La. Maria Bello replaced Rachel Weisz as Evelyn O'Connell, a recasting the film acknowledged with a meta joke.
The climactic battle between the terracotta warriors and the undead, raised by Michelle Yeoh's character, provided epic-scale spectacle. The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor earned $401 million worldwide on a $145 million budget.
