Stephen Sommers already felt laid-back when The Mummy was released in theatres. All the hard work seemed to have paid off and the film was receiving commendations from audiences. The morning after the film was released, Sommers received a phone call that would shock him.
It was from Universal Studios. And, thankfully, the news was good. They told Sommers in no uncertain terms, “we need another one.” At first, Sommers couldn’t believe what Universal just told him. He’d only just let his breath out after completing the first one, it would take a lot of effort to gather the right people together to make the next project work. In the face of all his doubts, Sommers thought of the fans, and then he knew what had to be done. He immediately began preparations for the sequel.
The Mistress Costume
Patricia Velasquez played the role of Anck-Su-Namun, who was the Pharaoh’s mistress, a woman so precious that no other man was allowed to lay a finger on her. To display her value on the screen, she had to wear an alluring costume.
It took four long hours in every shoot for costume designers and makeup artists to finish her ensemble. She wore jewelry, a sexy loincloth, and everything else was body paint. We wonder which was the more arduous task: having all that gold paint applied, or trying to get it off?
Beni and the Camels
Kevin J. O’Connor was the character everyone loved to hate: the self-serving coward, Beni. He spent a lot of time working with camels, as his character was always looking for a way to escape with swindled treasures and, in The Mummy, camels were the vehicles of choice.
One time, while working on a scene, Kevin tried to pull the reins, but his camel refused to move. The answer is as adorable as it is funny. Reportedly, none of the camels in the film liked Kevin J. O’Connor. Camels are choosy about who they befriend and Kevin, it seems, didn’t measure up to their high standards.
PG-13 Rating
The directors had an imperative to keep the action within the bounds of the film’s desired rating. They always had to bear in mind the age range of their projected audience. But you’d be surprised at the simple mishaps that can jeopardize a rating. Remember that scene when the ship was being attacked? Rachel Weisz faced an unavoidable wardrobe issue when she got soaked during the melee.
We all know what happens when clothes get wet. Weisz’s nightgown got sheer and clingy and decidedly outside the bounds of PG-13. The crew had to digitally alter the scene during post production to hide what needed to be hidden. In its original state, the footage was too real for a kid-friendly rating.
English Voice-Over
In the opening sequence, Imhotep’s lines are a voice over. Why you ask? Director Stephen Sommers realized something was off while they were taping that scene. Imhotep would not know how to speak English and it wouldn’t make sense for those lines to be in English.
Guess whose voice they enlisted to solve the problem? It was the Medjai chieftain who dedicated his life to stopping Imhotep’s reincarnation, Ardeth Bay. This role was played by handsome Israeli actor, Oded Fehr. Any fangirls in the house?