The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor (2008)

[Daisho2004]

In a strange piece of news it looks as though martial arts star Jet Li is set to play the lead villain in the latest installment of the blockbuster "Mummy" franchise. The announcement was apparently made by director Rob Cohen (who replaces series regular Stephen Sommers), who stated that the action will take place in China, with the son of the previous films' protagonists facing off against Li as 'The Emperor', the head of a gang of Teracotta army mummies. Cohen claimed that Michelle Yeoh would also star, though her agency have since denied that she has signed for the film, which is due to open July 11th, 2008.

[Markgway]

Aaaaaaaaarrrrrrrrrrgggggggggghhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!!!!! !

[Chinatown Kid]

:lol

[thundered mantis]

Buahahahah! Can´t be

[rdenn]

so he wanted to quit making kung fu movies to do this, nice one jet :D

[Chinatown Kid]

Jet needs to be starring in more films like Danny the Dog than appearing in crap like The Mummy. :\

[Daisho2004]

Well I guess if the Mummy is a smash success than Jet Li will be even more marketable than before, since both Mummy films were huge successes.

[kingofkungfu2002]

There's also rumours about Michelle Yeoh possibly being in it.

[killer meteor]

This has got to be a joke! Oh, wait, it's Hollywood...

[sevenhooks]

Well I guess if the Mummy is a smash success than Jet Li will be even more marketable than before, since both Mummy films were huge successes.


Yeah, those Mummy films certainly did wonders for Brendan Fraser's career!

:rollin

[Yi Long]

The fastest guy alive is going to be playing a mummy: nice casting, Hollywood(!)

Who dont they just cast Michael Wong? He's already has the wooden acting style.

This all sounds like an extremely crappy idea. And after the shite news about his new kiddie movie with Jackie, this saddens me.

Let's hope Tony Jaa will come up with the goods again, martial arts wise, this year...

[Chen Zhen]

booooooooooooooo

[HAZ74]

Caca on a stick.

[jirpy100]

Mmmh... I thought they were both some of the better commercial fare.

[limubai2000]

Mummy 1 was a great popcorn adventure film, reminded me of Raiders of the Lost Ark.

Mummy 2 had some good moments, but ultimately far to much CGI for it's own good. A letdown.

Of course I will go see part 3 if Jet is in it but I'm not expecting much out of him martial arts wise in this film.

[Chinatown Kid]

Mummy 1 was a great popcorn adventure film, reminded me of Raiders of the Lost Ark.

:eek Lim how dare ya! Your gonna cause Mr. Spielberg to @#%$ a brick!:p Seriously though, The Mummy was not in the same class as Raiders. Raiders is one of the best movies ever made imo.

[Sifu Socky]

Mummy 2 was so awful I couldn't sit through it. Jet will lose serious Respect Points in my book if this is actually true. And Rob Cohen is the king of hacks. This just gets worse and worse.

And Danny the Dog was crap, bro! What film were you watching??

[limubai2000]

I didn't say it was in the same class, that would be blasphemous!!! I said it reminded me of it, big difference!

Sort of like National Treasure reminded me of Raiders. My take on that was some producers and writers sat around some beers, talking and decided "Hey they won't make another Indy, let's make our own!" I think the style of these three films is similar but National and Mummy are nowhere near as great as Raiders, but each is good in it's own right.

[Chen Zhen]

Danny the Dog is the truth! fantastic film

[Beat TG]

And Danny the Dog was crap, bro! What film were you watching??

He's watching movies that users with great taste are watching.;)

Danny The Dog was crap?:rolleyes Watch it again.

[Chinatown Kid]

I know what ya meant Lim, I was just kidding with you man. ;)

I hear ya Beat TG! :) Sifu Socky if you thought Danny the Dog was a bad film I would like to know why, I thought it was one of Jet's better films with hard hitting action, nice acting and a good story.....

[ironfistedmonk2003]

The Mummy films are not meant to be taken seriously, as already said they are just fun popcorn movies. It's a fairly big franchise for him to get more exposure, whats wrong with Jet trying his hand at this, it can't be as bad as Dr Wai! Plus the man gotta get paid, nowt wrong with a fat paycheck.

[kingofkungfu2002]

Looks like the rumours could well be true

Mummy 3 (http://www.moviehole.net/news/20070322_the_mummy_knows_kungfu.html)

[GwaiLoMoFo]

Read that Jet Li is going to be playing an "undead" Chinese emperor in the upcoming movie "The Mummy 3". Ha ha, sounds fun.

[Tosh]

yeah, he already got flamed, then defended, then flamed again for it...

p081.ezboard.com/fkungfufandomfrm6.showMessage?topicID=3043.topic (http://p081.ezboard.com/fkungfufandomfrm6.showMessage?topicID=3043.topic)

[dyenboy]

omg..this is bad..

wen u are at his level, i would assume u make movies as a good guy..not a bad guy..

bad move on jet li's part..must be the money..hehe

[jmungus]

wen u are at his level, i would assume u make movies as a good guy..not a bad guy..

now theres something i disagree with...
playing the baddie is widely considered so much more fun, satisfying, cool and rewarding among actors.
besides, theres an old film makers rule saying that your hero`s appeal and coolness factor is exponential to the 'badness factor' of his adversaries- the more fierce and evil the baddie, the more glory for a movie`s hero(es).

as for the paycheck- im positive that was another reason, plus guaranteed massive exposure not only to a western audience, but to all the world in general. that certainly counts for something when u re a movie star; and u can use the extra fame for other projects and sources of revenue (advertisment). a fool who wouldnt jump on the bandwagon.

[killer meteor]

Interestingly enough, Rachel weiz - who once dated Neil Morrisey I'm told - won't be in The Mummy 3

[iron flag]

All in favor of banning Jet Li's name from Kung Fu Fandom forever?

[Daisho2004]

jmungus, I agree its a nice change to see an actor portray a villain once an a while, I thought Jet Li was great when he was bad in Lethal Weapon #4 and the Mummy Franchise is an Excellent series so I don't know why everyone is surprised to see him play in a role that will make him a real Hollywood Icon, and most likely be a good career move.

[GwaiLoMoFo]

All in favor of banning Jet Li's name from Kung Fu Fandom forever?

Why?! Mainstream big movie exposure by MA actors such as Jet is great for the genre. A newer fan, not too familiar with Jet, sees him in action and it peaks his interest. Then decides he wants to see more stuff with him in it and a new fan is born. I say to Jet get that money while the gettins good. He's earned it imo.

[Tosh]

now theres something i disagree with...

And I agree with you disagreeing:p Sammo has had some great roles playing the villain, that's what's wrong with the newer movies, they have spent to much time on the heros and forgot about what makes the hero, the villain, where's the Jonny Wangs and HJLs!!!!!!!

Now, as far as the Mummy 3:rolleyes , it's the usual hollywad bs, but I can't fault Jet for taking the work.

[Johnnie freeze]

Not to put too much of a damper of jet playing the villian, but Hollywood loves to type cast. If jet plays the villain too often in American films, than a villianous role is all he'll ever get in the U.S.

[Daisho2004]

Jet Li vs. Brendan Fraser in ‘Mummy 3’

News | Upcoming | by Mark Pollard | 2007.10.07

Jet Li has been working overtime of late. He currently has three epic period films in the works and one of them is as the lead villain in THE MUMMY: TOMB OF THE DRAGON EMPEROR. This is the third entry in the blockbuster, fantasy adventure series starring Brendan Fraser.

The first two films had always been packed with action sequences that employed the best of Hollywood stunt work and computer effects. With Li on board as well as Michelle Yeoh, writers Miles Millar and Alfred Gough have now steered the action in a new direction that should interest fans of Asian action cinema.

Director Rob Cohen (DRAGON: THE BRUCE LEE STORY, xXx) has kindly been keeping an informative production blog, much like the blog that was set up for 300. In it, he details the plot, posts some behind-the-scenes videos and drops a few insider gems.

“Jet Li plays a despotic Emperor in 50 B.C. whose evil is punished by a terrible curse laid on him by wizardress Michelle Yeoh: he and his army are turned into terra cotta for all time; that is, unless he is re-awakened which, of course, is where the O’Connell’s come back into it.

“The story moves to the year 1946. When we find them, Rick (Brendan Fraser) and Evelyn (Maria Bello) are retired to Oxfordshire, England, having been spies for the British during World War II. They are bored silly and welcome the offer of ‘one last mission’ from the Foreign Office. Their assignment: courier a precious artifact back to the museum in Shanghai, China from which it was stolen.

“Back to Asia: China is in turmoil but Jonathan (John Hannah) owns an Egyptian-themed bar in Shanghai. Unbeknownst to his parents, now grown-up Alex O’Connell (Luke Ford) is following in the family business as a young archaeologist on a dig in north-central China. He makes the discovery of a lifetime: the tomb of the Dragon Emperor, which has been buried for millennia. A beautiful assassin (Isabella Leong) tries to kill him to keep the location secret but Alex prevails. The Emperor’s monument is transported back to Shanghai where another plot is in motion: military zealot Anthony Wong intends to awaken the Emperor and aid him in the re-conquest of China and the raising of his terra cotta army of ten thousand clay warriors.

“The family is reunited and high adventure ensues: crash landings, treks thru the Himalayas, Yeti, avalanches, Shangri-la, three-headed dragons, pools of eternal life, epic battles, a shape-shifting Jet Li….�

With Jet Li as the main villain for Fraser to tangle with in the film’s climax, there was clearly a need for some quality screen fighting. Rather than attempt to match Li’s years of wushu experience, Cohen came up with the idea to have Fraser use a direct and efficient fighting system. His choice was the Israeli art of Krav Maga.

“I never saw an actor take a suggestion so much to heart,� said Cohen in his blog when speaking of Brendan. “He has trained continuously in the art and I think you will all see an enormous difference in the mano a mano action scenes in my film. He’s still charming and funny but the power has been turned up many notches.�

Due to the complexities of the film’s varied action sequences, MUMMY 3 has several stunt teams. Some of the members of the U.S. team are interviewed in a video on the blog.

When Li showed up towards the end of the Montreal shoot, he brought along with him veteran action choreographer Ku Huen-chiu who previously worked with Li on FEARLESS and numerous other films in Hong Kong and Hollywood, going all the way back to ONCE UPON A TIME IN CHINA (1991). Cohen says he was working with Ku and co-choreographer Mark Southworth in “madly refining� the fight between Emperor Han and Rick O’Connell prior to leaving for Beijing and the Tian Mo desert location three hours north of the capitol.

THE MUMMY: TOMB OF THE DRAGON EMPEROR is scheduled for release Aug. 1st, 2008. Other upcoming Jet Li movies include WARLORDS which opens in Hong Kong December 13th and THE FORBIDDEN KINGDOM which opens April 18th in the U.S.

[ top ]

[Maz]

Jet Li's look in The Mummy 3

http://img90.imageshack.us/img90/2500/jetridesintobattleox9.jpg

From: http://www.robcohenthemummy.com/

[BaronK]

Ku Huen-chiu. Jet's double during the post Tsui Hark years after Hung Yan Yan was his double. Also worked w/the Yuen Clan(FoL) and OUaTiC&A w/Hung and crew as double and chor. and double in Hitman.

[froffeecoffee]

They put together a pretty good Asian cast that should attract HK fans. Jet Li, Michelle Yeoh, and Anthony Wong as Li's aide in taking over the world.

[Bus]

jet had better slip and break his neck at the end or get stabbed in the back like in lethal weapon 4 because nobody can believe fraser could kick his ass

[kingofkungfu2002]

And don't forget Wu Jing's gonna be in it too :)

http://img220.imageshack.us/img220/7858/wujingmummyyr0.jpg

[TheGrimReaper]

Let us hope that the role of Jet LI in the upcoming "Mummy 3" will be better than the role he played in "War" with Jason Statham, I was simply dissapointed by the movie itself... Probably it is just me but Jet Li looked exactly like Jackie Chan in "Rush Hour 3" - bored...

[daisho2004]

I think this movie is going to be really good, "The Mummy Returns" was better than the 1st. one and it even gave The Rock a movie of his own "The Scorpion King" from this franchise. So with this All Star Cast I think its going to be really good, and the fact that they didn't rush into making a 3rd movie right away hopefully has that going for it.

[AlbertV]

I actually see potential for this film. I heard Brendan Fraser and Maria Bello, who replaces Rachel Weisz as Evie, trained in Krav Maga for the fight scenes, but Jet Li, Michelle Yeoh, Wu Jing, and Anthony Wong?! That's enough for me to see it. I just hope they don't mess up the fight scenes with bad editing and camera angles, like Hollywood tends to do time and time again.

[SimonMW]

who replaces Rachel Weisz as Evie, trained in Krav Maga for the fight scenes

And Krav Maga has looked good on screen when? "Enough"? "Bourne Supremacy"? Okay, it looked okay in Bourne Identity, but it was still hardly a patch on the best HK stuff. Krav Maga as a system of fighting is one of those that simply doesn't translate well to the screen for the most part. I'm at pains to understand why Hollywood has such a love affair with it at the moment. I think it may be because it is the latest martial arts craze over there in the same way that all the stars drive around in a Toyota Prius.

I just hope they don't mess up the fight scenes with bad editing and camera angles, like Hollywood tends to do time and time again.I just hope they don't mess up the fight scenes with bad editing and camera angles, like Hollywood tends to do time and time again.

But we all know the real reasons for this.

1) Hollywood directors, and filmmakers in the west generally don't allow anywhere near enough time for the action. They'll allow 5 days for a dialogue scene and 1 for the fight. Okay, not all the time, but the proportion of time dedicated to the none action scenes is the wrong way around in Hollywood. Great HK action such as that seen in SPL and Flash point takes time. And that's exactly what Hollywood directors don't allow enough of for fight sequences.

2) The actors simply aren't capable of performing great martial arts sequences. It will take them an absolutely ridiculous number of takes to get even basic moves down, thus cutting down on the time factor again. So doubles are used, which means cheated camera angles and editing.

The only way Hollywood will ever make a great martial arts sequence is if it was 100% CGI.

[Sifu]

I didn't realize it was coming out in AUGUST! Wow, that films's been underhyped considerably. I was reading Entertainment Weekly last week, they had an article on the big films this summer and didn't a thing for this!

Guess what though, directed by Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story director, Rob Cohen. As inacurate as it is, I liked the film and the exciting storytelling.

[Mark Pollard]

MUMMY: TOMB OF THE DRAGON EMPEROR just got a whole lot more interesting. Not only do Jet Li and Michelle Yeoh co-star in the effects-filled action adventure but they also fight each other. That’s right. In the same year that we have been granted the first Jet Li versus Jackie Chan encounter, Li and Yeoh are together again and they’re not on the same side. Best of all, we get a great sneak peak in a teaser trailer now available at MSN (loads on the right side of the screen). (more…) (http://www.kungfucinema.com/?p=1800)

[Elhcay]

You can catch Wu Jing in a split-second appearance squaring off against Jet Li - after Jet's name was introduced. Could be 1:24 or 1:33 depending on trailer length.
http://www.wu-jing.org/News/images/2008/2008_05_06_Mummy_3.jpg

[Mark Pollard]

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Related article:

New trailer for 'Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor'
http://www.kungfucinema.com/?p=2334

[Bravery]

I had forgotten all about this movie until you posted that trailer, I don't know how good it is gonna be- I thought the first was just okay and the second was a waste of my $10- but, I am going to see this if only for Jet and Yeoh.

[Tosh]

Was that a yeti??????:p

Well, it looked 10 times more interesting than the new Indy flick.

[kingofkungfu2002]

Jet Li on The Late Late Show to promote the movie (Michelle Yeoh is on tonight - Wednesday) :)

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[kingofkungfu2002]

And here's Michelle Yeoh on The Late Late Show (hey, that rhymes :D)

R3IusHznr6E

[AlbertV]

Well, if they don't screw up the editing, The Fraser-Li duel may actually come out decent, especially when I learned that the fight choreographer is British martial artist Mike Lambert, yes THE Mike Lambert who fought Jet Li in both Black Mask and Unleashed. I think this is his 1st big fight choreography job, but not sure.

[daisho2004]

I didn't realize that this movie was in 2 different spots on this Board, so I posted it here again.

OK I just got back from seeing this movie today and I did enjoy this movie. Now to me the 2nd. Mummy movie was the Best! This was a different kind of Mummy Movie it was more of a HK based Mummy movie the CGI was Excellent, The Battle scenes reminded me of Warlords with Jet Li. And I thought Jet Li was a very good choice for this movie, he play a really good Villain. The fight between Li & Frazier was OK more so when Jet was Kicking his Ass but when Frazier started to beat his Ass I was like OK but hey its his movie right. Michelle Yeoh was looking sexy as ever and I love to watch her Kick Ass as well. Overall if your a fan of the 1st. & 2nd. movies then your enjoy this one as well.

[mark187]

I think it's best viewed as a curiosity piece. actually, Isabella Leong and Anthony Wong get more screen time than either Li or Yeoh. this should not be viewed as a martial arts film, because it's not one. there are a couple very brief fights, but for the most part the editing is pretty bad. as an adventure movie it was entetaining enough, although Brendan Fraser and the guy playing his son had some moments of really bad acting and dialogue that made it really cheesy at times. I haven't seen any of the other Mummy films, so I enjoyed the premise, and honestly I only went to check it out due to it's large handful of HK actors in the cast. Wu Jing appears very briefly in the beginning, but blink and you'll miss him. the movie definitely wasn't boring though, but it's predictable of course! while it's nice to get 2 Jet Li movies in theater during the same year, The Forbidden Kingdom easily blows this one out of the water!

[Mark Pollard]

True, it's not a martial arts movie. Therefore I'm moving this thread to General Cult Film.

[Chinatown Kid]

Wow Michelle Yeoh still looks really hot. :cool:

[5 Element Boxer]

I agree. Michelle Yeoh still looks gorgeous as hell. And I've always loved her voice.

[Markgway]

She speaks English with an English accent.

[Endsang]

Thanks for the clips. Haven't seen the movie yet.. I'll probably rent it sometime.
Michelle Yeoh looks great, and I must say Jet Li's english has improved alot! His accent is alot less thick than in other english interviews I've seen.

[KUNG FU BOB]

She speaks English with an English accent.

Michelle studied dancing in the UK which is why she has the lovely accent.

[niro]

I know im late to watch this film but damn it was crappy, the best part of it was the Jet Li and Michelle Yeoh sword fight which is one of the main reason i wanted to watch it along with the fact that the previous 2 mummy films were great.

I wasnt feeling Rachel Weisz replacement and then seeing Jet Li's ass get kicked so easily by a brawler took the icing on the cake for the crappiness lol