Brendan Fraser defends the "janky" Scorpion King CGI in The Mummy Returns

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Dwayne Johnson played the villain in the 2001 movie

The Scorpion King in The Mummy Returns
(Image credit: Universal)

The Mummy Returns introduced Dwayne Johnson's stomping Scorpion King – but, looking back on the sequel, the computer-generated CGI is a little rough, to say the least. Now Brendan Fraser, who played Rick O'Connell in the series, has explained what happened behind the scenes, and defended the unusual visual effects.

"I know, I know, be kind," he told GQ Magazine about the scene. "The guys who did the CGI of the Scorpion King, at the premiere, they were like, 'Hey, how are you, good job. You know, we did the CG for the Scorpion King.' And they kind of went, 'Yeah, we needed a little more time before we…' But it was very last minute, I don’t know. 

"But some of the charm of it is that when you watch it now, it could get remastered I guess, but it kinda wouldn’t be as fun if you didn’t see this sort of janky video character of Dwayne going, 'Rah.' And somehow, it’s just perfect, how things work out."

Fraser is busy promoting his upcoming film The Whale, which has already generated Oscar buzz. Johnson has been one of his big supporters, sharing his reaction to the praise Fraser garnered at the Venice Film Festival. 

"Man this makes me so happy to see this beautiful ovation for Brendan," Johnson tweeted. "He supported me coming into his Mummy Returns franchise for my first-ever role, which kicked off my Hollywood career. Rooting for all your success brother and congrats to my bud Darren Aronofsky."

The Whale is released on December 9, 2022 in the US and February 3, 2023 in the UK. Check out our round-up of the other most exciting movie release dates this year and beyond. 

Fay Watson
Fay Watson
Deputy Entertainment Editor

I’m the Deputy Entertainment Editor here at GamesRadar+, covering TV and film for the Total Film and SFX sections online. I previously worked as a Senior Showbiz Reporter and SEO TV reporter at Express Online for three years. I've also written for The Resident magazines and Amateur Photographer, before specializing in entertainment.