The Mummy (opens in new tab) may still be licking its wounds from some vicious reviews, but that doesn’t mean it did everything wrong. Look! It’s managed to squeeze in a pretty cool Easter egg from the 1999 movie, starring Brendan Fraser and Rachel Weisz that, could have far-reaching implications for Universal’s Dark Universe. Well, it couldn’t stay under wraps forever (mild spoilers to follow)…
The subtle reference comes when Tom Cruise’s character, Nick, is fighting Russell Crowe’s Mr Hyde. Annabelle Wallis’ Jenny is having a similar fight with one of Dr Jekyll’s lackeys in a library adjoining Jekyll’s office. She finally takes him down by pulling a rather heavy book off a shelf and smacking him across the head with it and when she drops the book to the floor, fans can see that it’s The Book of Amun-Ra, which featured in the 1999’s Mummy movie.
If you’re struggling to remember exactly how important this book, also known as The Book of the Living, was to Rick and Evelyn, it was the book which eventually allowed them to defeat Imhotep. Last seen in the movie, the book was lost when the underground temple they were in collapsed, so how did Dr Jekyll get his hands on it and what does it mean?
What with the Dark Universe being a thing now (opens in new tab), don’t be surprised to see the book make another appearance down the line. Or it could just be a neat bit of fan service, who knows? But, most importantly, a Brendan Fraser character might actually be canon in this cinematic universe filled with ghouls and ghosts. All is right in the world again.
Image: Universal