The Mummy director Lee Cronin has set the record straight on a recent report claiming that a test screening for the movie led to several people, including producer James Wan, walking out due to the graphic nature of the horror on display.
While speaking to THR, the Irish filmmaker admitted that Wan did leave the theater during a screening, but not because he was disgusted by what he saw in the movie.
"There was a little spell with this movie where the knives were definitely out. There was a claim that [producer] James Wan walked out of a test screening [in disgust]. No, he needed to go to the bathroom. It was also the third time he’d seen the movie at that point. So it’s much easier for people to make noise about things that are mistruths because the truth isn’t that interesting. James Wan wanting more Milk Duds doesn’t get anybody going."
Cronin also clarified a rumor that the movie had changed its title to "The Resurrected" to differentiate it from the much more light-hearted franchise starring Brendan Fraser.
"I wrote a screenplay called The Mummy by Lee Cronin. Then some very smart people who I trust [particularly Jason Blum] read the script and suggested, 'What if we call it Lee Cronin’s The Mummy? It is so distinct that we should own its identity even more.' It was actually two years ago that we announced the title as Lee Cronin’s The Mummy, and if I’m remembering that right, nothing ever changed from there.
Movies often have code words, and there were a variety of code words for this movie. The Resurrected was one that somebody jumped on and then determined that it was somehow [the new title] because of the existence of other Mummy movies out there. But internally, the title never, ever shifted from when it was first set."
Finally, Cronin revealed that he didn't get any pushback from the MPA over the movie's more gruesome and disturbing scenes, but he did originally have a much darker ending in mind.
"At one point, we ended the movie earlier. We ended it more around Charlie’s sacrifice, which was really important to me, but it was leaving the audience feeling a little bit incomplete. I really care about the audience having a thrill ride, but also having some semblance of relief or celebration. I then realized, 'You know what? We’ve put these characters through a lot. We’ve punished them and dragged them into all these different dark places. We’ve got to let them off the hook a little bit at the end. We can’t leave them arrested in these moments.' So we felt then we had to push past the power of Charlie’s sacrifice, and also — even if it’s internal — give the audience something of a reason to cheer."
The Mummy has been performing pretty well at the box office (especially taking its relatively low budget into account), but reviews have been mixed (46% on Rotten Tomatoes).
Have you been to see the movie? If so, what did you think?
"Hot off the record-setting resurrection of EVIL DEAD RISE, writer/director Lee Cronin turns to one of the most iconic horror stories of all time with an audacious and twisted retelling: LEE CRONIN’S THE MUMMY. The young daughter of a journalist disappears into the desert without a trace—eight years later, the broken family is shocked when she is returned to them, as what should be a joyful reunion turns into a living nightmare."
Lee Cronin's The Mummy stars Jack Reynor, Laia Costa, May Calamawy, Natalie Grace, with Veronica Falcón. The film was written and directed by Cronin, and produced by James Wan, Jason Blum and John Keville. The executive producers are Michael Clear, Judson Scott, Macdara Kelleher and Lee Cronin.
The movie is now playing in theaters.