Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson made his unfortunate acting debut as the Scorpion King in The Mummy Returns (2001) – here’s why the CGI creature didn’t work. The former wrestler is now one of the world’s biggest movie stars, but his film career had a very humble beginning, speaking only a few lines in the film. Despite this, Johnson returned to the role to lead his own spinoff prequel, The Scorpion King (2002).

The story of Mathayus the Scorpion King now spans a five-film series, although Johnson only appeared in the first installment. In November 2020, a reboot was announced, with Johnson producing. However, the ancient hero began as the secondary antagonist of Stephen Sommers' The Mummy Returns, who is cursed after making a deal with Anubis to conquer his enemies. After a brief prologue, Dwayne Johnson's Scorpion King doesn't return until the film's climax, re-emerging as a hideous human-scorpion hybrid.

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The creature design should have made the Scorpion King worthy of his title, but the character is mostly remembered for its terrible CGI. This is partly the result of a hasty production schedule, with many of The Mummy Returns' effects completed at the last minute. The disappointing monster is also a case of filmmakers getting overly ambitious, relying on new technology that wasn't advanced enough for a film that endeavored to push boundaries, although any false move would strip the creature of its power.

The Rock As The Scorpion King

According to The Mummy Returns’ commentary, the effects team at ILM, responsible for The Force Awakens' visual effects, was hard-pressed to meet a firm release date. Most visual effects shots were delivered six weeks before the premiere, and the climax’s awkward, self-destructing oasis was finished just two weeks beforehand. Director Stephen Sommers didn't know how the CGI would look, and just had faith his ambitious ideas could be accomplished on time. Visual effects supervisor John Berton reveals on DVD special features that the character was inspired by the work of Ray Harryhausen, reminiscent of Jason and the Argonauts (1963). Turning The Rock into a mythical creature is an impressive notion, but the gruesome concept art teases simpler monster designs that would have been easier to portray. The Scorpion King’s creation was further complicated by Sommers’ desire to create something that had never been done before, using technology that wasn’t possible when making the first The Mummy only two years prior.

Arnold Vosloo's version of the oft-portrayed titular Mummy High Priest Imhotep's rotten corpse holds up well today because he was devised through motion capture, while the Scorpion King lacks a human presence to provide realism. Speaking to Computer Graphics World, Sommers recalls running ideas by Berton to see what was achievable: “If he said “yes” I deleted it instantly. I wanted him to say he’d never done anything like that.” While Sommers’ intentions were admirable, his approach could have ended in disaster. Admittedly, the sculpture used for ILM’s digital model is impressive, but digitally manipulating Johnson’s likeness was extremely precarious. The process involved removing shadows from photographs of Johnson and crafting their own lighting shaders for his skin and simulating his hair. In the same interview, sequence supervisor Henry Preston explains how tiny details like incorrect eyelashes would ruin the appearance, a process of trial and error that lasted until their deadline.

The normally charismatic and franchise-leading Dwayne Johnson only says one line as the creature, meaning ILM also lacked sufficient facial expressions as a basis to recreate the actor’s likeness. Ultimately, the Scorpion King was just too grandiose an idea for even the best digital effects tools of the time. Using a smaller design with more human limbs that was comprised of makeup or motion capture likely would have been more frightening and believable. The Mummy Returns may exemplify the perils of CGI, but also represents the commendable imagination of Sommers’ storytelling.

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