Jake Johnson admits that he didn't want to star in Tom Cruise's The Mummy film. Released in 2017, the Alex Kurtzman action-adventure project rebooted The Mummy franchise that Universal has been planning since 2012. The movie was supposed to kick-off the short-lived Dark Universe franchise.
Cruise plays the lead of the film as U.S. Army Sergeant Nick Morton — who unearths an ancient tomb of an entrapped Egyptian princess named Ahmanet (Sofia Boutella). Meanwhile, Johnson plays Chris Vail, Morton's close ally who goes on this new adventure with him. Having the opportunity to work closely with a veteran actor like Cruise would be a privilege for younger actors than him. However, that's not the case with Johnson who revealed that he wanted to bail out on The Mummy upon learning how close he would be working with Cruise.
Speaking with Justin Long on Life is Short with Justin Long podcast (via UPROXX), the actor recalled that time he wanted to back out from the project. As it turns out, he decided he didn't want to do it after learning that his character will play Cruise's comrade in The Mummy knowing that he'll be forced to also do his own stunts just like his co-star. Johnson further explained that if he had been a true newbie in Hollywood, he would've taken it just because he needed work, but since he already had New Girl at this point, he could be pickier in the roles he does. He was set on withdrawing from the project when things changed after he actually had to talk to Cruise about it face-to-face in London.
“He’s a super funny guy, and he starts doing a lot of bits, and he’s like, ‘Are you comfortable sitting on a couch. Or do you need a stunt person for that?’ Mind you, I still have to go to the bathroom pretty intensely.
“About 45 minutes in, I realize that I really like him, and I turned myself into a fan... The funny thing about Tom Cruise is, he’s been Tom Cruise for so long, he understands that people sort of need to do this.
“I gotta say, though, I’m glad I did it, because he really was a joy to work with, and he’s a really wild guy. And part of the fun in our business is that you get to work with really wild people.”
While Johnson ultimately changed his mind because he eventually warmed up to the idea of working side-by-side with Cruise, he may have been on to something when he initially didn't want to do The Mummy. It became a financial disappointment after it only made $410 million when industry people estimated that it needed to earn at least $450 million to break even. The project was also poorly reviewed, with critics having issues with its narrative tone and the way it was more focused on setting up the Dark Universe than making sure that it was a good standalone film. After it, Universal's dream of creating their own horror interconnected franchise was abandoned.
While Universal's plan of launching their own sustainable franchise much like Marvel Studios' MCU and DC Films' DC Extended Universe failed, the Dark Universe could finally get the proper footing it needs to move forward with Blumhouse Productions. As for Johnson personally, it didn't seem like it was a bad experience at all. He sounded like he enjoyed his time making The Mummy, even sharing all the crazy stunts he and Cruise did in the film. Perhaps he can pop up in one of the action films the veteran actor is spearheading now.
Source: Life is Short with Justin Long (via UPROXX)