Universal's The Mummy has enjoyed an impressive cinematic tenure, but the franchise needs to bring Brendan Fraser back - and not another reboot. 1999 saw the release of Stephen Sommers' The Mummy, which was a huge commercial success that spawned two sequels, 2001's The Mummy Returns and 2008's The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor. The trilogy starred Fraser as Rick O'Connell, an adventurer who inadvertently resurrects an ancient evil or two, and while the first two films have enjoyed lasting success, the weaker third entry led Universal to shelve the franchise, eventually rebooting it in 2017 with Tom Cruise in the lead role.
Universal's original plan was to use 2017's The Mummy to start their own Dark Universe - a shared cinematic universe in which the studio's classic movie monsters could all co-exist - but the film's negative reception spelled an early failure for Universal's planned shared universe, and the idea was put on indefinite hold. However, the recent success of The Invisible Man has brought the studio back around to the idea, and it seems that the Dark Universe is once more on the cards.
With this said, The Mummy reboot's failure will mean that Universal will possibly need to perform another soft reboot in order to bring the new Mummy franchise up to scratch. However, while the reboot may have failed to capture the imagination of fans, the earlier Fraser-led trilogy still stands out as a high point for the franchise, mixing the darkness of the mythical Mummy's curse with a more lighthearted and comedic tone. All Universal really needs to do to win fans over is to reintroduce Brendan Fraser to the franchise.
Not only did 1999's The Mummy serve as the perfect template for the Dark Universe, but Fraser's current popularity rivals (and possibly surpasses) that of his 90s heyday. Many fans of the franchise would welcome Fraser's return, and that alone would almost ensure Universal a box office success. Filling seats in the early stages of a franchise is absolutely vital and seeing Fraser once more battle the supernatural would certainly build a buzz for the budding Dark Universe. Of course, Fraser's original character, Rick O'Connell, would be at least 120 years old in the present day, which would certainly provide a narrative hurdle to his inclusion. However, given that the franchise follows 3,000-year-old mummies, ghosts, and other monsters, it wouldn't be entirely outside the realms of possibility to see O'Connell's reemergence.
Fraser's return would not only bring the franchise back around to its most popular installments, but it would also go some way towards correcting one of Hollywood's biggest failures. Fraser's mistreatment by the entertainment industry is one of the most publicized travesties in recent years, which has in no small part contributed to many expressing ardent support of his return to the spotlight. Bringing him back would not only bring his supporters into the fold, but it would also make a statement about the actor's place in Hollywood - a leading man, exactly where he left off.
As opposed to moving the Dark Universe in an entirely new direction, they'd do far better to instead link it back to the past. Brendan Fraser was able to bring elements of action, romance, and comedy to a horror-based property, and he did so in a way that ensured the film's lasting popularity over two decades after its release. If that's reason enough to forget any further retconning and bring him back into The Mummy franchise, then maybe the Dark Universe is destined for success after all.