LOS ANGELES: Fresh off 'Obsession' success, actor Michael Johnston is being considered for a pivotal role in 'The Mummy' sequel.
If the deal makes, he would join Brendan Fraser and Rachel Weisz, who starred in the late 1990s and 2000s takes on the Universal monster property, as per The Hollywood Reporter.
Once a relatively unknown actor, Johnston catapulted to prominence with Obsession, the USD 750,000 indie feature that Focus picked up at the Toronto International Film Festival.
The film exceeded all expectations, grossing more than USD 458 million worldwide and turning Johnston into a breakout star. Before the film's success, he appeared in Teen Wolf, the indie Slash, and Lionsgate's Endangered Species. At the time Obsession premiered, Johnston had no representation, but he later signed with Gersh following the film's remarkable run.
As for The Mummy franchise, Stephen Sommers directed and co-wrote the 1999 version that starred Fraser and Weiss and was an adventure movie set in the 1920s. The pair starred in 2001's Mummy Returns, while Weiss sat out 2008's The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor.
David Coggeshall has written the script for the new feature. Sean Daniel is once again back to produce after producing The Mummy, The Mummy Returns, The Scorpion King, The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor and Tom Cruise's 2017 The Mummy. Combined, the features have grossed USD 1.8 billion globally.