The Mummy 4 - The Throne of Osiris
S7 #1

The Mummy 4 - The Throne of Osiris

T.C.:

Hello, and welcome to The Studio Demands It, a screenwriting series where we will conceptualize, pitch, and craft a film or series that's you know what? Damn it.

Jim:

Oh, I tried to write a new intro, and

T.C.:

I realized I said series in this it twice. A screenwriting series over the film.

Jim:

We gotta put this off another month now.

T.C.:

Yeah. Hello, and welcome to Studio Demands It! A screenwriting series where we will conceptualize, pitch, and craft a film based on one of the demands from one of you listeners acting as a hypothetical Hollywood overlord. Overlord. As professional screenwriters ourselves and massive cinephiles, we talk movies all the time.

T.C.:

All the time. And we'd like to believe that we could meet any demand thrown at us. We will be your screenwriters for this episode. I am T. C.

T.C.:

De Witt. And joining me as always is Jim opening theme song Burzelic. What's your opening theme song?

Jim:

Oh, I thought wait. Maybe it's still my my opening theme song is a song by a little band that I probably never talk about called Clutch. I'm familiar. Oh, you are? Oh, they're like I said, they're I feel like you brought them up before.

T.C.:

Theme song, I used to when I did stand up, I'd go on stage to Back to the Future. Like,

Jim:

That makes sense. Yeah.

T.C.:

Yeah. For obvious reasons of me, if you know me, but also because it's a

Jim:

It's because you're from the future.

T.C.:

I am. And I came back Mhmm. From the future.

Jim:

Tell jokes.

T.C.:

To tell jokes to people who didn't even know comedy was happening because that's where I perform shows. Not the I just Back to Future is a great theme song, it works for all emotions, and I love it. But for the first time, we got a we we got flagged on Miri's magic dance, which we have been using What? Since episode one. Spotify so so our our godfather, David Yeah.

T.C.:

From the top down said, hey. Spotify flagged this. What's up? I was like, what? This is a public domain song.

T.C.:

Kevin MacLeod has made thousands of songs that are free for the for people to use. Yeah. And he's our composer for Myriad. The art. And so I said, dispute it, man.

T.C.:

Like, I'll show the credentials. We can use this song. But it's so if the the we are keeping this theme song.

Jim:

Oh, okay. I I was by by that, I was like, are are you surprising me with a new theme song?

T.C.:

We're not changing the theme song. I have been asked more than once what the name it is, and I've only ever mentioned the title, like, three times in the history of the show. So I'm just here's me mentioning it again was Sure. Miri's Magic Dance by Kevin MacLeod. That's the first time I've credited him as the composer for the song.

T.C.:

So but he did compose it, and he deserves the credit. He does. And Spotify, shut up. Yeah. Spotify Let's scrub the AI music off your site.

T.C.:

Jim, season seven. Here we are. Seven. Season seven. This the we've we've we've done a 100 episodes.

T.C.:

We we've surpassed lost. We've we've had we have more As of as of right now,

Jim:

as of this recording, once it goes live. Right? Technically, this is vaporware until we actually release it.

T.C.:

And we have more episodes than them as well, not just more seasons.

Jim:

Right. Because we didn't have a writer's stream.

T.C.:

Yeah. Well, we did. Oh, did keep con we just don't contribute to writer's guild stuff by doing the show.

Jim:

So off

T.C.:

the top of the don't.

Jim:

Wait. I mean, there was a writer's strike while we were doing this show.

T.C.:

Yes. Yes. Yeah.

Jim:

But we this is a nonunion show. And And we're just brainstorming.

T.C.:

Yeah. Not writing live. No. We do that after the fact. Yeah.

T.C.:

In fact, we If

Jim:

there was an improv strike Yes. Then we would have

T.C.:

Then we'd be in trouble. Yes. And we'd be in trouble. We almost postponed. I think it was the Blade.

T.C.:

I think we post almost or maybe it was Mystery Inc.

Jim:

That's right.

T.C.:

One of them we had to postpone because we didn't wanna scab during the Screen Actors Guild.

Jim:

That's right. I forgot about that.

T.C.:

Yeah. But season seven, man. This season will hit a 150 episodes, which is cool. Don't know if I don't know if we'll milestone it too much. Like, we won't do I don't think we'll do a special episode for one fifty because it'll be halfway through the season.

T.C.:

But, man, you had said this last season and with our interview with Don Joyle, you've never committed to anything this long. But it is I we took our longest hiatus yet. This is the longest break we ever took between seasons. Mhmm. Star Trek, what a dream come true.

T.C.:

Yeah. And what a destiny drew us to that. Yes, And it turned out so well. Thank you everyone who listened and shared and spread it around. We we got great responses to it, and and I'm just

Jim:

I'm really proud of it.

T.C.:

I'm so proud. Dude, that was the longest post production of all the finales we've done. The amount of work I had to do on that was yeah. I was there. I watched it.

T.C.:

Yeah. 19 people on 19 microphones with limited technical glitches. Thank God.

Jim:

Our our next finale is gonna have three people.

T.C.:

Yeah. We're just gonna do a bottle movie. Yep. It's gonna be like Carnage or or or Rope. We're just gonna have the least amount of people as possible.

T.C.:

But thank you to the cast. Thank you to the listeners. Thank you to those who demanded, and and we we rose to the occasion, I think, pretty damn well

Jim:

I think so.

T.C.:

To toot our own

Jim:

horn. I'm really proud of that.

T.C.:

Yeah. And and then lo and behold, all Trek canceled. We we we are the last Trek. We we

Jim:

Well, there's still echoes. Right? Like, technically, Strange New World has a whole season

T.C.:

Two more seasons.

Jim:

Two more seasons.

T.C.:

In the can.

Jim:

Yeah. So we're not gonna feel what it's like to have no new Trek Mhmm. For for two more seasons.

T.C.:

Yeah. But gosh. I don't know. I just I've I've listened to this thing a 100 times now just because the editing and sound design process. But every time one of our one of our references would land hard or or subtly get by, I'd be like, we're good.

T.C.:

But, Jim, let's get to the demand for today.

Jim:

Okay.

T.C.:

So season seven episode one. Here we go. Our amazing listeners have given us demands from studios quite literally all over the world. You're aware of that. Right?

T.C.:

Yeah. We have listeners all over the world. And you listening right now, you can send us any demand you'd like, and we will have to meet them right here on the spot. And when we reach the end of the episode, if we've done our jobs, we'll have pitched a full script and story meeting and maybe even exceeding those demands. And when the end of the season comes, your demand could have helped us craft the script that will be greenlit for our fully produced finale.

T.C.:

Thank you to everyone who has submitted, and please keep them coming. Today's demand comes from Saimira at Sandstone Derud studios. I get it. Now that I've seen it. Yeah.

T.C.:

Sandstorm. Yeah. Sandstorm. Sorry. Sandstorm Derud studios.

T.C.:

Yeah. Okay. Saimira. Thank you. Okay.

T.C.:

Classic monsters are experiencing a major revival in 2025 and 2026 with studios reimagining iconic figures with high profile releases like Robert Eggers remake of the 1922 vampire classic Nosferatu, Wolfman by Leigh Whannell, who made the invisible man, Frankenstein from Guillermo del Toro for your Oscar consideration, The Bride from Maggie Gyllenhaal, exploring the iconic character's legacy, and Lee Cronin's The Mummy. These are r rated auteur driven horror cinema focusing on psychological horror and gothic aesthetics. And that leaves me knowing exactly what I and everyone else wants from this revival of the Universal's cavalcade of monsters. A new entry in a new entry into the 1999 classic starring Brendan Fraser and Rachel Weiss. Oh, no.

T.C.:

No one wants these bullshit dramas that will clearly take themselves way too seriously. We want 60 year old Rick O'Connell and Evelyn back together again fighting a mummy. Yeah. Let's have some damn fun. The studio demands a third mummy movie, sigh.

T.C.:

Fine. A fourth, but feel free to disregard tomb of the dragon emperor. Reunite our beloved and sexy cast and give us give me a mummy. Jim, I know this is your favorite movie of movies. Good luck.

T.C.:

Okay. Okay. So did I I thought The Mummy.

Jim:

Okay.

T.C.:

Because The Mummy has come and gone. Lee Cronin's Mummy has come and gone. I saw it. You did not. I have opinions about it.

Jim:

I might still go see it tomorrow.

T.C.:

Jim might still go see it. So I thought, let's let's and I agree with Samira. The monster movies are having a revival right now. We're getting another Wolfman.

Jim:

Mhmm.

T.C.:

We're we're getting other Frankenstein stuff. Like, totally right. I thought what we were gonna get was what this demand led me to believe, but not nineteen ninety nine's the mummy. Now, Jim, you've shared this on the show before because she obviously paid it or sorry. I'm assuming I hope I'm not misgendering, Saimira.

T.C.:

This is one of your this is the movie that made you wanna make movies.

Jim:

Yep.

T.C.:

And now you're being asked. We are being it's demanded of us Yeah. To pitch another Mummy movie with these characters.

Jim:

Yeah.

T.C.:

You don't like the sequels anyway, so this is gonna be something.

Jim:

Well I sure don't.

T.C.:

Well, how do you feel about

Jim:

this, man? How do you feel about this, man? It's fine. This this will be fun.

T.C.:

Yeah.

Jim:

We've gotten close before. Already doing this.

T.C.:

It's right. So this demand's a little old, obviously. So sorry, Samir, to not get to it until now because they did announce that Brendan Fraser and Rachel Weiss are coming back. They are gonna do another Mummy movie. They are disregarding the third one.

T.C.:

Oh. And that's so it's happening. So I guess this is our chance to pitch what that might could be.

Jim:

Might could be.

T.C.:

Might could be. The the god. I love these music. We've gotten close. We have done a a a mini pitch for a Mummy movie back in season one, which was a versus episode where we were taking two disparate franchises and and crossing them over Mhmm.

T.C.:

Like Transformers and Fast and the Furious.

Jim:

Mhmm.

T.C.:

And we had pitched Hellboy and Rick O'Connell, The Mummy, as a as a as a joint venture.

Jim:

Yeah.

T.C.:

But to fully realize a Mummy movie, here we go, Jim. What do you think? What is your what is your I'm

Jim:

already I'm already putting putting cogs together.

T.C.:

See, this is why I I ramble as much as I do to let you look off into the middle distance, stroking your beard, running your fingers through the luscious

Jim:

everyone says I need I need to I need to trim my beard at least. And the thing is that, like Sampson, that's where my power

Jim:

is.

T.C.:

His power is in his beard, everyone.

Jim:

I'm a true true dwarf.

T.C.:

Well, I I freaking love The Mummy. I think 1999 is The Mummy. I have that bump that that it's a bumper sticker, but I have it Mhmm. On my shelf where it's like beep if or honk if you'd rather be watching the 1999 classic.

Jim:

Yeah.

T.C.:

It's so good. I'd we had it playing in the background a couple weeks ago on a game night. It's hard not to watch. It's just this this lightning bolt magic movie of perfection.

Jim:

Okay. So what's the what's our timeline? When would this be set? Like, are we gonna end up are we gonna be forced in a way to do a Kingdom of the Crystal Skull That situation?

T.C.:

Yeah. Because these characters are aged up. So

Jim:

So did that took place in the was it during World War one? Just before? Just after?

Jim:

'36. It takes place it takes place just before

Jim:

Before World War two? It was really that late?

T.C.:

Just it's in the thirties, and it's just before just before Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom. Yeah. It takes place in, like, the

Jim:

1926.

T.C.:

'26. Thank you. Okay. So well before the like, about ten years before Temple of Doom.

Jim:

So if we say they were '25 Mhmm. I don't know how old the characters were then.

T.C.:

Well, we can figure that out.

Jim:

25, 30. Yeah. That's how old they are. Mhmm. Well oh, Derp.

Jim:

Of course, it's in the twenties. Both Rick and Jonathan were veterans.

T.C.:

In yeah. Yeah. So Fraser 25 to 30. First one was 30 years old on the nose. So great.

T.C.:

Nice round number for us to work with.

Jim:

And that was 99. Twenty six years later, round up to 30 ish.

T.C.:

Yeah.

Jim:

It is Kingdom Of The Crystal Skull that puts us in in the in the fifties.

T.C.:

Yeah. Okay. That's okay. That's okay. I don't wanna use aliens, that's for sure.

Jim:

No. No. We're gonna do Mummies. I I I'm I'm trying to cook up a plot, but I wanna know what's what's surrounding it Yeah.

T.C.:

At that time. Well, a a question to ask then. And certainly, we're gonna be crossing territory with Indiana Jones stuff anyway. It's the it's the prototype pulp re remodern it's gonna be hard not to reference it or at least hit shades of it. So I'll ask the question of if we're gonna set this in the fifties, did Rick fight in World War two?

T.C.:

And if Rick fought World War two, I don't wanna involve Nazis unless you wanna sell me on Nazis. And now that word's in the algorithm. But the the you probably already have something in your head. But knowing that we're in the fifties, we are post World War two, we have we have some history that we can play with.

Jim:

Well, it puts us in the Cold War. It means that right. Like Indiana Jones, the the reason, like, I don't wanna talk too much about Kingdom of the Crystal Skull because a

T.C.:

lot of

Jim:

the points that that movie did, honestly, were correct for the age of the character and the time passage and stuff.

T.C.:

Yeah.

Jim:

But it just still didn't feel

T.C.:

It didn't feel like quite right.

Jim:

The Russians didn't feel different enough. Didn't feel Russian enough. Mhmm. They just felt like we're we're Nazis who have a funny accent and wear green instead

T.C.:

of Yeah.

Jim:

Black and gray.

T.C.:

Well, the well, we can maybe the first point of attack is what are what is our Mummy? Like, where is our Mummy from?

Jim:

I'll tell you. Okay. Because I I have all I have all of that. Oh, okay. That that's all I'm good to go there.

T.C.:

Okay. Great.

Jim:

So it it actually maybe that it doesn't even mat all that all the the world stage doesn't matter. Imhotep comes back.

T.C.:

We're going back to the Imhotep well,

Jim:

We're going back to the Mummy well. If we're gonna bring back Rick and And Eevee. Yeah. And Eevee, why wouldn't we Okay. Go go what what would bring them back?

Jim:

Right? A mummy. Because we're gonna have to mention we're gonna have to say, hey. What's your kid up to? Yeah.

Jim:

Who's gonna be in his thirties? Yeah. Yeah. Who's gonna be in his thirties at this point and should be the main character of a mummy no. No.

Jim:

No. No. But they they What are your parents

Jim:

up to?

T.C.:

What are your parents up to? We don't care. We don't we don't wanna know. He died in the war like Mutt.

Jim:

Oh, no. No. No. No.

Jim:

No. No. No.

T.C.:

No. We're not gonna do that. We're not gonna do that. What have you done? Poor Mutt.

Jim:

I also forgot that that was the that was Mummy's fate. Yeah. That's it. Okay. No.

Jim:

I think radio silence is is good to have

Jim:

right now.

T.C.:

I love it

Jim:

for Just dwell. Love it for talking about death

T.C.:

in a war. Just all sit in a moment and and and weep for Shia LaBeouf's dead career. Hey. He was in Megalopolis. Leave him alone.

Jim:

Was he? Yeah. His That's right. He was. He was the weird brother.

Jim:

Yeah. I forgot about that. I just remember Adam Driver.

T.C.:

Time stop. Time stop. Imhotep

Jim:

is back. Imhotep's back.

Jim:

Yeah.

Jim:

So what's happened is Emotep being the powerful wizard that he was manages to wriggle his way out of of the afterlife. I'm not recalling enough of my Egyptian mythology Mhmm. To to name like, Set, I think. So so he manages to get his soul out of Set's grip. Yeah.

Jim:

And he manages to come back. And he's going to he's gonna be back. He's gonna raise an army of mummies, and he's going to return Egypt to its once former glory. No. It's the way I said it.

Jim:

Okay. Just checking.

T.C.:

They they heard my smile through the audio. My side eye.

Jim:

But, like, to the to the end that, like, he raises the modern city that's there and and the, like, the enormous temple temples rise in their midst. Like like, literally, we get new pyramids.

T.C.:

Oh, could like, could literally, like new like, raise pyramids out of the sand Yes. Kind of thing? Cool. Yeah. Okay.

Jim:

Are you you keep you keep squinting.

T.C.:

I are you okay? Don't worry about me. I have vision issues, Jim. You know this about me. It's hard for me.

T.C.:

Do you wanna do we do we have to because the mic is here, the computer's there, and you're here, there's three things that my eyes wanna lock on.

Jim:

Okay.

T.C.:

And because of my vision issues, one of them's locking here and the other one's locking there. Gotcha. So I have to, like, fight. Okay. Anyway Yeah.

T.C.:

That's fun.

Jim:

Yeah. So, yeah, he's he's pulling he's he's pulling pyramids out of the sand. Like, I'm what I would like to allude to is there are more Egyptian ruins that we don't like like, we are unaware of that he's all like, nah. New the the the old is new again. He's he's literally

T.C.:

raising the dead at this point. Maybe this. The so The Mummy and The Mummy Returns offer up a prologue read by the Magi Mhmm. Before there we could create some sort of legend of of someone in the underworld usurping the power of the of the underworld and of the dead and the the the mythology behind someone overthrowing Set. And and and it's Imhotep who does it.

T.C.:

He fulfills that prophecy and becomes the king of the dead. So then when he's literally raising the ruins of ancient to already ancient Egypt that yeah. Just the the the imagery of him, like, raising the dead civilization.

Jim:

Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Okay.

Jim:

So to the what I I don't know. You're talking about doing, like, a prologue thing.

T.C.:

No. No. No. No. It's it's it's it's a

Jim:

The so my only problem with that is it suggests it's prophecy that this was gonna happen. Mhmm. And I don't know that that's this is this would be unprecedented.

T.C.:

Okay. Yes.

Jim:

But, like, the notion of, like, okay, how did he overthrow Seth? Like, we we would need to get somewhere in the movie, we we kinda need to get a little bit of exposition or flashback to to that happening. Oh. And well, my my notion is to I know the gods aren't necessarily prepared for the afterlife the same way as pharaohs and and and stuff. Mhmm.

Jim:

But the idea of Imhotep getting Sets heart in a canoptic jar or something. So so he he controls almost like like a phylactery.

T.C.:

Tell everyone what a phylactery

Jim:

is. A phylactery well, I know a phylactery through through fantasy fiction. Phylactery is where a lich keeps their their heart.

T.C.:

A lich is a vampire.

Jim:

A lich a lich is a undead wizard.

T.C.:

Just everyone making their thesaurus or their

Jim:

I I

T.C.:

I the appendix of all the footnotes in this.

Jim:

I'm just gonna keep saying some other word that I have to

T.C.:

then define. Wait. Wait. Define it again. No.

T.C.:

Wait. Continue. Continue.

Jim:

Well, but so that's my notion. The way they put pharaoh's organs in jars so that they would have them in the afterlife. I'm I'm thinking rather than like, oh, sets on a leash or something like that. Like like, he controls him through having his heart in a jar or

T.C.:

something like that. We've we've been mentioning that Osiris is actually the leader of is the ruler of the underworld. Primary ruler of the underworld is Osiris. Oh. Set is the is the master of chaos and and destruction and deserts and and and yeah.

T.C.:

Chaos is what Hussett is. So regardless, overthrowing the the leader of the underworld, perhaps the mythology could be the prologue discussing the this is this is the history that is necessary to understand what's about to happen. Could be putting Osiris or Set, one of them, into their throne, and there they have sat as it is believed for all eternity. So then if the the the throne of Osiris is discovered by some meddling gravediggers and they, like, knock them off knock Osiris off the throne kinda, like, grave robbers or whatnot. Literally unseating him, creating the opportunity just enough in the underworld that would allow that wavering of power in the in our world for Imhotep to overthrow him.

Jim:

I see I think I see what you're doing. Am I am am I misstepping by not wanting to have a mortal action kick it off?

T.C.:

Pitch me the other way about it then. I I'm I I could go either way. This is just like my first

Jim:

Sure. Sure.

T.C.:

Mortal life throughout there.

Jim:

Right. Well well, because you're not wrong. In in that in that original Mummy, the whole reason Imhotep gets out is because of meddling archaeologists and tomb robbers. Yes. Yeah.

Jim:

So that that's a that's a decent reason to do it. Let let the let the dead stay dead. They're there for a reason Mhmm. Type thing. But my my thought was this is the bad guys doing entirely.

Jim:

This is coming from the other direction. This is this is nothing any mortals have done to to bring this upon upon us. Okay. It's it's it's something like, okay. So Osiris to Osiris runs the afterlife there, so he would have Imhotep locked away.

Jim:

And if Set is the Loki to to

T.C.:

In Egyptian mythology. Yeah.

Jim:

He makes a deal with Imhotep to to basically help him overthrow his brother. Mhmm. So so something has happened in the afterlife. So Osiris has been, to use the the the term dethroned, and set now sits at the top. And because of that, Imhotep is allowed to to Go run go rain chaos.

Jim:

What he wants. Yeah. Which which is come back to Earth and rule. Mhmm. Yeah.

Jim:

That that that that is what I was thinking. I know that that's super broad strokes. That doesn't really

T.C.:

Well, I think what you've painted is the opening monologue or the opening prologue is this that whole thing. That's what because after that happens and we see Imhotep go, yes. Boom. Mummy title comes up, and then we cut to London, Oxford, or wherever Rick and EV are, and now their their story begins before the inciting incident that drags them back into this. Because everything you painted, we cannot I I guess we could, but you've painted you've offered up what I'm suggesting is the prologue as opposed to making it thirty minutes of the movie, make it five.

Jim:

Oh, I I see. Yeah. I didn't I didn't see it needing to take up that much time. I don't see it as the prologue, though. I actually see it as exposition that happens later.

Jim:

Eve Rick and Eevee need to catch up Mhmm. To what's hap so here here's what I'm think is for for your opening.

T.C.:

Yeah.

Jim:

It's the magi, the the remaining magi in a temple Mhmm. And something starts killing them. Right? Like, something starts they're they're they're they're they're praying in some sort of temple Mhmm. And something starts blowing out the torches Mhmm.

Jim:

Or or knocking out the lights and killing them. And it's it's Imhotep coming back.

Jim:

Mhmm.

Jim:

So our our magi, I don't know if it's gonna be the same the the the same guy again or if

T.C.:

it's a new fair.

Jim:

Yeah. Or if it's a new younger

T.C.:

Ardeth. Right? Ardeth.

Jim:

Magi. Yeah. Escapes. Does doesn't get killed. Mhmm.

Jim:

Because that's the person who will explain this stuff

T.C.:

Yeah. To Rick and Evie.

Jim:

Yeah. I and and I guess it won't have to be much further into the movie. But that there are that would sort of be our cold open. And, like like, we would see, like, oh, what's killing them? Oh, crap.

Jim:

It's the mummies.

T.C.:

Mummies. I hate these guys.

Jim:

Like, because like, because they're turned into mummies or or or some something like that. Or just the ghost of Imhotep shows up, or he possesses one of them, Or that that that's that's my notion. And so then the Magi, either Rick and Evie, who are in England, I like I like that idea. Mhmm. They either get word and they're like, rut row.

Jim:

Mhmm. We need to go check this out or the Magi shows up.

T.C.:

Oh, yeah. For sure.

Jim:

Speak with them.

T.C.:

The Magi for sure shows up to get them. Like, he's he's got all the way across Europe from from, Egypt up through Mediterranean all the way to The UK to find them.

Jim:

Okay.

T.C.:

I think that's that's the way to go on that. Great. And he says, HemoTep's back. Yeah. Oh, you gotta be kidding me.

Jim:

And then movie.

T.C.:

And then movie. Now being set in the fifties and the we it doesn't you know, it doesn't have to be an exact number. There is okay. The rebuilding of the world after World War two.

Jim:

Oh. Oh. Hang on. Because Imhotep's back and he has crazy mummy powers

Jim:

Mhmm.

Jim:

I think what would make a more fun intro scene for Rick and Eevee before the Magi even gets there. Right? We get that whole intro. We get our opening credits. We may even get a little map showing the or or montage showing the Magi trying to make his way to England.

Jim:

But when we cut to England, it's it's them there in England likely at Oxford or just at working at a museum or something like that. Maybe maybe not. I don't know why Rick is there. Mhmm. But Evie is definitely there.

Jim:

And because they would have mummies on display, one of them comes to life, and they're like, what is this? Shit. Yeah. And they have to they have to deal with that, and the Magi shows up after that. To be like, emotep spec.

Jim:

Yeah. You think?

T.C.:

Hey. Let's let's I I like this, but I'm gonna tweak a little bit that we we after the Magi hits the road, we cut to Rick specifically, and he is well, I don't know what he's doing, but he's ricking it up. And the Magi finds him to say Emanetep's back, and he's like, we gotta get to Evie right now. Then hard cut to her at Oxford or wherever she's at and then having the Mummy attack happen there so that she is fending that fending it off when Rick and Would

Jim:

it be too much for the Magi to hunt down Rick somewhere in nor Northern Central Europe reclaiming Nazi gold?

T.C.:

Like, Rick is is fighting the good fight to Yeah. I mean, I love the idea of Rick O'Connell, Nazi hunter. That's pretty fun. And Magneto did a great job in first class.

Jim:

Because well, because he was he he was a it's He's a soldier

T.C.:

of fortune of sight. Yeah.

Jim:

He's always been a treasure hunter. Yeah. So the idea of of trying to get back the treasure that the Nazis stole.

T.C.:

Sure. Yeah. And then going to catch up with Evie? Yeah. Or or is that too distracting?

T.C.:

If if the it's not too distracting. I just would get Eevee closer to Rick as opposed to having to go from Egypt to Europe to, England. We're just getting them all closer in proximity to each other so it can be we can get to the them quicker. Get it get Rick and Eevee together faster As opposed to, Magi finds Rick, and now another week passes, and then we find Eevee, and then the Mummy attack happens.

Jim:

What do think about going the other way? The Magi Magi finds Eevee. Sure. Where's Rick? Evie Evie has her own mummy attack there in the museum.

Jim:

Yes. The magi shows up. Yes. And okay. Well, we gotta go get Rick.

Jim:

Well, where is he? He's He's in Busy. Austria. Yeah. Or he yeah.

Jim:

Or and so then they have to show up there. Do you think it's it's too pat if we try to hit some of the same beats as the first movie where, like, Rick's actually been captured by the bad guys?

T.C.:

I don't mind

Jim:

the first time

T.C.:

we see Rick. He's he's captured by bad guys, and he has to fight his way out of it.

Jim:

Well, Eevee and and the Magi have to help rescue him.

T.C.:

Okay. I I but I think it's funny that with the first watching him get punched in the face like last crusade, where the first time we see adult indie, he's on that ship and he's getting his butt kicked. Yeah. Cutting to Rick in the thick of it. Yeah.

T.C.:

That's great.

Jim:

Well, right, because Eevee met Rick as he was about to be hung. Right.

T.C.:

So having having the Magi find Evie first, get to her first

Jim:

Because because she's a known quantity. Oh,

T.C.:

she works I know exactly where

Jim:

she'll at the British Museum.

T.C.:

Yeah. We gotta go find Rick now. Well, where is he? Cut to? Pow.

Jim:

Yeah. Or is that all you get? Honestly, it could just be somewhere in Eastern Europe.

T.C.:

Yeah. We don't need to say specifically where he is, but he's he's cleaning house. Yeah. And he's reclaiming

Jim:

Or having his

T.C.:

his clock cleaned. But that would also allow us immediately to if Jonathan's with him, Jonathan's the one who, like, who is the he's the he, I knew we would he's the one who gathered the intel. So it's Jonathan and Rick working together, and it would allow us to add a at least another supporting character to this story.

Jim:

Mhmm.

T.C.:

That they're part of this Howlin Commandos, if we to borrow the the parlance of Captain America. But we could very quickly establish some of our supporting characters right here and now.

Jim:

Sure.

T.C.:

Even if Eevee has someone she's working with, whether or not we wanna bring in the hit their son, that's that's I'm I don't have a desire one way or the other to keep him in it or keep him out of it. But getting to getting getting to Rick, great. Imhotep, we're keeping keeping his his trajectory fresh. If his if his goal is just to raise Egypt, does he

Jim:

leave? And and get revenge.

T.C.:

Yeah. Oh, revenge is on the tail.

Jim:

Of course. Yeah. The the thing is if we're gonna honor the second movie, that means Eevee's soul is still a part of Anax Anaxamun?

T.C.:

Anaxamun. They were sisters. Yeah. They were. She wasn't she she and Anaxamun.

T.C.:

Right. I the it's it's the

Jim:

And and and honestly, that's fine. It keeps Imhotep going after I I don't know if I don't know how much it's it's an accepted theory. It it's not mine. I forget where I heard it. I just I love the idea that in the first movie, the reason Imhotep sees Evie and thinks it's an oxymoon is because he has bad eyes.

Jim:

He took he took the eyes from the cowboy who needed glasses, who couldn't see without them. So because he's not wearing glasses when he sees Evie, he thinks it's her. It's not her. That is so well like like, just to have that planted and to not need to point it out Right. It's have that be a thing Brilliant.

Jim:

Is so freaking good. And instead of doing that, the sequel went and said, no. He recognized her as such because She was reincarnated. Yeah. And that that is to me, it may it's it's a bit weird, but it's to me, it's less clever to have it be fate.

Jim:

Right.

T.C.:

When it comes into chosen one territory, it muddies the waters of I I'm of the mind of anyone could be hero be a hero, could save the day, could save the world. Yeah. It doesn't have to be the reincarnated hero of a previous generation.

Jim:

And that's a reason I loved that first Mummy because there was none of that.

T.C.:

Right. I I do enjoy why I turn on the call. Mummy Returns. Yeah. I do like Mummy Returns to to just

Jim:

It's gotta go. It's for the record. Good bits.

T.C.:

But let's let's go back to EOTips.

Jim:

Oh oh, but so so because that is a part of the story we're telling, he would definitely be also wanting to oh, pursue Eevee and Rick because

T.C.:

of this. There's some parallels here that we've introduced inadvertently. Rick is trying to reclaim stolen items from the Jewish people to return them that were stolen by the Germans. Right? And Imhotep is raising the ancient civilization and bringing back everything that was taken from Egypt.

T.C.:

So the the mummies that have been spread across Europe and whatnot that are on display in museums, he's calling them back. Yeah. So it's reclaiming a stolen civilization. So there's a little bit of thematic juxtaposition there in in Alright. In that.

T.C.:

Yeah.

Jim:

So is

T.C.:

a so once he reclaims like, he wants to raise Egypt ancient Egypt to its to a glory it's never even seen before to then take over the world. And we just dealt with a guy, a megalomaniac, psychopathic, world conquering evil, and now we got this to

Jim:

do with.

T.C.:

Yeah. It's it's a very well placed time period for people to go, oh, man.

Jim:

This again? This again.

T.C.:

And and here we thought in our actual timeline, like, lucky for us, that sort of thing happened and it was gone and never came back.

Jim:

Nope. Never.

T.C.:

Never ever gone and buried. Mhmm.

Jim:

Is Can't happen again. Can't happen again. So,

T.C.:

anyway, is Imhotep is revenge it's not just raising does he seriously wanna hunt them down and kill them?

Jim:

I don't think it's a it's not a priority. It's it's a it's a b plot. It's a secondary thing. Okay. In fact, he might actually be wanting to lure them to him.

Jim:

Mhmm. So he's not he's not pursuing them. He's not chasing them. He wants them to chase him.

T.C.:

But in order to keep them actively moving and fighting, they do have to keep being threatened by things. So my suggestion

Jim:

The thing is they're they're oh, well, okay.

T.C.:

Go ahead. My my suggestion of, like, calling back the or controlling and and reaching out to all the the mummies and and

Jim:

Well, yeah. That's what the first one was when when it attacks Eevee in the museum.

T.C.:

In the first one

Jim:

No. I'm saying? In our intro.

T.C.:

Oh, yes. Thank you. Sorry. I was like, the first movie. No.

T.C.:

Yes. Yes. Yes. Having having other mummies around that are resurrected and pulled. Sure.

Jim:

But it I my point is we're not. Once we once we have the gang back together Yes. After the after finding Rick and and Jonathan Mhmm.

T.C.:

Then we just go to Egypt. Yeah. We get them to Egypt.

Jim:

Yeah. Because it's it's not that hard to to get from Mhmm.

T.C.:

Europe to to Egypt. Tell PADDEN that. Thank you. Thank you. That was history.

Jim:

Mean, we could we could have a portion of the movie be that trip rather than just doing the dotted line on the map.

T.C.:

Well, both the original and Mummy Returns, and and they there is a an element traveling to get to at least to the halfway point of the movie where then we're we are now here. Like, getting

Jim:

Well, the but those were about getting away.

T.C.:

Not necessarily because in the second one, they're trying to beat the they're trying to get their kid back because they're heading to the center of the desert where

Jim:

Sure. But that but that was that that was sort of the clock there is we gotta stop.

T.C.:

Before the sun sets kind of thing. Yeah.

Jim:

Okay. Just just a little

T.C.:

bit of travel is all I'm asking. So then we can see some boat fighting and train fighting and and whatnot before we get to the sand and back to back to Egypt. That's it. I'm just saying a little bit of that on the road adventure.

Jim:

Okay. Then I think what we need to do is I really I really don't remember Mummy Returns well enough

T.C.:

That's right.

Jim:

To to to remember what it did and and and stuff like that. I think we need some anti Magi. I think there's a cult of Imhotep. Okay. Yeah.

Jim:

And maybe we get we see that in the intro as well. So they're right. So these these bad guy priests infiltrated the magi to help resurrect him. Here here's what I I wanna plant this beak so that way we have some henchmen.

T.C.:

Yes. Yes.

Jim:

Or because because either either he has henchmen already sort of working in the world Mhmm. Or there's that many mummies that like, there's some Mummies on the train with us on our way

T.C.:

to how did they get here? You're right. You're right. Having henchmen to attack them and try to stop them along the way. The the only reason those henchmen would be going there, though, is if Imhotep is made aware of Rick and Eevee sooner, or are they just going after the Magi?

T.C.:

Like, when when does Imhotep become aware of Rick and Eevee?

Jim:

That that intro. The the the mummy that awakens and attacks Eevee is Imhotep through projecting Gotcha.

T.C.:

Okay. Great. Now as far as henchmen who are worshipers of this ancient Egyptian

Jim:

Yeah.

T.C.:

Do we want them to be German? Do they want No. Okay. We I'd I I'm I for one think we should avoid we're gonna have all these references to World War two, but let's keep

Jim:

I I'm you're gonna you're gonna be the one putting them in. I'm avoiding them. I'm I don't

T.C.:

wanna put them in. I like, the reference is yes because they're they're they're capturing the Sure. The gold and all that. Like, as far as I'm concerned, that's as far as I wanna take it. I don't wanna see the red the badges and all that.

T.C.:

Let's leave that to Indiana Jones to fight. Yeah. Having a group of anti magi, a cult of Imhotep, hell yeah. I just wanted to say there is precedent to say within the German ranks that there was a group studying that shit.

Jim:

Yes. Yes. There

T.C.:

was. And so if we if we felt compelled to make them the henchmen, we could have. I'm saying Yeah.

Jim:

No. Yeah. No. I don't I don't wanna do that. If if if we bring in any politics Mhmm.

Jim:

To it, weirdly, would want it to be Cold War referencing referencing Cold War stuff. Mhmm. So it would be Russian. Sure. So I don't know if if that's an adversary to bring in.

Jim:

Like, even in that intro where O'Connell and Jonathan and what what's their kid's name?

T.C.:

I don't know.

Jim:

Because the thing is might as well just make him a part of the the treasure hunting crew as

T.C.:

well. Yes.

Jim:

Henry? No. No, that that's Indiana Jones.

T.C.:

George? No. Talk Jim.

Jim:

John, Paul, Ringo? Any anyway, it it that that doesn't that that I I got distracted by that detail, which feels bad because that character should probably be Alex. More Everyone's screaming at us.

T.C.:

That's right. I heard you through time and space. Alexander.

Jim:

That's right. Alexander.

T.C.:

Which makes perfect sense giving Eevee's proclivity to love Oh. Alexander and or the the ancient Egyptian era.

Jim:

Basically, could plant it early enough that there is a counter treasure hunting group, basically chasing down this Nazi treasure as well from the Russian side.

T.C.:

Okay. So we can have anti Magi and alternative treasure hunters

Jim:

Yes.

T.C.:

Which gives us multiple points of antagonism. Yeah. Cool. I like

Jim:

that. What what I'm not sure of like, I know it's a whole allies access kinda no. Well, not access thing. But, like, the cold Britain was allied with The US is allied with The US throughout the Cold War, but I don't know how much that Russian threat was a a thing.

T.C.:

I we can we can play a little we can play play a little fast and loose with

Jim:

How did James Bond fight Russians?

T.C.:

Quite a from Russia.

Jim:

So I'm an idiot. Yeah. It's it's it's absolutely fine.

T.C.:

Having having the the And in fact

Jim:

oh, so the Russians win in there. Right? They're fighting over the Nazi gold. That's why Rick's in trouble Mhmm. Because then the the Russians had managed to get whatever it is and get away, and Rick's in trouble.

Jim:

So that's Eevee shows up, and Jonathan's like, oh, good thing you're here. Rick's in trouble.

T.C.:

Rick's trouble. Of course, is. Having the lead treasure hunter be someone who's lamenting that there are no more no more tombs to to You're

Jim:

you're gonna do an an anti Alexander the Great?

T.C.:

Kinda. That he's he's to find out that Egypt is being raised from the literal literal grave would excite him for all the treasure he can now steal. Like, he's like, my grave robbing days were done. I'm I I I missed I missed the sand. I missed the adventure.

T.C.:

And having him that gives him a little bit of a little bit of motivation to to also want to get to Egypt and still be a problem along the way. It's not just about hating Rick O'Connell or Jonathan, whoever he or Alex. He can hate one of these people.

Jim:

Actually, that could act okay. Then maybe maybe that's a part of maybe maybe the scene where they pick up Rick is more pivotal than than we initial initially thought. I was thinking it was just gonna be a fun flashy scene to reintroduce the characters and get them out of a little little bit of fun and games trouble.

T.C.:

I think it's a way to introduce another antagonist.

Jim:

If when the MAGI shows up, talks to Eevee, and when they say we have to find Rick Mhmm. It's because they basically put a plan together. Like, they have a map, like, okay. Emotypes here. These are these things.

Jim:

All of these things that you're saying are being raised, those were always just in those they were always I always had theories, but clearly it's real. And this is where we're gonna have to go. So then when they show up in somewhere in Eastern Europe Mhmm. The Russians, the this this Russian treasure hunter doesn't just get one up on Rick as they're they're leaving. Oh, Evie.

Jim:

Hello. Good seeing you here. Give us that map, please, by gunpoint. Leave us

T.C.:

the map.

Jim:

Now go be with your husband.

T.C.:

Go be with husband.

Jim:

For for as long as that lasts. Yes. Good luck. Bye bye now. Bye bye now.

Jim:

That's the one. Yeah. So now we've given the bad guys the path to the treasure. Mhmm. Our good guys need to get out of first out of this little situation

T.C.:

And then get their team.

Jim:

They have to Evie needs to remember as much as she can about the plan that and yeah. So now now we have a real clock.

T.C.:

Yeah. And then adding in the I I'm saying it out loud. I'm just acknowledging it. I don't think we're adding too much. Having the cult of Imhotep because our little treasure hunting b plot here

Jim:

Mhmm.

T.C.:

I like it because it's staying true to the previous mummies. We're having I don't I can't remember three very well, but at least in the two previous, there's always some treasure hungry bad guy like, asshole who's who's a who's problematic, but not the true threat here.

Jim:

Mhmm.

T.C.:

So having the cult of Imhotep coming up with mummy powers and and attacking the train and attacking the boat and what have you.

Jim:

And, of course, they're attacking the O'Connells and not the Russian because

T.C.:

The Russians

Jim:

no Vendetta. Yeah. They're there. Why are you attacking those guys? They're these guys too.

Jim:

They want your treasure too. We don't we don't know who they are.

T.C.:

Know it. Mummy motif. And okay. So they got it. They're gonna make it to Egypt.

T.C.:

And now it's time to

Jim:

And then they find Imhotep and they punch him in the face.

T.C.:

Yay. The Okay. Getting them to Egypt, we've I I I'm gonna throw to a break right now. Okay. So having them reunite with Rick and getting them on the road, having an encounter with the cult of Imhotep and dealing with these Russian treasure hunters, it gives us some activity to move us towards towards Imhotep, stop him.

T.C.:

Right? Yeah. I think we need to flesh out well, we'll need to keep discussing.

Jim:

I'm I'm having some ideas. I'm I'm thinking this whole road to Egypt Mhmm. Is I I feel like I could be wrong, but I feel like you're seeing it being a longer part of the movie. I see it being very short.

T.C.:

No. Yeah. I fifteen minutes. And I'm not thinking

Jim:

If even. To me, it's like, it finishes up act one.

T.C.:

I we can split hairs on the the length of it.

Jim:

No. We need to decide it before the break. It's fine. It's

T.C.:

yeah. I wanna get them to Egypt just as much as you do. I just want the the road there to have a couple of obstacles. I'm not saying this is the the majority of the movie because I want at least two thirds of this movies to be of this movie to be in the sand. Yeah.

T.C.:

I want them to get to Egypt. So whether you're calling at the end of act one and I'm calling at the beginning of two and a half Sure. Don't know what to tell you. But we don't have to decide that exactly. But, yes, we're getting them to Egypt, and now we there's a plan that needs to be we need to know more about

Jim:

Yeah. I what Eotep is doing here. I I'm I'm already percolating.

T.C.:

Okay. We'll take let's take five right here. We're gonna take five. You listening, you're just gonna take a quick 60. You're listening to some commercials from from our beloved network.

T.C.:

Yeah. So we'll be right back.

Jim:

Okay. So they are not just going to Egypt to go up to Imhotep and and sock them in the jaw. Mhmm. That's not how you beat a frigging Demigod. Wizard from come back from the afterlife Mhmm.

Jim:

Again. So this whole thing's being risen out of the sand and stuff, a part of what EV postulates in the beginning with their plan is, ah, that verif that this is happening verifies that there is this other temple. I don't remember if they did a thing with Osiris Mhmm. In Returns or not. But it could be a temple to Osiris or or another god or another character that way or a a pyramid of light.

Jim:

It is and make up a a reverse thing. And that that's where they're going. So the bad the the Russian wants to go there to loot it. Our good guys wanna go there to get the MacGuffin to defeat Imhotep. Yeah.

Jim:

And the cult wants to get there to stop it from being used to stop Imhotep.

T.C.:

Yeah. The there's there's no in in Mummy and Mummy Returns, there's no direct connection to Osiris. They they never really explored him directly in the two that that were mostly referencing. So Great.

Jim:

They Then Yeah. We can then we can we can do what you said. There is a temple with the throne Of Osiris. It's called the Throne Of Osiris, theories as to what that is, things like that. And that's where they're trying to get to.

Jim:

So so the MacGuffin is that throne. How

T.C.:

about Yeah. Yeah. The the throne of Osiris. So The Mummy subtitle, throne of the throne of Osiris.

Jim:

Not bad. Not

T.C.:

bad. The mummy resurrection. Yeah. Yeah. No.

Jim:

How many movies have resurrection as the the subtitle?

T.C.:

Too many. Resurrection the movie. The resurrection. The resurrection. Passion of Christ

Jim:

two. Re resurrected.

T.C.:

Passion of Christ two, resurrection. Okay. So the the the the doodad that they gotta get they gotta get to the they gotta put Osiris back on the throne.

Jim:

Or something like that. Yeah. Whatever thank you. What whatever yeah. Whatever that is.

T.C.:

Now Do we want

Jim:

So so that's where they're trying to get to.

T.C.:

They're trying to find this temple with and now Imhotep could very well be standing on this throne. Like, he could they're sitting on this throne. Right? He could already have it. Or is this something that's elsewhere that they gotta get him to?

T.C.:

I think Laurel Hill

Jim:

or Laurel to. I think it should be something that is elsewhere. Okay. He he is currently in Cairo. Sure.

Jim:

Cairo or Alexandria.

Jim:

Mhmm.

Jim:

I think Cairo because the the little bit of tangential research I've done on Egypt and mummies and stuff, strangely unrelated to the mummy. Cleopatra, her throne was in Alexandria. But in Imhotep's time, which was much, much, much earlier Mhmm. Alexandria was no big deal.

T.C.:

Yeah. So putting the tomb of Osiris in Alexandria in a in a different place that Imhotep wouldn't really own. I see, I

Jim:

want I I think this should be further out in the desert. This is this is a a long lost place.

T.C.:

Okay. Gotcha. Like a place older than even Imhotep. It would be what about this for them locating it and and starting the ritual to to rethrone Osiris? And Imhotep is wherever he's doing his thing and suddenly senses it, and they're like, no.

T.C.:

And just rips it across all the desert to try to just like like a freaking sandstorm. That's for you, Samira. Just detects, like, starts to feel the pull, like, his power shifting back to Osiris appearing in the throne, and then and then Hemotep just tears tears it across the desert to get there for what would be our climax of the movie is that he shows up to be like, no. You will not re reseat him. I am the I am the lord of the underworld now.

Jim:

Mhmm.

T.C.:

Because in Returns, he wants the power of the Scorpion King in order to rule like, have the power to raise an army and whatnot Yeah. Of his own, the Scorpion King's army. And they take that away from him, and he's like, I guess I'm going to hell now. Bye.

Jim:

Okay. So well, to to so to use that as context, what we're doing here, Imhotep has returned to Earth already with the power of Set, with the basically, the army of Set.

T.C.:

Yes. Yeah. Oh, okay. Right. Go ahead.

T.C.:

But

Jim:

reseeding Osiris Will right. Right. It it's Loki dethroned secretly dethroned Odin. Odin. Right.

Jim:

And had all the power. That's basically I don't wanna make our story sound that much of a rip off, but to use a parallel, that's what we're doing. Osiris has been pulled off the throne, set Set his seat. To his godly god realm shenanigans Mhmm. Because of it, and our mortals are going to try to set things right.

Jim:

So In the meantime Yeah.

T.C.:

Imhotep. I heard it to everyone. He said set things right, but he didn't know he did it. Oh, you're you're right. Did.

T.C.:

Uh-huh. EmoTap, meanwhile.

Jim:

So so now EmoTap, is mortal made immortal,

T.C.:

wants to he he sees this happening, wants to stop that. Do you suppose it's worth having Osiris and Set be tangible in this so that we can have a throwdown without these gods in place?

Jim:

I was thinking about that. Are we going a little too gods of Egypt? Are we are we moving away from The Mummy and just moving into animal head people fight? How about this? Because Yes.

Jim:

Because I was also gonna bring up my favorite is Sobek. Having a crocodile man oh, crocodile men are awesome.

T.C.:

How about this? In order to reseat Osiris on the throne, they need to find the the mortal form of Osiris. They have to find the mummy of Osiris in order to literally put Osiris back on the throne. So it gives us another mummy. Like, it's not finding an I like your animal head fights.

T.C.:

It's a fun you've just evoked a lot of cool stuff from, like, Moon Knight and and even the Stargate movie. I know. It's it's whatever.

Jim:

Oh, that was the thing. I was gonna mention on on our break. I don't know what that dial thing you have over there is. Yeah. Yes.

Jim:

But it made me think of Stargate. Yeah. And I was like, no one's ever asked for a Stargate Mummy crossover.

T.C.:

It's ripe right there. Yeah.

Jim:

It is.

T.C.:

This is my e meter. Oh. No. It's not. It's just a sound machine.

T.C.:

But having to keep the mummies involved as opposed to animal head fights, having to find in fact, that might be our intro. Is the Magi telling the the the story of Osiris taking the throne, something to do with with a a human form? We can make up our own mythology here for for this that there is a mummy of Osiris somewhere that they can somehow find and put back on the throne. And if they literally put it's and it's a little bit of a callback to Naxuna Moon's mummified body being used to try to bring her back and having like, I'm trying to keep keep a mummy involved here.

Jim:

Sure. No. And and I I like and appreciate that. Yeah. Rather than it being the mummy of a god.

T.C.:

Yeah. It's the mortal form of a god.

Jim:

More cults. More cults, The the magi Mhmm. Can talk about how I don't know how much of this needs to be said, Nueva, but what I'm imagining is the magi, they are there to make sure things stay in their place. The gods stay in the afterlife and the mortals stay here. Mhmm.

Jim:

They don't mess with each other. They're not really about worshiping or pushing any particular faction's agenda. Mhmm. The cult of Imhotep is very much about let's get Imhotep going. Right.

Jim:

There what the magic can talk about is there used to be the priesthood of Osiris. Okay. And so they need to find and that it it is no more. It's it's long long gone. Mhmm.

Jim:

But there is the tomb of the last Osiren.

T.C.:

Oh, tomb of the last Osiren.

Jim:

Might not

T.C.:

be a great subtitle, but it's close.

Jim:

The the I'm thinking the last the the the last high priest of that the the the the good guy cult Sure. Is where they they need to get that guy. They need to get that corpse, that mummy Mhmm. And put it on the throne.

T.C.:

Great. To try to streamline this just a little bit, why why

Jim:

it Why be the Magi?

T.C.:

I was gonna suggest that the founder of the Magi was the final priest. That the Magi are rooted in Sure. This the soldiers

Jim:

of I a know why I was separating them Yeah. From it, but That's fine.

T.C.:

Just an easy streamline so we don't have all these cults running around.

Jim:

Right. Jedi Jedi Sith, always keep it two. Yeah. Two sides. No more than two sides.

T.C.:

And also

Jim:

in the culture Actually, I feel myself getting, like, a little jaded about that, but it's fine.

T.C.:

What? That I just existed?

Jim:

No. No. Not not not no. Not what you did. Okay.

Jim:

Just gen generally, storytelling wants to simplify. And and I on one hand, I get it, but I think that is lazy world building. Let there be bunches of factions. Why why is it always two sides?

T.C.:

Fair. Because it's not in the real world, it isn't. But in

Jim:

in fiction Actually, even in the places where people think it is only two sides, it's not only two sides.

T.C.:

Sure. Not even in Star Wars.

Jim:

Not even in well, they keep going back and forth. There's reductionists, and there's

T.C.:

Yeah. Anyhow, the the the the final siren Yeah. The the original Magi

Jim:

Mhmm.

T.C.:

Find also, the the the cult of the the the worshipers of Imhotep. I guess

Jim:

the reason the reason I was thinking it wouldn't be that connected to the Magi is because if it was, it wouldn't be lost. It wouldn't be a thing that they have to find.

T.C.:

Well, the tomb could still be missing. Like, they Magi have been around for centuries at this point. It

Jim:

it And they lost it? Yeah. Their whole thing is to keep track of the things that this keeping track of that shit.

T.C.:

They got buried in the sands of time. I see I okay.

Jim:

No. No. No. No. No.

Jim:

No. No. That that this is we don't have to indulge my my pet peeves. I understand that I need to bury this deep down.

T.C.:

Okay. Like a good Midwest Catholic. Yes. There you go. Could the the the cult of the the evil cult, instead of being a cult of Imhotep worshipers, which I'm not against per se, I'm gonna suggest that they might be Set's cult.

T.C.:

Cult of Set. So A chaos cult.

Jim:

That makes sense as to why they didn't show up previously. Mhmm. It could be. Okay. I I I don't see why not.

Jim:

Although although where have they been? I guess where have they been either way? It just creates a

T.C.:

Why do you it's a tiny little bit of loyalty to Set, not Imhotep. The only reason that they're following Imhotep is because Imhotep is Set's soldier on Earth. And if EmoteP slips even an inch the wrong wrong way, those soldiers can then go, never mind. I don't know if that's necessary. It's just the idea

Jim:

And why why do you why do you do you wanna create a situation where Imhotep does slip in the end and they turn on him?

T.C.:

Is that what you're

Jim:

trying to

T.C.:

do? He gets mauled by his own mummies in the first one. And then Yeah. He fails and gets kinda just even Rick tries to save him in the second one. He's like, nah.

T.C.:

Forget it. I'm just going to hell. But he gets hoisted on his own petard in every movie, and having him not have his army anymore at during the climax if they take it away from him. We don't have to do that. I'm just suggesting that if this is a cult of sets worshipers, there's that risk that that could be the case.

T.C.:

But Sure. At the same time, if we want to play with some allegory and themes, a group of people waiting for Imhotep to return and they've been waiting thirty years, There's there's some parallels to reality that we can play within that. There there's there's something,

Jim:

not nihilistic, to me about a cult that worships, like like

T.C.:

It's a cult of personality. Yeah. Not a cult of

Jim:

Yeah.

T.C.:

A demon.

Jim:

Well, I it it right. It it's it's sort of somewhere between. It's like the reason they worship this guy is because he surmounted this gulf between mortal and immortal. Yeah. Like, we wanna be like this guy.

T.C.:

Yeah. I yes. I think having the cult of Yemetep is probably better than the cult of Set.

Jim:

Like right. Like, to the point that they're willing to undermine gods in the name of their weird king. Weird king.

T.C.:

Ar Arnold Vasylu, the the actor who played him. So, eventually, our final confrontation here we don't have to jump to that right now if you don't want to, but getting getting if they if they find the mummy of Osiris to put on the throne, and then Nemotep senses it and rushes to this this forgotten tomb.

Jim:

Mhmm.

T.C.:

And now we have our our final set piece. Is Rick gonna get to punch this guy? Set piece. See,

Jim:

did it too.

T.C.:

I did it too. We have our Russian treasure hunters to deal with. We have some evil Well culty people to deal with. And, of course, we have our all powerful Imhotep to deal with.

Jim:

Do we wanna do some janky movie stuff?

T.C.:

I love janky movie stuff.

Jim:

What do you think about the idea that they get the the Mummy onto the throne just in time? Sorry. Bury the that's happening moments before, a scene before, terrible situation. Jonathan gets hurt slash killed.

T.C.:

Mhmm. Mhmm.

Jim:

Like hurt like like mortally wounded kind of thing. Mhmm. So then our big fight. I was thinking Rick at first, that that's a little too on the nose. I'd rather keep I'd I would rather keep Rick like a Han Solo.

Jim:

There is no magic to him. He's just a badass.

T.C.:

Yeah. I'm cool

Jim:

with that. So instead, Osiris, his mummy gets on the throne, but instead of the mummy standing up and us having a mummy fight Yeah. Imhotep shows up, and the mummy the spirit of the mummy is is there, and it goes into Jonathan because as as much as as much as if Evie is this faded soul Mhmm. Her bro why would her brother Not be. Yeah.

Jim:

Like like, how much yeah. I'm right. What's what's what's the name of the the story of Jesus' brother or the the book according to Bert, was it?

T.C.:

Or Oh, it's like the Chad a Chad Vader situation. I know it's about yeah. Yeah.

Jim:

So so I figure something about Jonathan, not necessarily that he's prophesied for anything, but because of his lineage, the the the relation, Osiris is able to step into Jonathan, and he will be the one to have the magic fight with Imhotep. I think

T.C.:

that's fun, especially if both Evie and Rick assume it's their destiny to do this because of the previous movies that Rick was destined to find Eevee or, like, the Magi asks him that riddle, and he's like, why did I know the answer to that? It's because you, my friend I shouldn't do the accent. I'm sorry. Are fated to be to be a traveler and a protector of of, like if they just assume, hey, our destiny and, you know, the movie audience expects us to be the heroes, you know, and then With

Jim:

them subvert subverting

T.C.:

expectations. The moment happens and it's Jonathan's like, woah. Woah.

Jim:

Or and and I I like that because I like that because I feel like Jonathan hasn't been allowed to have anything like that.

T.C.:

Yeah. He he gets to read the book that gets the last spell to control the mummies in the first one. He helps Alex in the second one with the same with the same book reading.

Jim:

Yeah. Yeah. And and and if if if we're overstepping and that's where he should stay, he can do I I guess he could be that. Would it be would it be too patched to have it be Alex?

T.C.:

I I like the idea of John Hanna who's also in his sixties getting to be the badass in the end. Okay. Alexander does feel like if I remember, I only saw the Jade Empire movie once in theaters.

Jim:

Mhmm.

T.C.:

And they did try to hand off the franchise to Alexander to be the hero. Perhaps we could do it better if if we want. I'm not sure that we could.

Jim:

Because it we Well, also, I feel like the demand of the it if not explicitly said, the spirit of it is to revisit and be that first one.

T.C.:

Yes. Our our demand here was did name specifically Brendan and Rachel Weiss. So I And it's not

Jim:

like Jonathan's gonna keep Osiris' powers.

T.C.:

No. If if we give him the the magic of it. Yeah. He'll he'll do the final fight. Osiris will heal him, and and and they win.

T.C.:

Or I'm gonna suggest this. I don't know if I love this idea. They pass it off, like, relay it where they all get a chance to be the god for a moment.

Jim:

What do they do that in?

T.C.:

Where they're just just passing it along? Passing it for

Jim:

one Did that happen in a Marvel? Maybe?

T.C.:

Did it happen in

Jim:

a Marvel?

T.C.:

I can't remember. It the it probably makes more sense that Alexander be our

Jim:

I'm I'm thinking of a DC. I'm thinking of Shazam.

T.C.:

Oh, yes. Right. Where they all get they all get the Shazam powers in. Yeah. It probably makes more sense for Alexander to do it just because he's the the younger strapping young man that would be physically capable of doing this.

T.C.:

Not that it wouldn't be fun to watch John Hanna suddenly turn into a superhero and and Mummy fight.

Jim:

Well, the thing is Emotep. Right, he's also going up against Emotep, who isn't also isn't necessarily doing acrobatics here. So maybe it's more like a wizard fight, and they're they're controlling armies Mhmm. Of of Sets and Osiris.

T.C.:

Mhmm. The the demand asks that we I feel like we need to see Brendan Fraser and and Rachel Feist doing getting the final punch them up action sequence here. And that's not to say they couldn't achieve that through Rick having a gunfight with some punching, and Rachel Feist and and Evie having a magic fight with someone, and then having because we also have our treasure hunters to deal with that Rick could be shooting, and we have our Magi fighting evil monks. So we do have enough players on the board for everyone to get an action out of this.

Jim:

Yeah. Okay. I see I see what you're saying.

T.C.:

But we still need to beat the holy hell out of Imhotep. So who's the right person to do that? Is it Rick? Since this is the you know what I'm saying? Like, this is this is our our the big decision to make here is who gets to finally take this guy out.

Jim:

Yeah. I see what you're saying. How how could we make it be all three?

T.C.:

They've Voltron into all the gods.

Jim:

Yep. Super Mummy.

T.C.:

They all have animal heads. Yep. Super Mummy. The if okay. It it we're talking about raising so Imhotep needs to be destroyed by his own hubris.

T.C.:

Right? He's given the powers by Set to go to Earth and raise ancient the ancient ancient Egypt

Jim:

And he he

T.C.:

he succeeds in that. And perhaps at the end of this, we don't sink the desert back to or we don't sink the world back into the desert. We leave it for them to explore. Alternate universe. We do alternate universe history where where we we maintain all the the pyramids and the and the the the fortresses and the palaces have all been raised, now Eevee's gonna have if if, the treasure hunter was lamenting there are no more no more spoils to steal from temples, And Eevee is at a place of, like, I know history is vast and never ending, but I do feel like I've I've reached the point of everything I could know about this era that I love so much.

T.C.:

She gets a gift in the end. The treasure hunter gets to get buried in the sand like a jerk. There there might be in in her arc of if we leave all the temples up, she's got oh my god. I'll never I'll never run out of things to explore here.

Jim:

I don't think we should leave the temple. I know it's the whole return to status quo thing, but I feel like Osiris before taking the power back and being done with everything. Yeah. These are too there are too many secrets here for the to leave to the mortal realm without the guardianship.

T.C.:

But she does get a little bag of goodies that Yeah. On the back of the camel.

Jim:

And the very end is Benny waking up after thirty years and being, oh, I can get out. And then the the pyramid sinks again. He's unable

T.C.:

to leave. What

Jim:

a weird nihilistic cameo they put in there.

T.C.:

I feel bad for the guy. Check check oh, hold on it. Everyone okay. Here. Sorry.

T.C.:

I I thought I thought the recording stopped. Oh.

Jim:

Oh my That would've been bad.

T.C.:

We're alright. We're alright. We're good. Do do we want okay. So let's say Jonathan gets to punch him up while shooting is happening and magic is happening.

T.C.:

What about Osiris actually coming like, actually manifesting, and that's who who finally has the throw down with Imhotep that we we the true form of Osiris shows up, and and they're the ones who have the final smash them up.

Jim:

Well, that becomes the animal head fight.

T.C.:

Right. No?

Jim:

You you wanna do that?

T.C.:

I'm just throwing it out there. Do we I'm I'm going back to Do we want to see Osiris? I like the idea of Osiris appearing and saying, no. I gotta put everything back. Thank

Jim:

you.

T.C.:

But also the the do you see any value of him showing

Jim:

that? Fact, I'm even kinda pulling back from giving Jonathan magic powers Okay. In the finale as well. Because because you you bring up a good point. And and I think what makes The Mummy so fun and why I I sour on each one after that is because it because it gets more magical

T.C.:

Okay.

Jim:

Yeah. As it goes. And a part of what made that what makes the pulp of it so much fun is that these are people. Sure. Eevee's smart.

Jim:

Jonathan's Rick is strong and and and and Jonathan is scheming. Mhmm. And and that's what gets them through. That's what is really fantastic about those characters.

Jim:

Mhmm.

Jim:

And and ideally, if we could do that, I would like I guess it's right. Because I'm also trying to honor returns, which does introduce mysticals mysticalness Mhmm. To these characters. I don't just wanna well, I I kinda do. Mhmm.

Jim:

But I I feel it's not fair, not nice, not honorable Yeah. To to not acknowledge Okay. Those those bits of the story.

T.C.:

Let's try this. I I'm with you on this. And the idea that they that we can more scuffle as opposed to making it a superhero fight. I think you're on the right thing. We should well, you're on right track is that we should have them scuffled, not superhero fight.

T.C.:

We get to the temple. We have the throne of Osiris. They tried to put the mummy of the mummy of the up there to, like, reseat Osiris and overthrow Set. Imhotep shows up. He's like, no.

T.C.:

I will not be foiled again. And the having the Eevee getting to do a little bit of, like, reading from the book Mhmm. Not shooting blasts out of her hands, but actually trying to use some, you get some court control over the cult or over the mummies or what have you. Having that book realization of getting the mummy on the throne was the plan. Mhmm.

T.C.:

It's it the revelation in the climax is whoever sits on the throne gets it. So then Jonathan is like, what do you mean whoever? It just says whoever sits on it gets it. So now everyone it's a race to the throne. So then Rick is like, someone get on that throne before he does.

T.C.:

Sure. So now we have a a a literal race across the temple. Like, it's just a temple hall. There's the throne right there, and they are, like, Rick tackling Imhotep. So then Jonathan gets ahead and a and a and a cult member tackles Jonathan, and Eevee's, like, ducking and weaving, and, like, everyone's just scrambling to get to the throne.

T.C.:

And and it's just a it's a brawl. Like, Imhotep does have his powers, but the the the panic scuffle that all is that that all of this is ricketing a a a shot across the chin on his on on Imhotep's face and, like, you know, it sounds like the scramble to get up on that throne. I don't have where to go there because then it's like, well, who ends up on it is also a question I don't have an answer to. But the notion of them all just tripping each other and tripping over each other and punching to try to get to that who's gonna sit on that damn thing. And maybe it's The Mager who does.

T.C.:

Maybe it's Abath who sits on it.

Jim:

I'm having thoughts.

T.C.:

Go ahead.

Jim:

I'm trying to split that up a bit more. I think, like, that that right right in so so when we get to that scene, that is sort of the main thing. But I think what makes it fun is we need several things happening at once. Mhmm. So instead of everyone in this in this big cloud of fight jumbling toward toward the throne Right.

Jim:

I would I would way rather have two or three things going on that we that are intentionally, oh, Rick's racing toward the throne, but Eevee is over there trying to to solve this riddle or or or cast the spell. And Jonathan's over here trying to unlock a thing. And Imhotep can't get over there because he's mystically locked out, like like, at the threshold of the the the room or something like that.

T.C.:

Oh, and he's, like, throwing cult members at and then mummies at it and and Anubis looking guys at it just like because he can't break through the barrier.

Jim:

Yeah. That's fun. And a notion occurs to me at one point slightly earlier. Maybe the Russian treasure hunter Mhmm. Gets sort of benied by Imhotep.

Jim:

Mhmm. As as in, like, he doesn't get turned into a supernatural thrall.

T.C.:

But he's just

Jim:

But but he's all like, yeah. I'll swear allegiance to you. Sure. Sure. I'll help you out.

T.C.:

Give me some of

Jim:

that gold. So so he's the one running for the throne. And spaghetti at the wall, this doesn't have to be what if he's the one who gets to the throne? Oh, no. And everyone's like, oh, no.

Jim:

The Russian. But then he sits in the throne and he gets the Osiris power. That means Osiris possesses him. Yes. He's like Yes.

Jim:

Okay. Cool. Why are y'all like, alright. Set, you're a bad guy. No.

Jim:

You're my minion. No. I'm I'm Osiris. Yeah. Yeah.

Jim:

This is just a vessel. Or is that too is that too subversive and it undermines the the hurrah It's of the moment?

T.C.:

It's a it's a good I think okay. If the notion is put Osiris mummy up on the throne Yeah. Osiris will get the throne in the underworld. That's what they think is gonna happen. Then when the revelation in that moment is whoever sits on it gets the throne and everyone's scrambling to it, the the the audience will believe it's a race to that throne, and whoever gets it gets the power.

T.C.:

So when the Russian gets on it, it's all is lost. Like, no. The bad guy who's working with Imhotep got it. And he's like, yeah. I got it.

T.C.:

I I feel and then Osiris possesses him.

Jim:

Mhmm.

T.C.:

Then the subvert then the the actual reading was incorrect. It's not like, oh, it's not that you get the throne and the power. It's you are the vessel now. Yeah. And and even and if we are strategic in how that information is doled out when it comes to that, it's a there might be someone who figures it out early.

Jim:

Actually, it could literally be moments earlier. EV is like, wait wait wait. Rick, no. Like, Rick's about to sit down. Yeah.

Jim:

So he has a case. The Russian pushes him out of the way, gets in the seat.

T.C.:

What is happening? Then and then Osiris rises.

Jim:

And and and right. So then we can have some stuff here. At the end of this, our Russian's fate is sealed. It's not that Osiris lets him go. It's like, thanks, vessel.

Jim:

You're done. It's like, and now you shall be mummified. And now And so the Russian gets turned into a mummy. And and he is the new last priest of Osiris.

T.C.:

And is and is seated on the throne. Yeah. Yeah. You will have the throne you will sit upon the throne for eternity. Yeah.

T.C.:

Literally. Oops. So then Osiris gets and then Imhotep is like, no.

Jim:

Yeah. So so then, yeah, Imhotep's like, no. Set needs to show up and either supercharges Imhotep Mhmm. Like breaks the threshold. Like, go on, buddy.

Jim:

Go get him. Or Set himself shows up to fight Osiris.

T.C.:

Mhmm.

Jim:

The only reason I don't like that is I feel

T.C.:

like we're sidestepping all of our characters to have gods fight. I I don't want the gods to fight. No. Like, the it's once once that and the Russian gets on there and it's like, and Osiris appears and says, you know, this is my this oh, here we go.

Jim:

Is it are we are we being too deus ex machina with this?

T.C.:

No. Because if we if we lay this all out correctly, the information is always there. Like, we get this isn't something they figure out in the last fifteen minutes. It is information we spread out through the movie as they're solving the puzzle of how we're gonna defeat Imhotep. We gotta get the Mummy.

Jim:

If we get the Mummy, we put it on the throne. If we put it on the throne,

T.C.:

we get the power. Like, this isn't all decided here. It's it's spread out. But Osiris appears in the Russian's body and says, you know, I I'm I'm thank you, vessel. This is my throne again.

T.C.:

And with that, I I banished the power of Set leaving, and he's he comes and goes, and now the wall that was preventing Imhotep from getting through drops, and now Imhotep is mortal again.

Jim:

Okay.

T.C.:

And now

Jim:

Not again.

T.C.:

Yeah. And now we can have them punch them up if we want or get rid of Imhotep quickly, but now now it still comes back down to Rick, Evie, Imhotep, Jonathan. Does it feel like

Jim:

good pulpy justice, or is it undermining it? So so right. So we had all that. We had all these this the the supernatural mummies fighting and stuff like that.

T.C.:

Mhmm.

Jim:

But now the power has left Emotep. Osiris is like, and my business here is done. Bye. Yep. And so now it's all just back to mortals.

Jim:

Yes. And it's Imhotep and several cult members who they're they're they're jazzed at first. Right? Here we are with our fucking

T.C.:

With our wizard. With our wizard.

Jim:

Yeah. We're gonna do something against the O'Connells, Jonathan, the Magi, Alex, maybe a couple more. But then when Imhotep can't do anything, his cult like, deflates almost immediately, and they abandon him?

T.C.:

Abandon him or turn on him? I think abandon him. If if Imhotep's left there completely impotent, alright, and Yeah. And facing the O'Connells, Rick could almost feel bad for him, like I mean, feel bad for

Jim:

him. So do they just punch him? Do they put him in jail?

T.C.:

In jail.

Jim:

You're going to Mummy jail.

T.C.:

You're going to Mummy jail.

Jim:

Do they

T.C.:

kill him? Oh, okay. Wait. Maybe there could be one final thing about maybe one little bit of wizardry left that Imhotep has now been lowered to his most mortal status, the wizard that he was ancient times ago, and okay. I'm gonna say it.

T.C.:

This is probably not a good idea, but I'm gonna say it. He they they they can say, like, we're not gonna fight you. This is your temple. You can have it because you can't leave it. And and Imhotep is left strand like, here

Jim:

you go. You got a throne.

T.C.:

You can sit here all you want. You can

Jim:

surround But it's the Osiris throne. Yeah. Why wouldn't Your get that power?

T.C.:

I'm trying to keep him trap like, trapped

Jim:

in the sexy way. But and also, now that he's mortal, he wouldn't be trapped supernaturally.

T.C.:

Well, I I would create a suit I'm creating a supernatural scenario where it's almost like the seal in Last Crusade. Where, like, if if if Imhotep is in the and, like, that threshold he couldn't cross Oh.

Jim:

Oh. I see what you're saying.

T.C.:

He crossed it, and now he can remain immortal on that side of the line. And even if he, like, reaches for Rick and his hand starts to mummify and he pulls it back. Oh.

Jim:

So in the in that final fight oh, in that final fight, what Set does, the when Osiris shows up, so Set's all like, no, I'm not gonna do nothing. Yeah. He grant like like, he gives a power to Imhotep and his followers Mhmm. To be able to to be un unkillable. You you are immortal.

Jim:

You're immortal here in here at here in the Throne Room.

T.C.:

Yes.

Jim:

You cannot be stopped. So our big fight is Rick stabbing dudes and shooting dudes, and they do not go down.

T.C.:

Yeah. Yep. Keeping that PG 13 rating great.

Jim:

So yeah. So then when it all gets taken away, you're still immortal in this temple. But what what happens at first, like, right, Osiris says all that. And I was like, it's just it's just you you five versus us five.

T.C.:

Mhmm.

Jim:

And so his final loyal cultists chicken out, and at least one of them or Runs for maybe more runs

T.C.:

for it.

Jim:

Yep. And does.

T.C.:

Yeah. So then when he would have, like, re I I still like the imagery of him reaching across the line.

Jim:

Like, he would. And his

T.C.:

hand goes skeletal and he pulls it back, he's no. Mhmm. And the O'Connells just leave him sitting there I think so. As a as a

Jim:

yeah. There's there's some details to suss out about that. Yeah. But I I I like that. What

T.C.:

Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. They they and and if Evie has the sadness that she doesn't get to study all these places, we can leave she does get a new book out of it or something, like the book of Osiris or something, like another artifact or a a set of artifacts that she can get.

Jim:

I know that there were already two. There was there was the the the book of the dead Yes. Which is the the the and then there was

T.C.:

The book of life.

Jim:

The book of life. So there's already that. Yeah. Yeah. We can find

T.C.:

it right back. Just something to to Another tchotchke. Yeah. But thinking of we'd have to step back and think of our characters of, like, what their their wants and needs and all this and going back to smart, brave, and scheming Yeah. Whatever we give Alexander, what have you, like, and just breaking them down to these very simple adjectives.

T.C.:

Yeah. How do we fulfill their story in the end?

Jim:

And we will do that.

T.C.:

And we will do that. I I love the idea of Eevee and Rick just still being so much in love with each other and that they are they are partners through and through. They support each other through and through. This is this is a weird comparable, but I'm gonna use it. Have you ever seen game night?

Jim:

Yeah.

T.C.:

Game Night, Rich McAdams and Jason Bateman's character characters love and support each other no matter what. It's such a it's such a great it's great. The movie's great for that, that there's no contrived are we getting a divorce or any of that nonsense? They are just

Jim:

We're we're on the rocks, so our arc is to find each other again.

T.C.:

No. No. These two just are there for each other, and I Mhmm. I don't know narratively where that puts us, but because they don't have anything to overcome between the two of them. Maybe together, they have to overcome relevancy to to to what is our place in a world that's leaving us behind.

T.C.:

We're in our sixties now.

Jim:

Maybe. So let let's let's talk about the meta of that a little bit. Mhmm. I think we're revisiting this movie at at this demand, not because we want to see how these characters sunset.

T.C.:

No. Yeah. I I don't know.

Jim:

We wanna relive those glory days. Yes. And we don't wanna relive them in some sort of looking back nostalgic way. Let's have a cool movie. Yeah.

T.C.:

I think we

Jim:

You know what? You're right. We ignore all all that Hard set.

T.C.:

You're right.

Jim:

And we just go have a cool adventure. And, yeah, they they support each other. Honestly, we can even rip off some some some game night. Eevee could accidentally shoot Rick in the arm. Be like, that's okay.

Jim:

That's okay. That's okay.

T.C.:

It's okay, babe. No. You're right. We I don't we should not even have a discussion about their feel like, feeling like they're at the end. It's the miles and the years now, honey.

T.C.:

Yeah. Indiana Jones style. We're not sunsetting these characters. They are just they're gonna do this forever. It's it's why dead reckoning sorry.

T.C.:

The final reckoning, the the Mhmm. Seventh seventh or eighth Tom Cruise, why would I not know that time I had

Jim:

a lot of Like, I'm worried about it.

T.C.:

I hurt. But the fact that that finale doesn't really feel like a finale Yeah. That that, we can keep going. And I think that's how this is is that we and there might be some people who are dissatisfied that we once again left Imhotep on the table, but,

Jim:

you know what?

T.C.:

I think it's okay. Having him be be there to Hannibal Lecter the next movie.

Jim:

Well, like, we we can even word something about how how when when Osiris ends the whole thing. Mhmm. Like, he doesn't he clearly doesn't stop Set's magic of making them immortal. But he's all like, but now I'm gonna watch over you, and you're not gonna get up to any of your shenanigans again. So now he will be immortal in this temple.

Jim:

It's like and he

T.C.:

can't do

Jim:

like, literally, he can't do anything because Osiris stops him Mhmm. From doing anything.

T.C.:

Every time

Jim:

he Your your only choice actually is to step out

T.C.:

and die. The exit's right there, man. Yeah. You can have it if you want it. Not yet.

Jim:

Yeah.

T.C.:

Yeah. Yeah. Okay.

Jim:

I think so. Alright. I don't I don't know if if I'm sad if we've come to a satisfying ending or if I've just run out of steam. I Didn't really do anything for Alex. He he's just there supporting his mom and dad.

T.C.:

And I'm here too.

Jim:

Yep. No. He's a full grown man now.

T.C.:

And I'm here too. Okay. Well, Samira over at Sandstorm Darude Studios. How did we do? It is up to you now to decide and tell us, but also you other listeners, those who have just listened.

T.C.:

What did we miss? What did what do you like what we did here? Did we did we miss a detail? We didn't

Jim:

put in bits like who's who's the the the person that they know to help transport them across the desert in front in front of the the Imhotep sandstorm.

T.C.:

Right. Because we have well, it's a water thing in the second one Yeah. With blimp guy. And that's that's where when we meet Rick and Jonathan and Alex with our supporting characters, we can create our little ragtag group. I don't want, like, five, six characters.

T.C.:

Maybe a second one. Maybe Alex maybe Alex's wife is there too, that that it's a family affair still. Or I'm not I'm I don't want grandkids involved in this. We don't need to add a kid now. No.

T.C.:

Yeah. Having there could even be a subplot within Alex's story that Maybe he's

Jim:

actually, you know, I don't mind I don't mind saddling Alex with all that stuff. Maybe he does have a wife and kids.

T.C.:

Well, I I was gonna suggest a wife at least, and that he can look to his mom and dad constantly and be like, look how in love they are and they're traveling the world together. Like, that's what I want. And and Sure. Maybe maybe he has a conflict within his relationship relationship of, of like, like, and and I I wanna settle down and stop putting our life in danger. Boring.

T.C.:

I don't know. That's that's a little trite. I don't love that. But giving Alex somewhat of a of an of a story arc of a of what he's going through as well. Mhmm.

T.C.:

There's there's something that we're we're we're hand waving

Jim:

I've conquered the world of treasure. Now I must conquer the world of domesticity.

T.C.:

But what do you think, dear listener? I think that's gonna do it for this episode, but we'd love to know if we met the demand today. So you can hit us up if you agree or disagree, or think that we might have missed something, or whatever. And how are you gonna do that? You're gonna message us directly at studio demands it dot com, or on Instagram at studio demands it.

T.C.:

If you're not already, hey, man. We've been doing this for seven seasons. You should totally subscribe.

Jim:

Yeah.

T.C.:

Where are you listening to this? Just hit the little follow button. Come on. Come on. On.

T.C.:

Come on. Come on. And if you feel like giving us a review, you can do that too. Five stars go a long way. Just saying.

T.C.:

You can also find us on YouTube and TikTok where we occasionally post video content.

Jim:

It's been known to happen.

T.C.:

It's been known to happen, including material not heard here on the show. But you know what? If you really wanna have a conversation with us, Jim, what can people do?

Jim:

Come on over.

T.C.:

Where? Oh. Yeah.

Jim:

That's right. I have a part have in this. Oh, jeez. Oh, god. I'm yep.

Jim:

Yep. Come on over to the the well moderated Discord server, which we have a link to at our website, but our website's changed now.

T.C.:

We we will studiodemands.com will be at back up and running.

Jim:

Oh, well, okay. So at studiodemands.com Yeah. There should be a a an invite link to the Discord server. Come on over. Or the Reddit subreddit at r/studiodemandsit.

Jim:

And say some stuff. Yep. And I'll look at it. I might even I might even say some some stuff back.

T.C.:

Tell us what your Mummy sequel ideas are. Absolutely. Happening. They are working on it.

Jim:

So true. Let's let's let's beat them to the punch. Let's get our forecasts, predictions, and druthers out there.

T.C.:

Yes. A massive thank you to David, and he's the godfather that makes this all happen and everything that he does for us. And you can check out a bunch of the other shows within our network here, such as another Zelda podcast. There's a D and D show that's gonna be coming soon, returning to there's a whole plethora of shows that are being produced that are all great and wonderful, like another Pokemon podcast. Yeah.

T.C.:

Are you into that sort of the you know, the Pokemon pocket monsters? Think about it.

Jim:

Gonna be soon. They're they're I think there's there's a thing going in at Universal.

T.C.:

In conjunction with Nintendo Land

Jim:

Mhmm.

T.C.:

Or Mario Land.

Jim:

I think so.

T.C.:

Oh, cool. I've never played a single game of Pokemon. No? Never. I just when it became popular, was just around the time I didn't have time for Game Boy anymore.

Jim:

Early on, one of my friends in school bought a Game Boy and Pokemon to to play, and I borrowed it one day, and it just became mine. And that's how I came to possess Pokemon and my very first Game Boy.

T.C.:

You are somewhat of a of a grave robbery yourself.

Jim:

I I really am.

T.C.:

Well, unless Jim has any other confessions to make, that's gonna do it for this episode. And the beginning of season seven. We'll be back again soon with another one of your demands to challenge ourselves in the world of cinema. I'm T. C.

Jim:

I am Jim.

T.C.:

And you know what? This was The Mummy Returns Returns Returns Return of The Mummy Returns Resurrections. Resurrections. Yeah. Did it pain you when I when the revelation came that we were doing this and not one of the Universal Monsters as, like, a serious movie?

Jim:

It it didn't pain me. It panicked me.

T.C.:

It panicked you. Well, I I

Jim:

There there's a small amount of, oh, God.

T.C.:

I kinda had that too when I saw because I literally, the way I copy and pasted the demand Mhmm. I dropped it in. There it was at the bottom of the page Mhmm. In the document. So I had to scroll, and the thing that I scrolled to was, no.

T.C.:

I want a scroll 1999. So I saw that, and was like, oh, not what I expected at all. And I I had a little bit of panic for you because in the past, we've we've delved into territory of something that you hold beloved Sure. That you're too afraid to touch in any like, Hellboy was an example where you like, inside baseball here, we took a we probably took our longest break in the intermission that we ever took I think so. For you to cabobulate, and you came back strong.

T.C.:

Did I? Because you came

Jim:

I don't I like, I blank. Yeah. You know when you you blackout Yeah. And you don't remember

T.C.:

All the

Jim:

time. Your set or whatever? Yeah. That's yeah.

T.C.:

Yeah. You came back strong and pitched two sequels for Did I? For two Hellboy movies

Jim:

there. I should listen to our show. Yeah.

T.C.:

But, yeah, I had a little bit of, like, oh, no. This might be too sacred to do anything with, much like Back to the Future for me, but we found that as well. Yeah. So, yeah, this is fun. I I can see it.

Jim:

Yeah. Honestly, it started coming together before you finished the explanation. I'm like, okay. This is what we're doing. Where do we go?

Jim:

I just I just need a context of where we are in the timeline. Yeah.

T.C.:

I could I could see it. As soon as we started pitching it, I could imagine it feeling like those other two Stephen Summers Mhmm. Stephen Summers Mummy movies. I could I could just imagine. And and I I hope whatever we get is is great because Brendan Fraser is such a beloved person now.

Jim:

Mhmm.

T.C.:

And I'm glad that Rachel Weiss is like, yeah.

Jim:

I'll I'll do another one. Because am Maria Bella for all she good she is. It's just it that third movie is so I I honestly, my only memory of it anymore is an image of CGI Dwayne Johnson's face. That's Returns. I'm talking about Jade.

Jim:

That's Returns?

T.C.:

Yeah. I'm talking about Tomb of the Jade Empire.

Jim:

Well, that's my only memory of that

T.C.:

third movie. The thing is The Rock.

Jim:

Yes. And and and the thing is, I know my memory renders a better looking CGI version than what was actually on screen. God. I the I remember sitting in the

T.C.:

theater watching it and just being just disappointed by it. I only saw it that once. And at the time, I was a huge fan of Smallville because it was in the throw that and when as it was nearing the end of this movie and the credits went to roll, I thought I I might have even audibly said to my friends, who wrote this? And then Alfred Goff and Miles Miller are, like, name the two guys who created Smallville. I was like, oh.

Jim:

Oh, no. What was Jade Empire about? Which which because I know there was also there was two more Mummy movies. There's two more Scorpion King. I don't know.

T.C.:

There's three Scorpion King movies.

Jim:

Which one utilized the Terracotta Army?

T.C.:

That was Jade Emperor. It was Jade Emperor. Was Jade Right. Right. Took place in China.

Jim:

Because at that time

T.C.:

Hong Kong?

Jim:

That's probably where I would have gone. Like, oh, where's the next big mummy?

T.C.:

Right.

Jim:

Oh, there's actually tombs over in in China. Let's let's do that.

T.C.:

Yeah. The when you went to Egypt, I was raised to suggest South America because there's there are mummies in many cultures around the world.

Jim:

Us going back, bringing back Rick and Eevee Yeah. I think the only proper way to do it is bring them all back. Yeah. Bring Imhotep back. Yes.

Jim:

You Because even though we didn't end it on it and this is the end, clearly, that this is the end. Especially for him is what you mean.

T.C.:

Right? Not Rick and

Jim:

No. No. No. For for us making more of these, we're not gonna wait another five, ten years and make another Rick and Evey move. Like, what?

Jim:

Come on. Come on.

T.C.:

Just give them one more, and don't make it a goodbye.

Jim:

And and I realized as we were discussing that Mhmm. I think we've done that a few times. I think that's sort of a theme of, a, this podcast. But I think what we we're tapping into with that, I actually think a lot of fandom would prefer that. Now the problem is for as much as the no goodbye goodbye, I think, is an appropriate way to end a franchise.

Jim:

Mhmm. That way it can live in your imagination. I think too many people are like, well, you didn't end it. We can keep going.

T.C.:

Right.

Jim:

Right. And that's sort of the the the double edged sword of there or the the one edged sword. I don't know. That's an axe. The axe of that.

Jim:

The axe of that. Yeah. But I still think the happier, nicer way of ending a franchise is to do the no goodbye goodbye.

T.C.:

Yeah. I think so too. Like Mission Impossible.

Jim:

Yeah. The no goodbye goodbye. We did that with the Simpsons five years ago.

T.C.:

True. Yeah. Yeah. We just put him back on the couch and let

Jim:

him

T.C.:

start over again. I I like just ending with with satisfactorily.

Jim:

I think what's important to do with an ending in in the way to do an ending like this Mhmm. Is you hit you hit the big beats. You hit the big remember beats Mhmm. In ways that are like, this is a callback. We love this.

Jim:

Right? It's it's the this is the big finale. We're gonna play we're gonna play your greatest hits Mhmm. One last time. Mhmm.

Jim:

And we're not gonna bring up that it's one last time. You know it is. We know it is. Here it is. It's awesome.

Jim:

Mhmm. And we're just gonna let it be awesome. Just let it be.

T.C.:

Yeah. Yeah. And that's it.

Jim:

And we're veining away. We're getting further and further away. We're so small now. But we're actually the same size we were, which further away. The mic is just really big.

Jim:

What? Yeah. I don't know. I don't know what's happening. This is how size works.

Jim:

Size and distance work. And sound and

Jim:

yeah. What are we doing?

Jim:

I don't know what's going on.

Jim:

That that was a weird bit.

T.C.:

And Man, season seven is off and running.

Jim:

There you go now.