Taglines: Warrior. Legend. King.
The Rock has his first starring role in this prequel to The Mummy films, which was developed while The Mummy Returns was still in production. The film takes place in ancient times, when a mighty swordsman, Memnon (Steven Brand, making his film debut) ruled over nearly all the known world. Memnon, a brutal tyrant, defeats his enemies in battle with the help of a beautiful sorceress, Cassandra (Kelly Hu), who can predict the future.
The last of the “free tribes” form a fragile alliance to fight Memnon, and hire a trio of Akkadian assassins, led by Mathayus (pro wrestler The Rock, who made his big-screen debut as this character in The Mummy Returns), to kill the sorceress and thus remove Memnon’s advantage. Balthazar (Michael Clarke Duncan of The Green Mile), the powerful leader of the Nubians, objects to hiring mercenaries, but the plan goes forward.
The assassins are betrayed by Takmet (Peter Facinelli), the son of one of the tribal leaders, and Mathayus finds himself unable to kill Cassandra. Thanks to the unlikely machinations of Cassandra, and the aid of a horse thief, Arpid (Grant Heslov of True Lies), Mathayus escapes to the desert. He eventually abducts Cassandra, who explains that Memnon was holding her against her will. Mathayus thwarts Memnon’s efforts to re-capture Cassandra, then uses his newfound sense of justice to convince the surviving tribal leaders to join forces again to defeat Memnon.
The Scorpion King is a 2002 American historical fantasy film directed by Chuck Russell, starring Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, Kelly Hu, Grant Heslov, and Michael Clarke Duncan. It is a spin-off from The Mummy franchise, which takes place before The Mummy Returns and follows the story of Mathayus and his rise to become the Scorpion King.
The events of The Scorpion King take place 5,000 years before those in The Mummy and The Mummy Returns, and reveal Mathayus’ origins and his rise to power as the Scorpion King. The name is a reference to a historical king of the Protodynastic Period of Egypt, King Scorpion.
The Scorpion King grossed $12,553,380 on its opening day and $36,075,875 in total over the weekend, from 3,444 theaters for an average of $10,475 per venue, and ranking at #1 at the box office. It then dropped 50 percent in its second weekend, but remained at #1, earning another $18,038,270. The film closed on June 27, 2002, with a total domestic gross of $91,047,077, and an additional $74,286,103 internationally, for a total worldwide gross of $165,333,180, against a budget of $60 million, making it a moderate box office success.
The soundtrack to The Scorpion King was released on March 26, 2002, just before the film was released on April 19. It is filled with various bands performing either previous released tracks or their b-sides.
The Scorpion King (2002)
Directed by: Chuck Russell
Starring: Dwayne Johnson, Steven Brand, Peter Facinelli , Michael Clarke, Kelly Hu, Bernard Hill, Grant Heslov, Sherri Howard, Conrad Roberts, Joseph Ruskin
Screenplay by: David Hayter, William Osborne, Stephen Sommers
Production Design by: Ed Verreaux
Cinematography by: Ed Verreaux
Film Editing by: Greg Parsons, Michael Tronick
Costume Design by: John Bloomfield
Set Decoration by: Kate J. Sullivan
Art Direction by: Greg Papalia
Makeup Department: Jeff Dawn, Anna Fleiner
Music by: John Debney
MPAA Rating: PG-13 for intense sequences of action violence and some sensuality.
Distributed by: Universal Pictures
Release Date: April 19, 2002
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