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The Mummy: Tomb Of The Dragon Emperor
Interview with Michelle Yeoh and director, Rob Cohen
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Pedigree: The director of The Fast And The Furious takes over one of the '90s' most profitable franchises. Estimated budget: $100 million. Predicted box office: $150 million (US gross), $400 million (worldwide).
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If you think the biggest fights in the third Mummy movie will be the scuffles between Brendan Fraser's Rick O'Connell - the adventurer who's come out of retirement to help the 22-year-old son who's followed him into the family business - and Jet Li's shape-shifting Chinese emperor, then you don't know the half of it. When Empire visited the Vancouver set earlier this year, the cast and crew were buzzing about another punch-up altogether.
"I was walking round the set and there were these lists of what scenes were still to come and one of them said, 'The Fight The World's Been Waiting For'," says Michelle Yeoh, with a mild air of bemusement. "I thought, 'Well, what's that? That sounds great.' It turns out it's the fight between me and Jet Li! So, no pressure."
Yeoh plays an ancient sorceress who double-crossed Li's crazed ruler, putting him into suspended animation rather than giving him the eternal life he desired. When he's woken from his crypt he's none too chuffed about this and seeks to lead his terracotta army to world domination. So we get the spectacle of two of the world's most revered butt-kickers - who have never clashed on screen before - going chopsocky on each other's asses. This could be spectacular.
"We've got a lot to live up to with that one, haven't we?" muses director Rob Cohen. "I know that when people hear that we have Jet and Michelle, they expect a certain level of action... They're amazing, so I'm confident that nobody will leave disappointed."
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