# The Scorpion King (2002)



## ewlyn (Jun 24, 2001)

The Scorpion King

Directed by Chuck RussellÂ  

Writing credits Jonathan Hales, William Osborne, and Stephen Sommers

Current confirmed cast:

Grant Heslov	.... 	Comedic Sidekick 
Dwayne Johnson	.... 	Mathayus (The Scorpion King) 
Michael Clarke Duncan	.... 	Balthazar 
Peter Facinelli		.... ?
Kelly Hu	.... 	Cassandra 
Ralph Moeller		.... ? 
Scott L. Schwartz	.... 	Torturer 
Andrei Sterling	.... 	Balthazar's Bandit 

IMDB page: http://us.imdb.com/Title?0277296 

Additional Informatin: http://filmforce.ign.com/moremovies/objects/34131.html 

Plot Rumors (from the above website): We've obtained some interesting information on the plot and characters of the upcoming Mummy prequel, The Scorpion King.Â  If you've been following Scorpion King news you'll know that the film tells the story of the Scorpion King (Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson) before he became the Pharaoh of Egypt. If you don't want to know more turn back now, 'cause we've got the scoop! Beware of plot details and possible spoilers below!

There have been rumors that the Scorpion King is called Kane, but the information we've obtained indicates that he goes by the name Maythayus in the film.Â  This doesn't necessarily discount the whole Kane thing, since it's possible that he goes by another name at some point in the film (Kane might even be his last name). 

Maythayus is an assassin, the only surviving member of the tribe of a legendary warrior people called the Akkadians.Â  The Akkadians had been hired by the king of Ur to destroy Memnon, an evil warlord whose thirst for power knows no bounds.Â  Before they can move on Memnon, the Akkadians are betrayed by one of their own and destroyed.Â  Maythayus knows that Memnon is behind the attack, and soon discovers the secret of his military might: Memnon's companion, the Sorcerer â€“ or Sorceress as it were â€“ who sees into the future and reveals secrets that Memnon uses to his advantage in battle.Â Â 

Maythayus attempts to murder the Sorceress, Cassandra (played by Kelly Hu) but he's stricken by her beauty and isn't able to go through with it.Â  It turns out that Cassandra isn't a completely willing companion of Memnon; she's horrified by the bloodshed and the "visions" that he puts her through are extremely painful.

When his assassination attempt on the Sorceress fails, Maythayus flees into the desert where he meets a horse thief named Arpid.Â  Mike Duncan has gone on record as saying his character's name is Balthezar, but we think this is his character.Â  When Maythayus first encounters Arpid he leaves him to die in custody of the Red Guard, but karma soon lands him in the hands of Memnon's army as well.Â  The two heroes meet again during their own executions â€“ both buried up to their heads in the Egyptian sand.Â  As the two are surrounded by a sea of human skulls, they realize that the soldiers carry out the execution by "smoking out" swarms of deadly fire ants that feed on their heads.Â  However, Arpid has something up his sleeve â€“ he's got a secret plan that allows him to escape.Â  After much groveling he agrees to rescue Maythayus, and the two become friends.Â  

Now that he's escaped, Maythayus seeks to regain his honor by destroying Memnon and the Sorceress.Â  Arpid leads him to Memnon's castle in the legendary city of Gomorrah where he must fight his way in and attempt to destroy the evil warlord.


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## ewlyn (Aug 13, 2001)

*The Scorpian King (2002)*

Has anyone heard any news about the next movie?


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## spider (Sep 11, 2001)

Not yet, though I can't wait for it.  It's going to be a kind of prequil, all about the Scorpion King before his soul was condemned and whatnot.

...also, did you know that the WB is premeiring "The Mummy" animated series this weekend?  I wonder if the Scorpion King will be any part of that.


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## ewlyn (Sep 13, 2001)

Hey Spider,

If you watch/watched the animated series, give us an update, will ya?  I'm in the UK and hence won't get to see it until I'm home in Boston in December... assuming it's still on.

I think you and I are the only people excited about The Scorpian King. *L*  Everyone else is upset about Evie and Rick not being in it and don't want to see it.

Me, I'm just glad the mythology of Sommer's films is continueing.


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## ewlyn (Sep 29, 2001)

From the LA Times:

Sunday, May 27, 2001
MOVIES
A Wrestler's Toughest Move
After a small part in the summer's biggest hit so far, the Rock leaps into a new ring: that of action star.
By JON MATSUMOTO

Â Â Â Â Â A stretch of the back lot at Universal Studios is standing in for Gomorrah, 3000 BC, on a mid-May morning, as the people who brought you this summer's first big hit work on their plan for next summer. 
Â Â Â Â Â What's the connection? "The Scorpion King," a $60-million action-adventure movie now in production, tells the back story of the fierce and deadly Egyptian warrior played in "The Mummy Returns" sequel by World Wrestling Federation star the Rock. 
Â Â Â Â Â "We're heading into our third [and final] month of shooting," says the wrestler, whose real name is Dwayne Johnson. His aged leather costume has obviously been strategically designed to showcase his enormous biceps. "Everyone is working extremely hard with very long hours because of the tight deadlines, so the success of 'Mummy Returns' has been [great for morale]." 
Â Â Â Â Â It's not often that a film gets a promotional boost while it's being filmed, and a year before it's scheduled to hit theaters. But that's exactly what happened when "The Mummy Returns" had the largest box-office debut ever for a film not opening over a holiday. Over the May 4 weekend, the action-adventure movie grossed an estimated $70.1 million. As of Tuesday, it had pulled in $146 million. 
Â Â Â Â Â But although the two films are linked, they are also very different projects. Except for the Scorpion King, none of the other major characters from the "Mummy" films will be involved in this spinoff. In "The Scorpion King," an evil ruler sets out to eliminate all the nomadic inhabitants of the desert. To survive, the few remaining tribes hire the assassin Mathayus (the name of the Rock's character before he is anointed Scorpion King) to kill the tyrant's all-important sorcerer. After discovering that this visionary is a woman (Kelly Hu), Mathayus takes her deep into the desert, knowing that the ruler's henchmen will attempt to rescue her. 
Â Â Â Â Â "The Mummy Returns" was loaded with special effects, but "The Scorpion King" is being described as more of an old-fashioned swashbuckler with a lot of hand-to-hand combat and sword-fighting scenes. It's an approach Johnson insisted upon before signing on for the lead role. 
Â Â Â Â Â After his years with the WWF, Johnson knows plenty about how to stage a dramatic fight scene. 
Â Â Â Â Â "The Rock has a special athleticism that's obvious, plus he's just plain fascinating to watch," says director Chuck Russell, between scenes on "The Scorpion King" set. "I haven't had so much fun blocking action scenes in my career. He can move like no one else. We're having a real problem doubling him convincingly. He is the best at doing these stunts. So he's doing a lot of [his own] stunts. It's also been a pleasant surprise that no one can sell the swordplay like the Rock. Plus, there's a sex appeal about this guy." 
Â Â Â Â Â Johnson had appeared in guest roles in a handful of television shows like "Star Trek: Voyager." But it was a gig hosting "Saturday Night Live" in March 2000 that helped him become an acting commodity. Insisting on not participating in any wrestling skits, Johnson handled a variety of comedic situations on "SNL." He even did a sketch in drag. 
Â Â Â Â Â " 'Saturday Night Live' really helped me,' said Johnson. "According to my agent, we were besieged with [acting] offers." 
Â Â Â Â Â It was Stephen Sommers, the writer-director of the two "Mummy" films, who cast Johnson in the brief role of the Scorpion King in "The Mummy Returns." But there were no plans to launch a film around Johnson's character until Kevin Misher, then president of production at Universal Pictures, became entranced by Johnson's charisma while watching dailies from "The Mummy Returns." 
Â Â Â Â Â Misher persuaded Universal Pictures Chairman Stacey Snider to green light "The Scorpion King," and Sommers agreed to write a first draft of a script. 
Â Â Â Â Â Russell says the film was originally designed as a modestly budgeted action tale. But Universal's enthusiasm increased as the movie began to unfold and interest in the Rock as an actor began to escalate. The studio heads agreed to invest more money in the project, which has meant larger battle sequences and an overall grander scope to the movie. Mary Parent, president of production at Universal Pictures, says the film has a budget of about $60 million. 
Â Â Â Â Â Russell, who directed Jim Carrey in the "The Mask" and Arnold Schwarzenegger in "Eraser," says a film like this would typically be made in another country in order to scale back production costs. He's out to prove with "The Scorpion King" that a major action film can be shot locally within a reasonable budget. 
Â Â Â Â Â "This isn't a small film," he said. "But it's being done efficiently and with substantially less money than what I made 'Eraser' for." The action-thriller had a budget upward of $70 million. 
Â Â Â Â Â "It's almost a patriotic project," Russell adds. "We're trying to show that we can do it here in America without foreign crews and locations, and make a big exotic adventure film. There are a lot of people with families that want to stay home and work. We don't want to be on the road for six months." 
Â Â Â Â Â Despite his small part in "The Mummy Returns," Johnson played a prominent role in that film's trailers, TV ads and posters. Russell and co-star Michael Clarke Duncan are among those involved with "The Scorpion King" who firmly believe the Rock can become a major action star in a genre in need of a young and compelling new hero. 
Â Â Â Â Â Part of what makes the 6-foot-5, 275-pound behemoth such an intriguing figure is that his real personality plays against the stereotype of the Neanderthal wrestler. 
Â Â Â Â Â That Johnson's good looks, muscular charisma and natural athleticism are complemented by a surprisingly soft-spoken and vulnerable nature is a key reason Universal Pictures is paying him $5.5 million to star in the "The Scorpion King." The feeling is that the 29-year-old has the potential to appeal to more than just the young males who make up the core audiences for the WWF and hard-core action films. 
Â Â Â Â Â "He's got a selflessness about him that's hard to find in this genre," Russell said. "The danger in this genre is self-aggrandizement--of the actor thinking he's the greatest thing. As we build stories around them to make them heroes, it takes a special kind of humility to still make that character an appealing figure. The Rock has got a charm and humility you rarely find in a person this dangerous. And that's interesting." 
Â Â Â Â Â During one scene in "The Scorpion King," Johnson's character has to chase down a street urchin who has absconded with the rubies that are his advance payment for killing the sorcerer. As this segment is being shot, Russell is pleased with the subtle and charming interplay between this hulking man and this tiny thief as the chase concludes. 
Â Â Â Â Â Johnson is working with acting coach Larry Moss, who has tutored such actors as Helen Hunt, Hilary Swank and Duncan. 
Â Â Â Â Â "In the WWF, my facial reactions and emotions are very large," Johnson noted, pointing out that his wrestling extravaganzas typically take place in 20,000-to 30,000-seat arenas. "The emotions I have to convey are very large. Larry has helped me tremendously. He's helped me tone things down. I've been able to convey emotions that I wouldn't usually show in WWF venues like sadness and loss. I'm still able to be evocative in the WWF but not to the extent that I can be on film." 
Â Â Â Â Â During one scene in "The Scorpion King," Johnson was faced with the challenge of reacting emotionally to the death of his character's brother. Russell says he nailed it. 
Â Â Â Â Â "I'm trying to find moments in this movie to show the Rock's heart. He has a heart as big as the sky," Russell said. 
Â Â Â Â Â "The action part is pretty easy for him," added Duncan, who earned an Academy Award nomination last year for his performance as the gentle giant in "The Green Mile." "When he learns how to really harness his emotions, he's going to be a phenomenal action hero." 
Â Â Â Â Â Johnson believes the humility that has endeared him to so many of his co-workers on the set of "The Scorpion King" stems from the tough times he's endured during his life. 
Â Â Â Â Â Born to an African American father and a Samoan mother, Johnson grew up mainly in Hawaii. Wrestling is definitely in his blood. His father, Rocky Johnson, wrestled professionally from the 1960s to the mid-'80s. His grandfather Peter Maivia also made a living as a big man in tights. 
Â Â Â Â Â When he was a teenager, Johnson says, his family's home was repossessed after his father made some ill-advised investments. To help his family out, the son took a job washing dishes between 3 and 11 p.m. at a pizza joint. 
Â Â Â Â Â At 18, a hopeful Johnson left home for the University of Miami, where he played mostly defensive tackle for the college's highly vaunted football team. But a serious back injury just before his senior season eliminated any chance of being drafted into the NFL. He eventually signed on with the Canadian Football League, where he made little money. After being cut by the Calgary team in the fall of 1995, he moved back home to live with his parents with only $7 to his name. 
Â Â Â Â Â "You leave home at 18 ready to tackle the world," he recalled. "So moving back in with my mom and dad was a tough pill to swallow." 
Â Â Â Â Â Family connections helped him land an audition with the WWF. But even after he joined the well-known wrestling league, his ascent to stardom was gradual. He recalls being paid just $35 for his first WWF match. 
Â Â Â Â Â The turning point in his wrestling career occurred when he realized the full value of developing an engaging and entertaining persona in the ring. During his WWF career, he's been a good guy and a bad guy. But whichever role he's playing, he's learned to always offer plenty of personality. 
Â Â Â Â Â "Once I grasped that it was about being the most entertaining and not about being the biggest or the baddest, my goal switched and I went to [WWF chairman] Vince [McMahon] and I said, 'I want to be the best ever,' " he explained. 
Â Â Â Â Â In recent years the Miami-based Johnson has published a best-selling autobiography, helped Martha Stewart bake cookies on her TV show, and appeared at both the Democratic and Republican 2000 conventions. Johnson says he and his agent are looking into possible movie projects with actors Chris Rock, Ben Stiller and Rob Schneider. He clearly likes the idea of doing action movies with a sense of humor. 
Â Â Â Â Â Johnson, who is about to become a father for the first time in August when his financial consultant wife, Dany, is due to deliver a baby girl, has four years remaining on his WWF contract. He's scheduled to return to the ring late this summer. Johnson says he plans to juggle both careers and believes he will always be involved in wrestling in some fashion. 
Â Â Â Â Â But it's clear that it's big-screen stardom he prizes most. From football bad boy Brian Bosworth to fellow wrestler Hulk Hogan, innumerable muscle men have tried and failed at the game of becoming the next big-film action hero. How the public responds to "The Scorpion King" will give the first--and perhaps most telling--indication of where Johnson might land. 
Â Â Â Â Â Russell says he feels energized rather than cowed by all the hype being generated around Johnson and "The Scorpion King." 
Â Â Â Â Â "I feel more pressure when I do a film like 'Eraser,' where I'm doing another movie with Arnold with a gun in his hand," Russell said. 
Â Â Â Â Â "Then I feel the pressure of, 'How can I make this special?' Now I'm making a movie that's set in 3000 BC that doesn't have anything to do with 'The Mummy' films in particular. But it's set in an imaginative, rich world that I enjoy with a brand new star that nobody knows what to expect from. To me, that's the greatest opportunity a director can have." 
- - -
Jon Matsumoto Is a Regular Contributor to Calendar


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## ewlyn (Oct 9, 2001)

*More info on The Scorpion King*

Â 
Â© 2001 FOX	Â 
The Rock receives the Choice Sleazebag award for his role in THE MUMMY RETURNS at THE TEEN CHOICE AWARDS 2001	Â 
Movie News
Duncan Talks SCORPION KING
Details of what the film isn't.
------------------------------------------------------------------------

Dateline: Tuesday, October 9, 2001

By: FRANK KURTZ
By: News Editor
Source: SCIFI.COM

In spite of the character's history as depicted in THE MUMMY RETURNS, don't expect the coming THE SCORPION KING prequel to be supernatural heavy.


While talking to SCIFI.COM, Michael Clarke Duncan spoke of the coming film, saying, "It does not have too much of the supernatural. This is all some big guy wearing little thongs and stuff like that. We had a fun time. [The film's star,] Dwayne Johnson, The Rock, really did a tremendous job."


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## spider (Oct 19, 2001)

Well, I for one never expected much supernatural stuff from this upcoming film.  Prior to his armies defeat, the Scorpion King was basically just a soldier in his own ranks...nothing special or majical.


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## ewlyn (Oct 19, 2001)

You know, that's exactly why I'm so intrigued to see it.  I'm curious to know what it will be like.  And can't wait to see Ancient Egypt in it since we've only been allowed glimpses up until now!!


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## spider (Oct 23, 2001)

I saw the preview in my tape of the Mummy Returns...SK looks good.  The only thing I wish they did differently(so far)is keep the language all in ancient egyptian with english subtitles...though that would be hard for an entire movie.


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## ewlyn (Oct 28, 2001)

It would be cool though.

Except, only the diehards, like you and I, would probably enjoy it. Most people would probably be driven nuts by it. I have enough trouble trying to get people to go see subtitled films with me. *sigh*


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## ewlyn (Oct 31, 2001)

Actress Kelly Hu has been talking about her gig in the coming THE MUMMY RETURNS prequel, THE SCORPION KING.

While talking to SCIFI.COM, Hu spoke of her role in the film, a sorceress named Cassandra, saying, "I work with snakes, and I foretell the future, and then there's some kick-ass stuff at the end."

Hu also revealed that the film's opening will focus on the origins of the title character. That sequence will be filled with effects shots. ON that latter point, the actress says, "We did some green-screen stuff, because we had to build the entire city of Gommorah, and we did some special-effects stuff. I did this really cool thing called cyberscan, where they scan your whole body and your head and everything, and then they do dolls of us."

THE SCORPION KING is scheduled to hit screens in April 2002.


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## Raw_suwedge (Feb 22, 2002)

*The Scorpion King*

Hey yâ€™allâ€¦any Mummy fans? I think The Mummy was one of the tightest moviesâ€¦The Mummy Returns was also kick ass, and the special effects were so freakin awesome, especially in the intro with the battle scene and ancient egypt and all that stuff. Does anyone have the DVD for The Mummy Returns?? Iâ€™d like to know what the extras in it are so I know whether to buy it or not. What do you guys all think of The Scorpion King? I found the trailer at the-scorpion-king.com and it looks sick.  If any of you guys see that let me know what you guys think of it. Aiight, catch yâ€™all later!


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## Lonewolf89 (Feb 22, 2002)

I wouldn't mind seeing the _Scorpion King_ for curiosity's sake, but 'The Rock' acting, with words?? Scary.


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## tokyogirl (Jun 12, 2002)

has anyone else seen this yet cause i did and i loved it!


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## rune (Aug 20, 2006)

*Re: Info on The Scorpion King*

Sorry I thought this was pants


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