The Mummy: Clive Barker reminisces on his unmade ’80s reboot

Last Updated on August 2, 2021

So this interesting! Horror master Clive Barker (Hellraiser, Rawhead Rex) was recently a guest on Mick Garris' (Critters 2) podcast Post Mortem, and the filmmaker discussed – among many things – an unrealized R-rated Mummy reboot he was working wtih Garris on in the '80s that unfortunately never materialized.

Here's what he had to say about it:  

It had the first gender change.. transsexual… so we were ahead of the curve…So there’s a boy born… a boy-child born at the beginning of the narrative, who is obviously significant in the narrative…but we cut twenty years and there’s no sign of this guy. Apparently. There is a wonderfully strange, mysterious woman who is part of the narrative, a very important part of the narrative – I don’t want to say too much because we’re gonna make this one day…I hope…we should talk to Netflix…”

The little boy…who is born at the beginning of the narrative…has become this exquisite woman. And a major part of a modern day narrative about The Mummy. But this is our naivete, Mick. How could we ever have thought, in 1989, when we turned this in, that they would say, ‘Ah, great!’ I think I’ve had a slightly naïve attitude [towards] the suits.

Maybe our Mummy can be a movie [today].

Honestly, that sounds really intriguing, and it is unfortunate the homophobic social climate of the '80s (an honestly overrated decade – some fun pop culture ephemora aside). And, as Barker said, maybe a more egalitarian streaming distribution model might let this project finally see the light of day! Who knows?   

Meanwhile, Barker recently helped develop the Books of Blood streaming series for Hulu last year, while there currently are no confirmed plans for a new Mummy film after the 2017 Tom Cruise-led disaster. Maybe this can fill in the gap?