In 2008, Journey to the Centre of the Earth appeared to be Brendan Fraser’s next big action franchise, taking The Mummy’s place, but Dwayne Johnson eventually took over. Fraser played one of the most iconic roles in The Mummy, and all three movies—yes, even the third one—performed well at the box office worldwide. Following such great success, it was only natural for the actor to join an action franchise with a similar tone, and Journey to the Centre of the Earth seemed like a good fit. Sadly, things didn’t work out that way.

The 1999 Mummy movie was a critical and cultural success even though it only brought in $156 million at the worldwide box office. With a mostly comedic filmography at the time, Fraser was the epitome of the action hero, and fans begged for more. Global audiences were excited and prepared to purchase tickets for The Mummy Returns by the time it opened in 2001, and the movie brought in an astounding $433 million. The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor from 2008 made it obvious that the series was coming to an end. But Fraser had a successor ready for that same year.

Could’ve Been Brendan Fraser’s The Mummy Replacement in Journey to the Centre of the Earth

The Mummy and Fraser’s Journey to the Centre of the Earth felt alike.

Despite being geared at a younger audience than The Mummy, Journey to the Centre of the Earth (2008) maintained that thrilling, almost camp vibe. Fraser played Professor Trevor Anderson in the movie, which followed a similar style of fusing comedy with action. The actor’s portrayal of the role was equally endearing as Rick O’Connell’s in The Mummy. Naturally, as an explorer and scholar, Professor Andersen resembled both Rick from Fraser and Evelyn from Rachel Weisz. Scary creatures, amazing landscapes, and daring adventures were all present in Journey to the Centre of the Earth—everything that makes a fantastic The Mummy substitute.

Because the movie was based on Jules Verne’s beloved book of the same name, Journey to the Centre of the Earth had an advantage over The Mummy. The novel was first published in 1864, and though it didn’t have any direct sequels, Verne wrote several books of a similar flavor. Five Weeks in a Balloon, The Mysterious Island, From Earth to the Moon, and more could all be adapted as continuations, which meant Fraser’s Journey series could’ve had even more lasting power than The Mummy.

Journey To The Center Of The Earth Was A Box Office Success – But Couldn’t Beat The Mummy

The first Journey to the Centre of the Earth film had a promising beginning.

Not only did Journey to the Center of the Earth effectively continue Fraser’s career in action, but it performed reasonably well at the box office. The $244 million global gross was no slouch and was considerably more than the first The Mummy movie brought in a decade earlier. Of course, Journey didn’t quite compare to Fraser’s The Mummy sequels, which made a combined $835 million globally. Still, it was a great start, and with such an exceptional profit, there was every reason to believe that future sequels would perform even better.

It was a great start, and with such an exceptional profit, there was every reason to believe that future sequels would perform even better.A Journey to the Center of the Earth sequel was confirmed shortly after the first movie was released, and the film finally became a reality in 2012. Journey 2: The MysteriousIsland was based on another of Verne’s books and saw the return of Josh Hutcherson, who played Fraser’s nephew, Sean. Unfortunately, Fraser himself did not return since Dwayne Johnson came in to play the lead instead.
Why Did Dwayne Johnson Replace Brendan Fraser For Journey To The Center Of The Earth 2?

Dwayne Johnson Took Over Journey 2: The Mysterious Island

There haven’t been any definitive answers given about why Johnson starred in the Journey to the Center of the Earth sequel instead of Fraser. The most common report indicates that the The Mummy star was only interested in returning if Eric Brevig returned to direct. Unfortunately, Brevig was too busy working on Yogi Bear, and Brad Peyton took over on Journey 2: The Mysterious Island. So, Fraser stepped back, and Johnson was cast to play Hank Parsons, the step-dad to Hutcherson’s Sean Anderson.
Of course, Fraser’s work in Hollywood shifted after 2008, and the actor played very few leading roles in the following years. It’s possible that the circumstances that led to this are also responsible for his recasting in the Journey franchise. Regardless of the reason, Johnson taking over in Journey to the Center of the Earth 2 meant that Fraser’s role never had the full opportunity to effectively carry on where The Mummy left off. However, with the actor’s triumphant return to Hollywood and our current age of reboots and distant sequels, no one knows what could happen going forward.