The Mummy Returns is a 2001 American adventure horror film written and directed by Stephen Sommers, starring Brendan Fraser, Rachel Weisz, John Hannah, Arnold Vosloo, Oded Fehr, Patricia Velásquez, Freddie Boath, Alun Armstrong, and Dwayne Johnson in his film acting debut. The film is a sequel to the 1999 film The Mummy and was distributed by Universal Pictures. The Mummy Returns inspired the 2002 prequel film The Scorpion King, a spin-off that is set 5,000 years prior and whose eponymous character, played by Dwayne Johnson (The Rock), was introduced in this film. The Mummy Returns was a commercial success despite mixed reviews. Plot In 3067 BC, a fearsome warrior known as the Scorpion King leads an army to conquer the world. However, they are eventually defeated and exiled to the desert of Ahm Shere. Dying, the Scorpion King vows to give Anubis his soul in return for the power to defeat his enemies. Anubis accepts, magically conjuring an oasis and golden pyramid, and giving the Scorpion King an army of jackal-like warriors to conquer Egypt. However, once his task is finished, Anubis claims the Scorpion King's soul and the army is returned to the Underworld. In 1933, Rick O'Connell and his wife Evelyn explore ancient ruins with their son, Alex, finding the Bracelet of Anubis. In London, the bracelet locks onto Alex, showing him visions directing him to Ahm Shere. Evelyn is attacked and captured by a cult who resurrect Imhotep with the Book of the Dead; they wish to use his power to defeat the Scorpion King, which would give them command of Anubis' army. The cult, led by museum curator Baltus Hafez, includes enforcer Lock-Nah and Meela Nais, the physical reincarnation of Imhotep's love Anck-su-namun. Rick and Alex set out to rescue Evelyn with the help of her brother Jonathan, who had gotten his hands on a mysterious golden scepter, and the Medjai Ardeth Bay, who has returned to help them. Rick frees Evelyn after a massive battle, but Alex is soon after kidnapped and forced to lead the cult with his visions from the bracelet. The O'Connells pursue them with Rick's associate Izzy. Along the way, Alex leaves clues for his parents, who follow in Izzy's dirigible. Imhotep uses the Book of the Dead to restore Anck-su-namun's soul into Meela's body, but by doing so, he unwittingly allows Evelyn to unlock the memories of her previous life