'The Mummy' shoot starts at the coast

PRODUCTION of the Namibian component of ‘The Mummy’ started last week, once again making Namibia a key set of what could be another Hollywood blockbuster.

“Namibia has welcomed us with open arms. Only because of all of the amazing hard working Namibian crew, and the warm hospitality we have received from them and the community, are we able to accomplish the work at hand. Thank you to everyone in Namibia involved in making our dream of shooting here a reality. We feel proud to showcase the breathtaking landscape of Namibia in our film,” said ‘The Mummy’ producer Sean Daniel.

Universal’s publicist for ‘The Mummy’, Claire Raskind, told The Namibian that production has been on the ground in Namibia for two months already preparing for the shoot, which started last week. She said there are about 10 filming locations in Erongo.

Two of these are behind the dune belt between Swakopmund and Walvis Bay, while another is at Rössing mountain. “The base camps of trucks and trailers are like small towns of their own,” she said.

She added that 650 people make up the shooting crew on the ground in Namibia, of which 200 jobs are local Namibian crew. Other crew are from South Africa and the United Kingdom. All of the crew are based at Swakopmund.

“Namibian residents are employed in every film crew department from transportation to wardrobe, catering to make-up, construction to camera, and sound to background extras,” she said.

According to her, Swakopmund’s economy is benefitting from the production as crew are shopping, renting and dining locally while also making use of local tourist activities.

Raskind lauded the’Namibia Film Commission and local government, including the ministry of environment and tourism, the Coastal Tourism Association of Namibia and police departments for being “extremely helpful to make a film of this scope happen”.

‘The Mummy’ is an all-new cinematic version of the legend that has fascinated cultures all over the world since the dawn of civilisation.

“Thought safely entombed in a crypt deep beneath the unforgiving desert, an ancient queen (Sofia Boutella of ‘Kingsman: The Secret Service’ and ‘Star Trek Beyond’) whose destiny was unjustly taken from her is awakened in our current day, bringing with her malevolence grown over millennia and terrors that defy human comprehension. From the sweeping sands of the Middle East through hidden labyrinths under modern-day London, ‘The Mummy’ brings a surprising intensity and balance of wonder and thrills in an imaginative new take that ushers in a new world of gods and monsters,” a statement from Universal reads.

Tom Cruise is joined by a cast including Annabelle Wallis, Jake Johnson, Courtney B Vance and Oscar winner Russell Crowe.

The creative team on this action-adventure is led by director/producer Alex Kurtzman and producer Chris Morgan, who have been instrumental in growing some of the most successful franchises of the past several years – with Kurtzman writing or producing entries in the ‘Transformers’, ‘Star Trek’ and ‘Mission Impossible’ series, and Morgan being the narrative engineer of the ‘Fast & Furious’ saga as it has experienced explosive growth from its third chapter on.

Sean Daniel, who produced the most recent Mummy trilogy, produces alongside Kurtzman and Morgan.

Although information on the whereabouts of the cast is limited, The Namibian does understand that they are at Swakopmund. The Namibian also understands that Tom Cruise did arrive at the Walvis Bay airport last Wednesday and apparently will not use a car to get to his shoot locations but will make use of a helicopter.

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