What began in 2002 as a spin-off of The Mummy series grew into a series of its own franchise with the many The Scorpion King films. In Hollywood, prequels, sequels, and spinoffs are often necessary to help clarify or expound storylines and plots. However, with The Scorpion King film series, audiences have perhaps had too many movies, with five films and an upcoming reboot movie in the franchise.
The franchise revolves around the life and times of Mathayus, a skilled Egyptian warrior who eventually becomes the Scorpion King. The Scorpion King character first appeared in The Mummy (1999) sequel, The Mummy Returns (2001). To help solve the mystery surrounding the character, filmmaker Stephen Sommers created a spin-off that focuses on The Scorpion King.
All FIVE Scorpion King Films Explained
The Scorpion King (2002) stars Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson playing the character, Mathayus and, eventually, the Scorpion King. As a prequel, the movie is set 5,000 years before the events in The Mummy and The Mummy Returns. As a skilled assassin, Mathayus is hired by King Pheron to kill Memnon, an evil leader of a horde of warriors. After suffering defeat, Mathayus teams up with a group of rebels, including Memnon’s sorcerer, Cassandra, to defeat Memnon. After successfully defeating Memnon, Mathayus is proclaimed the Scorpion King.
The Scorpion King 2: Rise of a Warrior (2008) is actually a prequel to The Scorpion King. It follows the life of a young Mathayus (played by Michael Coupon) who watches an evil military commander, Sargon, kill his father. The storyline gives a background of how his quest for vengeance turned him into the skilled assassin that King Pheron would hire to kill Memnon.
The Scorpion King 3: Battle for Redemption (2012) is a direct sequel to The Scorpion King (2002). Victor Webster replaces Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson as Mathayus. With the death of his wife, sorceress Cassandra, Mathayus becomes a mercenary hired by Horus, King of Egypt. The film’s events set the stage for the Book of the Dead to be used in The Mummy (1999) and then the Scorpion King’s appearance in The Mummy Returns.
The Scorpion King 4: Quest for Power (2015) is a sequel to The Scorpion King 3. Victor Webster reprises his role as Mathayus, the Scorpion King. The plot follows Mathayus searching for and trying to retrieve the Urn of Kings for King Zakkour of Al-Moraad.
The Scorpion King: Book of Souls (2018) is the fifth and final film in the original The Scorpion King series. Mathayus, the Scorpion King, is played by Zach McGowan and sees the character on a mission to find the Book of Souls, a powerful ancient artifact. Mathayus teams up with Tala, the daughter of the King of Nubia, Balthazar, to stop and kill Nebserek.
The Scorpion King Films Have Some Surprisingly Strong Casting
The Scorpion King film series has so far been a commercial success. Although the last four films in the series were released on straight-to-video, Box Office earnings of The Scorpion King (2002) were an estimated $180.6 million on a budget of $60 million. Undoubtedly, part of the reason for its success and the repeated sequels would be the surprisingly strong casting the franchise has had over the years.
Besides the casting of Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson (his first credited role in film), Michael Coupon, and Zach McGowan, other notable names have starred in the film series. Bernard Hill and Michael Clarke Duncan play Philos and Balthazar in the first The Scorpion King movie. Karen David and Randy Couture play Layla and Sargon/Sarkhan in The Scorpion King 2: Rise of a Warrior (2008).
In The Scorpion King 3: Battle for Redemption (2012), Dave Bautista and Ron Perlman play Agromael and King Horus. Barry Bostwick makes an appearance in The Scorpion King 4: Quest for Power (2015). Then, in The Scorpion King: Book of Souls (2018), Peter Mensah, known for his role in 300 and 300: Rise of an Empire, plays the role of the Nubian God-King, Nebserek.
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