2002 film by Chuck Russell
The Scorpion King is a 2002 action adventure film directed by Chuck Russell. The film stars Dwayne Johnson (credited as The Rock) as the lead, with Steven Brand, Kelly Hu, Grant Heslov, and Michael Clarke Duncan in supporting roles. It is both a prequel and spin-off of The Mummy franchise and launched The Scorpion King film series. The film was Johnson's first lead role.
The events of The Scorpion King take place 5,001 years before the events of The Mummy and The Mummy Returns, revealing the origins of Mathayus and his rise to power as the Scorpion King. This name is a reference to a historical king of the Protodynastic Period of Egypt, King Scorpion. The film was released on April 19, 2002 by Universal Pictures. The film received mixed reviews and grossed $178.8 million worldwide against a production budget of $60 million.
Plot summary adapted from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.