Brendan Fraser Coming Back to Disney For New Project!

In 1997, Disney took a new and hilarious look at the classic tale of Tarzan with its live-action movie, George of the Jungle. The movie starred Brendan Fraser as George, a young boy who was raised in the jungle by a family of apes when he was the only survivor of a plane crash. George’s world is thrown upside down when he rescues the beautiful Ursula before she is attacked by a lion while on safari. George and Ursula slowly fall in love while they learn how to live in each other’s worlds.

Related: Brendan Fraser Confirmed For Popular Disney World Event!

While Disney did make a sequel film in 2003, Brendan Fraser was not a part of it. He has appeared in a number of movies since George of the Jungle, even several that were produced by Disney subsidiaries. And now, Fraser is back at the Mouse House for his first big role since his Oscar-winning role in The Whale. 

Deadline Hollywood is reporting that Fraser has signed on to the lead role in a new film called Rental Family. Per Deadline:

After taking his time in finding his next big role after winning this year’s Best Actor Oscar, Brendan Fraser looks to have zeroed in on that role as sources tell Deadline he is set to star in Searchlight’s Rental Family. Beef helmer Hikari will direct from a script she co-wrote with Stephen Blahut.

The story follows follows a down-and-out actor living in Tokyo who is hired as a token American guy for a Japanese rental-family company, leading him on an unexpected journey of self-discovery through the roles he plays in other people’s lives.

Throughout his more than 30 years in Hollywood, Fraser has maintained a steady career. He has starred in a number of notable films and television shows, including Encino Man, Journey to the Center of the Earth, King of the Hill, and Scrubs. He also starred as Rick O’Connell in the smash-hit Mummy franchise. Fraser recently starred in the Martin Scorsese film, Killers of the Flower Moon.

At one point, Fraser seemed like he could not be stopped, then, in 2009, his career started to have its ups and downs. Then, in 2018, he accused the president of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, Philip Berk, of a 2003 sexual assault. Berk denied the claims and called Fraser a liar. Between the attacks by Berk, the death of his mother, and his divorce, Fraser took a big step back from the limelight.

Then, in 2022, Fraser shot back into the spotlight when he starred as Charlie in the critically acclaimed film, The Whale. Charlie is a morbidly obese man who has shit himself off from the world. However, he is determined to fix his strained relationship with his teenage daughter, Ellie. Ellie was played by Stranger Things star, Sadie Sink. Fraser won the Academy Award for Best Actor for his role.

Rental Family will be produced by Searchlight Pictures, which was acquired by Disney when it purchased 21st Century Fox in 2019. Blahut and Tomo Koizumi will serve as executive producers. The film is expected to begin filming in Japan this spring. We do not yet know who else is signed on to star in the film.

What is your favorite Brendan Fraser film? Let us know in the comments!