A Night at the Museum reboot is in the works, and while it’s set to introduce a new cast of characters, there’s one terrible historical figure from the original movies who deserves more screen time this time around.
The Night at the Museum trilogy was a chaotic, history-flavored joyride that gave kids (and let’s be honest, adults) a crash course in world events… mostly via slapstick. Waxy Teddy Roosevelt rode a horse indoors, a tiny cowboy nearly died in an hourglass, and Rami Malek wore eyeliner before it was cool.
They were silly, yes, but also kind of magical. Then came the 2022 animated sequel, Kahmunrah Rises Again, which was fun but entirely forgettable. But with reboot plans now in motion, there’s another shot at recapturing what made the first films work.
The new Night at the Museum, from Shawn Levy and Dan Levine’s 21 Laps and Stuber writer Tripper Clancy, promises a fresh story and all-new characters. While wiping the tablet clean is great and all, I think it’s also the perfect opportunity to dust off one of the more underused gems of the franchise’s ensemble: Ivan the Terrible.
Night in the Museum reboot should resurrect Ivan the Terrible
Ivan the Terrible – yes, the 16th-century Tsar who once accidentally killed his own son with a walking stick – briefly appeared in Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian as part of Kahmunrah’s villainous trio.
Played by Christopher Guest, Ivan was paired with Al Capone and Napoleon in what might be the strangest historical boy band of all time. Their job? Comedic bickering and light intimidation before the real plot kicked off.
Honestly, he kind of worked. Guest’s Ivan was absurd and intense in the best way. The accent was thick, the eyebrows thicker, and every line delivery screamed “murderous bureaucrat trapped in a slapstick movie.”
But then… he was gone. Forgotten, like a discarded Fabergé egg. This feels like a missed opportunity, but one that can be remedied now that a reboot is underway.
Yes, he played a small role, but Ivan’s actual history is rich with cinematic potential. He ruled Russia through fear and paranoia, founded the first iteration of the secret police (the oprichniki), and set the tone for centuries of autocratic rule.
He’s basically a walking cautionary tale with a crown. The reboot doesn’t have to turn him into a history lecture, but it could give the character some depth – or at least more than three lines and a pouty sneer.
Plus, reintroducing Ivan could pave the way for something even better, a team-up with another delightfully deranged ruler who’s never set foot in the franchise: Vlad the Impaler. That’s right, history’s original Dracula.
Rumors (or perhaps just fan casting) swirled in the 2010s that Sacha Baron Cohen could play Vlad in a Night at the Museum sequel. Maybe now is the time to make that happen. Imagine the comedic potential of pairing a paranoid Russian tsar with the guy who inspired generations of vampire lore.
After all, Night at the Museum works best when it lets history get weird. Bringing back Ivan the Terrible would be fun, but letting him team up with a bloodthirsty rival would make it a reboot worth digging up.
L'estensione Password di iCloud adesso supporta Firefox su Windows