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Stephen Sommers

Stephen Sommers

Writer, producer and director, also actor · Born March 20, 1962 (64) · Indianapolis, Indiana, USA

Stephen Sommers (born March 20, 1962) is an American film director, screenwriter and producer, best known for big-budget action films, such as The Mummy (1999), its sequel, The Mummy Returns (2001), Van Helsing (2004), and G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra (2009). He also directed The Adventures of Huck Finn (1993), Disney's first live-action version of Rudyard Kipling's The Jungle Book (1994), and the action-horror film Deep Rising (1998). Description above from the Wikipedia article Stephen Sommers, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.

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Biography from TMDB.

Born
March 20, 1962 (64)
From
Indianapolis, Indiana, USA
Works as
Writer, producer and director, also actor
Titles
20 on MovieCove · 25 credits in all
Links
IMDb (opens in a new tab)TMDB (opens in a new tab)Official site (opens in a new tab)Wikidata (opens in a new tab)

Known for

TMDB popularity, last 157 days to Oct 28Up 16% in 30 days

What are Stephen Sommers' films like?

Across their 22 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Morality and Bonds.

Genres

Action13 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 21st percentile
: browse their Action movies
Adventure3 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 46th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Adventure movies
Documentary2 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 56th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Documentary movies

Their MovieCove films by primary genre. The badge is the typical Midcredits score of the genre's films, the median percentile; an up arrow marks a genre at or above their average across these genres.

Themes

share of theme weight
Morality
30%
Bonds
25%
Power
16%
Self
9%
Ideas
8%
Survival
7%
Society
6%
Justice6 titles, browse their movies with this themeFriendship5 titles, browse their movies with this themeFamily bonds4 titles, browse their movies with this themeSurvival4 titles, browse their movies with this themeSacrifice4 titles, browse their movies with this themeFreedom3 titles, browse their movies with this themeArt2 titles, browse their movies with this themeAmbition2 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 22 films
ToneFeelDemandtheir average · filled zone: the category
Light: How heavy the subject matter and outlook get. Browse their light movies.
Tone · Weight
lightdark

Light 11 · Serious 11 · Dark 0

Stylized: How far its world departs from everyday reality. Browse their stylized movies.
Tone · Style
naturalisticheightened

Grounded 5 · Stylized 11 · Heightened 6

Charged: How hard the emotional peaks hit while you watch. Browse their charged movies.
Feel · Intensity
gentleintense

Gentle 4 · Charged 9 · Intense 9

Shifting: How much it swings between very different feelings. Browse their shifting movies.
Feel · Swings
steadyswings

Steady 7 · Shifting 14 · Whiplash 1

Some laughs: How much of the runtime is played for laughs. Browse their some laughs movies.
Feel · Humor
noneconstant

Straight-faced 5 · Some laughs 14 · Funny 3

Even-paced: How fast it moves from scene to scene. Browse their even-paced movies.
Demand · Pace
slowrelentless

Slow burn 3 · Even-paced 11 · Relentless 8

Casual: How much focus it asks of you — look away and lose the thread? Browse their casual movies.
Demand · Attention
casualfull focus

Casual 14 · Engaged 8 · Full focus 0

Resolved: How much is left for you to interpret. Browse their resolved movies.
Demand · Resolution
resolvedambiguous

Resolved 21 · Open-ended 1 · Ambiguous 0

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Thrilling
16
Tense
8
Warm
5
Hopeful
7
Contemplative
4
Other
15

How their films linger

Fun15 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteFeel-good9 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteRousing8 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHopeful5 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteBittersweet2 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteCozy2 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end · 1 with a twist

  • Happy16
  • Bittersweet3
  • Ambiguous1
  • Cyclical2

AI-generated from each title's plot synopsis and cast list, with extra plot summaries, reviews and Parents Guide notes for titles the model may not know, and the model's own knowledge of the ones it recognizes. Only analyzed titles count, so this covers part of the filmography; the feel axes count films only for now.

Where can I watch Stephen Sommers' films?

As of October 24, 2026, 15 of their 20 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on The Roku Channel (7).

Subscription and free streaming for Stephen Sommers' titles on MovieCove; rent and buy are not counted. Titles are listed by Midcredits score, highest first, at most 12 per service; a dashed chip is a producer credit or a minor one, such as a thanks. A service opens the browse page, which counts movies only, so its number can differ.

Filmography

25 credits, 20 with a MovieCove page; 5 appearances as themselves are hidden until asked for.

  • Untitled Mummy Sequel (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2027)

    Characters

  • The Scorpion King: Book of Souls(2018)

    Executive Producer

    Midcredits score: 9th percentile of all films

  • The Scorpion King 4: Quest for Power(2015)

    Executive Producer

    Midcredits score: 4th percentile of all films

  • G.I. Joe: Retaliation(2013)

    Executive Producer

    Midcredits score: 28th percentile of all films

  • Odd Thomas(2013)

    Director · Producer · Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 73rd percentile of all films

  • The Scorpion King 3: Battle for Redemption(2012)

    Executive Producer

    Midcredits score: 3rd percentile of all films

  • G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra(2009)

    Director · Executive Producer · Story

    Midcredits score: 29th percentile of all films

  • The Scorpion King 2: Rise of a Warrior(2008)

    Characters · Producer

    Midcredits score: 3rd percentile of all films

  • The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor(2008)

    Producer · Writer

    Midcredits score: 15th percentile of all films

  • Van Helsing(2004)

    Director · Producer · Writer

    Midcredits score: 47th percentile of all films

  • Van Helsing: The London Assignment(2004)

    Producer

    Midcredits score: 45th percentile of all films

  • The Scorpion King(2002)

    Characters · Producer · Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 21st percentile of all films

  • The Mummy: The Animated Series (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2001)

    Show Creator

  • The Mummy Returns(2001)

    Director · Writer

    Midcredits score: 57th percentile of all films

  • The Mummy(1999)

    Director · Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 85th percentile of all films

  • Deep Rising(1998)

    Director · Writer

    Midcredits score: 48th percentile of all films

  • Oliver Twist(1997)

    Co-Executive Producer · Writer

    Midcredits score: 51st percentile of all films

  • Tom and Huck(1995)

    Executive Producer · Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 27th percentile of all films

  • The Jungle Book(1994)

    Director · Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 46th percentile of all films

  • Gunmen(1993)

    Writer

    Midcredits score: 20th percentile of all films

  • The Adventures of Huck Finn(1993)

    Director · Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 50th percentile of all films

  • Terror Eyes (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1989)

    Director

  • Catch Me If You Can(1989)

    Director · Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 51st percentile of all films

  • Perfect Alibi (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1988)

    Director · Screenplay

  • When Worlds Collide (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)

    Director · Producer · Screenplay

Career shape

A full career of 24 titles, 22 of them dated from 1988 to 2018.

Biggest box office

The Mummy Returns (2001)

$444M worldwide

Highest rated

The Mummy (1999)

Midcredits 85th

By role

only this rolewith another role
Directing12 of 24: 1 only directing, 11 with another role · typical Midcredits score50thWriting16 of 24: 2 only writing, 14 with another role · typical Midcredits score47thProducing13 of 24: 6 only producing, 7 with another role · typical Midcredits score24thOther crew1 of 24: 1 only other crew, 0 with another role

24 titles, 14 with more than one role — writing and producing overlap on 7 of them.

By decade

1980s3 · crew1990s7 · crew2000s7 · crew2010s5 · crew

Counts from TMDB across their full career, self appearances out; a title counts in every role they held on it. The ring is the typical Midcredits score (the median percentile) of the role's titles that are on MovieCove, shown from 5 scored.

How do Stephen Sommers' films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 37th percentile, the median of all 20; across their 22 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 46th percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

46thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 22

Approval · how many liked their films

39thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 22

Reach · how many have seen their films

88thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 22

Midcredits score across 20 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up1
  • 50th to 74th5
  • 25th to 49th7
  • Below 25th7

Shape of the crowd

9 of their 20 titles are Mixed.

  • Universally Panned2
  • Crowd Pleaser7
  • Broadly Agreed2
  • Mixed9

Most divisive · director, writer

Catch Me If You Can (1989)

64th percentile spread · 17% rated it 4 or lower

Most loved · director, writer

The Mummy (1999)

Midcredits 85th · 74% liked

Reviewers score the dialogue 38/100 and the plot and story 38/100 in their films, across 20 reviewed titles. The element that speaks to their work as a writer.

Percentiles are each film's standing among all films on MovieCove; the typical film is the median, so one outlier cannot drag it. Percentiles and reviewer scores count the films IMDb credits them on, for now; the Midcredits score bands, the shape of the crowd and the two cards count their MovieCove titles, shows included (a show ranked among shows), appearances as themselves left out. A descriptor is the shape of a title's IMDb rating distribution against the catalog; "most divisive" needs a spread wider than half of all titles, and a card names only a principal credit: a craft role, and on a show a crew role or a run of episodes, never a courtesy credit or a one-off guest spot.

Is Stephen Sommers' work okay for kids?

Across up to 14 MovieCove titles with content scores, violence & gore and frightening / intense run heavier than most films.

Their medianMedian of all filmsMiddle 80% of their titles
Violence & Gore10 titles54–72 · median 64 · intenseheavier than most filmsMedian of all films: 44
Sex & Nudity14 titles14–52 · median 27 · mildnear the median of all filmsMedian of all films: 32
Profanity10 titles23–45 · median 36 · moderatenear the median of all filmsMedian of all films: 36
Alcohol & Drugs10 titles23–36 · median 29 · mildnear the median of all filmsMedian of all films: 33
Frightening / Intense11 titles53–73 · median 56 · moderateheavier than most filmsMedian of all films: 39

Severity 0–100 from the Content Guide. Categories with under 10 votes on a title are not counted. The band's colour is the severity of their median, named beside it.

Who does Stephen Sommers work with?

People who share at least 2 of Stephen Sommers' MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Bob Ducsay shares the most, 10.

Writers

Actors

Composers, cinematographers and editors

Producers