“The Mummy” franchise has been officially revived. Brendan Fraser and Rachel Weisz have closed deals to reprise their roles of adventurer Rick and Egyptologist Evelyn O’Connell in the sequel.
Although plot details are currently being kept under wraps, Universal has dated this new ‘Mummy’ movie, directed by Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett (“Ready or Not”), for a wide theatrical release on May 19, 2028. David Coggeshall (“The Family Plan”) wrote the screenplay.
The 1999 original was written and directed by Stephen Sommers and was a remake of the 1932 film of the same name. Despite mixed reviews, it was a commercial success and grossed over $416M worldwide. The film’s success spawned two sequels: 2001’s “The Mummy Returns,” which also grossed over $400M, and 2008’s “The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor.”
The franchise abruptly ended after ‘Tomb of the Dragon Emperor,’ budgeted at $175M, barely made a profit. Word is that this fourth film will “disregard the events” in ‘Tomb of the Dragon’ — they’re pretending it never existed.
The franchise plays like an Indiana Jones–style adventure, mixing swashbuckling action, romance, and touches of horror in a lush period setting. The original film stars Fraser as a fearless treasure hunter who journeys to 1920s Egypt alongside a librarian, portrayed by Weisz, only to accidentally unleash a supernaturally powerful high priest.
Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett, who go by Radio Silence, have a horror-heavy filmography, which includes “Ready or Not,” “Abigail,” “Scream” (2022), and “Scream VI.” They recently wrapped a “Ready or Not” sequel and are attached to direct an Art Bell Biopic. In terms of budget, “The Mummy 4” will easily be the biggest film of their career so far.
As for Fraser, he is very much in the comeback phase of his career. In 2023, he won an Oscar for “The Whale” and has been piling up projects ever since. He was briefly in Martin Scorsese’s “Killers of the Flower Moon” and recently starred in Hikari’s fall-fest hit “Rental Family.”
Lars Von Trier is working on the 15th—and likely final—film of his career, “After,” and according to his producer, Peter Aalbæk Jensen, the screenplay is supposed to be completed this month