In case you didn’t hear, “The Mummy” story is being rebooted—yet again. Alex Kurtzman and Tom Cruise effectively derailed it with their 2017 remake, and this new take, written and directed by Lee Cronin (“Evil Dead Rise”), is supposed to be another attempt to revive the franchise from the ground up.
Hard to believe, but the aptly titled “Lee Cronin’s The Mummy,” from Atomic Monster, Blumhouse Productions, and New Line Cinema, hits theaters in just 12 days. There’s just a slight problem with timing of this release.
Originally rumored to be retitled “The Resurrected” in an attempt to distance itself from the “Mummy” IP, the film now faces the unfortunate timing of coming out shortly after the news that Brendan Fraser and Rachel Weisz are reuniting for a fourth installment in the “Mummy” franchise, which isn’t set to release until 2028.
It’s now gotten to the point where Blumhouse has taken the unusual step of posting daily reminders on X that Brendan Fraser isn’t in the movie. lol.
They’ve done this four times already and become the butt of widespread ridicule, to the point that the film is actually benefiting from the jokes, with more people becoming aware that it exists. At this point, there’s no reason for Blumhouse to stop tweeting these daily reminders as it’s only making the film gain more traction.
The film actually stars Jack Reynor, joined by Laia Costa, May Calamawy, Natalie Grace, and Veronica Falcón. If anything, Cronin, who earned praise for “Evil Dead Rise,” hasn’t delivered a token PG-13-friendly “Mummy” in the style of the Fraser films. Instead, the gore has reportedly been dialed up to extreme levels.
“Lee Cronin’s The Mummy” hits theaters on April 17 — it does not star Brendan Fraser.
We're about seven weeks out, and there's been barely any buzz. The rollout has been weak, especially for a movie built around Tarantino, Fincher, and Pitt.