Byron Lafayette
Thats right! The Mummy 4 is happening!
There may not be many franchises as iconic as Universal’s The Mummy series. Premiering in 1999, the film focused on a treasure hunter named Rick O’Connell and an Egyptologist named Evelyn Carnahan who find themselves battling ancient curses after accidentally awakening a powerful mummified priest.
The program quickly gained a worldwide fandom of millions who returned for the sequels to experience more action-packed adventures. However, the films also took time to develop their characters in a rich and entertaining way, balancing supernatural horror with romance and humor in a way that made audiences genuinely care about what happened to Rick and Evelyn.
One of the most popular elements was the dynamic between The Mummy‘s Rick O’Connell and Evelyn Carnahan, played by Brendan Fraser and Rachel Weisz. Their performances helped turn the 1999 film into a massive box office success, grossing over $422.5 million worldwide and launching a reliable franchise for Universal.
But did you know that this franchise is making a comeback? Brendan Fraser and Rachel Weisz are in talks to return for a new Mummy movie at Universal Pictures, with Radio Silence’s Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett set to direct.
What’s Happening with The Mummy 4
The filmmaking duo Radio Silence will direct from a script by David Coggeshall, with franchise veteran Sean Daniel returning to produce alongside William Sherak, James Vanderbilt, and Paul Neinstein of Project X Entertainment.
Radio Silence is best known for their work on 2019’s Ready or Not and for reviving the Scream franchise with successful entries in 2022 and 2023. Their experience blending horror with other genres makes them an intriguing choice for continuing the Mummy franchise.
According to sources, this fourth film will disregard the events of 2008’s The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor , which featured Fraser but replaced Weisz with Maria Bello. This decision allows the filmmakers to continue directly from where the first two films left off.
Two Different Mummy Projects in Development
Then a curious thing happens. This Universal led Mummy 4 with Fraser and Weisz is separate from another Mummy film currently in development from director Lee Cronin. Cronin, who directed Evil Dead Rise, is writing and directing a completely different Mummy movie for Blumhouse Productions, Atomic Monster, and New Line Cinema, scheduled for release on April 17, 2026.
Cronin’s version will be the first film in the Mummy franchise not to be produced and distributed by Universal Pictures since the Hammer Films series from 1959 to 1971. In a statement, Cronin promised, “This will be unlike any Mummy movie you ever laid eyeballs on before. I’m digging deep into the earth to raise something very ancient and very frightening.”
It appears that Hollywood is about to experience something of a mummy fever, with two completely distinct approaches to the classic monster being developed simultaneously. While Cronin’s Blumhouse version seems poised to deliver pure horror, the Fraser-Weisz reunion promises a return to the adventure-romance blend that made the original films so beloved.
The Legacy of the Original Films
The 1999 film introduced Fraser as Rick O’Connell, a roguish American adventurer and former French Foreign Legion soldier, and Weisz as Evelyn Carnahan, an English Egyptologist working at the Cairo Museum of Antiquities. Over the course of two films together, their characters evolved from reluctant partners into a married couple facing increasingly dangerous supernatural threats.
Both The Mummy (1999) and The Mummy Returns (2001) were directed by Stephen Sommers and both grossed over $400 million worldwide. The franchise also spawned a successful spinoff, The Scorpion King, featuring Dwayne Johnson.
Universal most recently attempted to revitalize the property with 2017’s The Mummy, starring Tom Cruise, which was intended to launch a new series of monster movies under the banner of the Dark Universe. However, while the film performed solidly at the box office, critical reception was poor and Universal scrapped its broader plans.
Fraser’s Recent Career Leading To Mummy 4
Fraser experienced a major career resurgence with 2022’s The Whale, directed by Darren Aronofsky, earning him the Oscar for Best Actor. The actor will next be seen in Searchlight Pictures’ comedic drama Rental Family, which opens November 21.
During promotional work for The Whale, Fraser expressed openness to returning to the role of Rick O’Connell, stating he’d be interested “if someone came up with the right conceit.” It appears Universal has done exactly that.
Fraser has also shared his thoughts on what made the original films successful, noting that “the ingredient that we had going for our Mummy, which I didn’t see in the new one, was fun.”
Looking Ahead
The Mummy 4 will bring together millennial nostalgia for both Fraser and the Mummy films specifically, providing built-in fandom at a time when Universal has struggled with modern monster movies.
Plot details remain under wraps (Pun fully intended!) for both projects, but the return of Fraser and Weisz suggests a genuine continuation of the story fans fell in love with over two decades ago. With talented horror directors at the helm of both films and the original stars back in their iconic roles for one version, it seems that some treasures are worth digging up again. Whether audiences will embrace one approach over the other, or find room in their hearts for both, remains to be seen.
The original Mummy films are streaming on various platforms.
The Mummy – Official 25th Anniversary Trailer (2024) Brendan Fraser, Rachel Weisz
The Mummy follows the story of American adventurer Rick O’Connell (Fraser) as he leads an expedition to Hamunaptra, the legendary city of the dead. There, alongside Egyptologist Evelyn Carnahan (Weisz) and her brother Jonathan (Hannah), he unwittingly awakens Imhotep (Vosloo), an ancient Egyptian priest cursed to suffer eternal damnation.
