Blumhouse is rebooting a classic Universal Monster horror franchise in the form of Lee Cronin’s The Mummy, and while the film is exciting, it already has one major problem. A first look at the upcoming The Mummy movie was just released, teasing the upcoming reboot. The film seems to be a new take on the classic monster, coming from Evil Dead Rise director Lee Cronin.
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This time, the film will follow a journalist whose young daughter disappeared in the desert. Eight years later, she reappeared, although not in the way that her family expected. After being announced in December 2024, the film will finally release on April 17, 2025, with it starring Jack Reynor, Laia Costa, and May Calamawy.
Lee Cronin’s The Mummy Franchise Will Struggle Against The Brendan Fraser Reboot
Lee Cronin’s The Mummy isn’t the only The Mummy movie in the works. As it turns out, another sequel in Brendan Fraser’s The Mummy franchise is also being developed, which is exciting for fans of the original 1999 movie. This legacy sequel will be the fourth mainline entry in this The Mummy continuity, which also consists of The Scorpion King spin-off series.
In November 2025, Variety reported that Ready or Not directors Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett were set to direct The Mummy 4. Although Fraser hasn’t explicitly confirmed the film’s existence, it is expected that he and Rachel Weisz will return, reuniting in the franchise for the first time since 2001’s The Mummy Returns.
While news of The Mummy 4 is undoubtedly exciting, it spells trouble for Lee Cronin’s The Mummy. Brendan Fraser’s series is far more popular, and since it has a pre-existing fanbase, there is a lot of hype surrounding the upcoming film. This could overshadow Lee Cronin’s The Mummy, as if the two movies are aiming for fans of the monster, they could cannibalize each other’s audiences. Unfortunately for Cronin, the Brendan Fraser sequel will probably win.
If these two movies were spaced out a bit more, there would probably be room for both of them. Instances like separate continuities for The Batman, Joker, and the DCU all existing simoultaneously proves that multiple disconnected series that are part of the same franchise can succeed if the fanbase is strong enough. While The Mummy definitely isn’t at Batman‘s level, two separate The Mummy franchises could work if they were separated by more time.
While it hasn’t been announced when The Mummy 4 will be released, it would have been better for Lee Cronin’s The Mummy if the former had been kept a secret for a little longer. Cronin’s film could have been a success without being overshadowed by the Brendan Fraser sequel if its existence wasn’t known yet. However, it’ll be interesting to see how the 2026 movie does with news of the Fraser sequel already being made public.
How Lee Cronin’s The Mummy Can Stand Apart From The Brendan Fraser Film
Although the existence of both Mummy franchises running simultaneously could be a problem, there is a way for Lee Cronin’s version to stand out. In the aforementioned Batman example, each series has its own tone and purpose. The Batman universe is a gritty and grounded take on Batman, the DCU is a brighter, expansive DC Universe, and Joker is a stylized non-superhero franchise solely focused on the villain. While they are all Batman, they are all incredibly different.
So, The Mummy needs to do something like this. The original Fraser The Mummy movies are big blockbuster adventures filled with action and comedy, but very little horror. Since this is the established tone for these films, The Mummy 4 will likely continue down this path. Thus, Lee Cronin’s The Mummy needs to aim for something different.
Lee Cronin’s Evil Dead Rise proves that he is fantastic at gore, horror, and a twisted dark sense of humor. So, his version of The Mummy needs to pursue these same attributes. The rating for this The Mummy hasn’t been revealed yet, but an R-rating would help it stand apart from Fraser’s movies. Then, Lee Cronin will really be able to delve into the darker side of the franchise, pushing boundaries that Fraser’s films wouldn’t dare.
Simply making Lee Croin’s The Mummy an actual horror movie would do enough to differentiate it from The Mummy 4. Instead of being an Indiana Jones-style adventure, it can actually scare audiences. Potential sequels would serve a different niche than the Fraser film, giving Lee Cronin’s The Mummy a chance to succeed as a blockbuster franchise.
Which The Mummy movie are you more excited for? Leave a comment below and join the conversation now in the ComicBook Forum!
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