It’s been twenty-six years since Universal Pictures revived The Mummy as an action-adventure horror vehicle, but the love fans have for stars Brendan Fraser as Rick O’Connell and Rachel Weisz as Evelyn has only gotten stronger over the years. Even though the film was followed by two sequels that weren’t received quite as well, an adoration for the movies has endured, even outlasting the 2017 failed reboot by Tom Cruise. Now, news has broken that The Mummy franchise is officially coming back, and that Fraser and Weisz will return to the roles for a new adventure. Even better, though, is that’s just the start of the good news.
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News of a fourth Mummy movie comes from Deadline, who not only confirmed that Fraser and Weisz are returning but that Sean Daniel will return as producer. Perhaps the most exciting detail about the news, beyond there being a new Mummy movie at all and Fraser/Weisz coming back to the franchise, is the team that will be behind the camera. According to the trade, the Radio Silence duo of Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett are set to direct the film, working from a script by David Coggeshall (Orphan: First Kill, The Deliverance).
The Mummy Revival Has Found the Exact Right Directors
Fraser and Weisz originated their roles as Rick and Evie in 1999’s The Mummy, returning just two years later in The Mummy Returns. Though a third film followed, 2008’s The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor, Weisz did not reprise her part, with Maria Bello taking over for that film. This means that it has been 24 years since fans saw Fraser and Weisz together on screen, and in the time since then, both of them have gone on to win Academy Awards, making this reunion one that’s a long time coming. To his credit, Fraser has been very open about his willingness to return for many years.
As exciting for fans as it will be to get Brendan Fraser and Rachel Weisz together again, the directors bringing the movie to life are what make this a legacy sequel worth keeping an eye on, and one that feels easy to get excited for. Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett may not be names that are immediately recognizable to some, but the pair have been a filmmaking team that has consistently delivered for years now.
In 2019, they directed Ready or Not, the horror comedy starring Samara Weaving that became a box office smash, grossing over $57 million on a $6 million budget (a sequel is set to arrive next year). The success of that film led to their next major win, reviving the Scream franchise. Bettinelli-Olpin and Gillett directed both 2022’s Scream and 2023’s Scream VI, which not only successfully revived the franchise for a modern era of horror but also proved that they could step into a franchise that had previously been controlled by one creative force and make it work.
With their two films, Bettinelli-Olpin and Gillett were able to pay tribute to the success of Scream‘s past, but push the franchise in a direction that fans responded to. Knowing that they were able to successfully do this with one of the most critical audiences in a series that has long been a sacred cow is proof that the two are equipped to step behind the camera for The Mummy and make it work. There’s another element that makes this exciting too, which is that a fourth Mummy movie will almost certainly become their most expensive movie to date, so seeing these two work on the canvas of a summer blockbuster could prove their filmmaking chops yet again.
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Image courtesy of Lucasfilm -
Image courtesy of Stage 6 Films
