‘The Mummy 4’ set for 2028 release with original stars returning

Oscar winners Brendan Fraser and Rachel Weisz are officially returning to the sands of ancient Egypt. According to US media reports, “The Mummy 4” is slated for a theatrical release on May 19, 2028, with Universal Pictures backing the project.

The upcoming instalment will be directed by Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett of Radio Silence, the filmmaking collective behind the 2019 thriller Ready or Not. The screenplay has been penned by David Coggeshall.

Fraser and Weisz will reprise their iconic roles as adventurer Rick O’Connell and Egyptologist Evelyn O’Connell. The pair first headlined the 1999 reboot of “The Mummy”, which followed their expedition to the lost city of Hamunaptra — an adventure that inadvertently unleashed the cursed high priest Imhotep. The film became a global hit and cemented its place as one of Universal’s biggest blockbusters of the early 2000s, grossing over $422 million worldwide.

The franchise continued with The Mummy Returns in 2001, introducing the Scorpion King storyline and expanding the O’Connells’ saga. However, Weisz did not appear in 2008’s “The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor”, the series’ third entry.

Reports describe “The Mummy 4” as a direct sequel rather than a reboot, and it is expected to ignore the events of the 2008 film. Producer Sean Daniel, who worked on the original trilogy, is returning alongside Radio Silence collaborators William Sherak, James Vanderbilt, and Paul Neinstein under the Project X Entertainment banner.

Fraser’s career resurgence following his Oscar-winning performance in “The Whale” (2022) is believed to have played a key role in reigniting interest in the franchise revival. Weisz, meanwhile, continues to maintain a strong presence on screen, recently appearing in “Dead Ringers” and “Black Widow”.

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With the original stars reuniting and a new creative team at the helm, the next chapter of “The Mummy” franchise aims to bring fresh energy while tapping into the nostalgia that made the 1999 film a cult favourite.