The Mummy franchise has been deader than Imhotep’s love life for nearly two decades. Rachel Weisz bailed before the third one even happened, which honestly felt like a betrayal I’m still not over. Did anyone actually watch “Tomb of the Dragon Emperor” and think, yes, this is the energy we need more of?
That movie had Jet Li turning into a three-headed dragon and somehow still managed to be boring. So when news broke that Weisz and Brendan Fraser are both coming back for a fourth installment, my initial reaction was less excitement and more suspicious squinting.
Book Of The Dead Gets A Title
Universal finally stopped calling this thing “the untitled Mummy movie” and gave it a proper name: “The Mummy: The Book of the Dead”. The Book of the Dead plays a pretty significant role in the original movie’s lore, so using it as the subtitle makes a certain amount of sense. The Book of the Dead is the black book that brings people back from the dead, which is exactly what this franchise is attempting to do.
Evelyn read from that thing back in 1999 and accidentally woke up Imhotep, which pretty much ruined everyone’s weekend. Fans of the original will recognize the name immediately. It feels like a deliberate nod to what worked the first time around. And no, it has nothing to do with the actual Egyptian funerary text. This franchise has never cared much about historical accuracy.
Return Of The O’Connells
Fraser is back as Rick O’Connell, the role that made him a swashbuckling action hero before Hollywood decided he was only good for dramatic comebacks. Weisz returns as Evie, which is genuinely surprising given how publicly she seemed done with this series. The supporting cast is loaded with familiar faces: John Hannah as Jonathan, Kevin J. O’Connor as Beni, and Oded Fehr as Ardeth Bay.
That’s a lot of nostalgia bait, and I am absolutely the target audience for it. O’Connor’s return is especially weird because Beni got eaten by scarabs in the first movie. Unless this is a prequel, a flashback, or the most elaborate retcon in cinematic history, somebody has some explaining to do.
John Hannah also claimed in a June interview that Arnold Vosloo might come back as Imhotep. Universal has not confirmed that one, and Vosloo does not appear on the official cast list, so take it with a grain of salt. If it happens, we’re looking at a full villain reunion, which is either brilliant or deeply desperate.
Radio Silence Takes The Reins
Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett, the directing duo known as Radio Silence, are helming this thing. These are the guys behind “Ready or Not” and the recent “Scream” movies, which means they understand how to balance horror and humor without letting either one completely take over. That’s actually a decent fit for “The Mummy,” which was always at its best when it was being silly and scary at the same time.
David Coggeshall wrote the script. His credits include “Orphan: First Kill” and “The Family Plan,” which is not exactly a pedigree that screams “ancient Egyptian curse adventure.” But whatever. I’m willing to give him the benefit of the doubt because the bar set by “Tomb of the Dragon Emperor” is somewhere in the Earth’s core.
Filming Already Underway
Filming kicked off in September, when Fraser told a French interviewer he had to be at work Monday morning. Production is based in the UK, with London serving as the primary location. Morocco is confirmed for late October, with a crew of over 1,200 people heading to Tangier. The plan is to shoot in Tangier, Tetouan, and Asilah from October 23 through October 31, then move to Erfoud, Rissani, Merzouga, and the Errachidia province before wrapping in Ouarzazate.
Three Boeing flights from Heathrow are scheduled to bring the crew over on October 19. That’s not a rumor. That’s a logistics sheet. Set photos of Fraser and Weisz together have already been circulating, and yes, they look exactly like you want them to look. The October 15, 2027 release date is exactly one year from the title announcement, which is either efficient scheduling or a sign that Universal knows what it has. Plot details remain under wraps, but the word is that “Tomb of the Dragon Emperor” is being ignored entirely, which is a bold choice that I fully support.
The Weisz Question
Here’s the thing that bugs me. Weisz skipped the third movie entirely, and now she’s back like nothing happened. Maria Bello played Evie in “Tomb of the Dragon Emperor,” and while she did her best with the material, the character felt like a completely different person.
So what changed? Did Weisz finally read a script she liked? Did someone back a truckload of money to her house? Or did she just realize that Fraser’s career renaissance made this franchise relevant again and decide to cash in? I’m not mad about it. I’m just saying that loyalty in Hollywood is a myth, and I respect the hustle.
What We Still Don’t Know
No runtime. No official synopsis. No confirmed word on whether Vosloo’s Imhotep is actually showing up or if Hannah was just stirring the pot. Remember when Universal tried to launch a Dark Universe with Tom Cruise? That was supposed to be the future.
Instead, it was a critical and commercial disaster that killed the entire endeavor. The lesson here is that sometimes the old ways are better. Bring back the people we actually liked. Give them a cursed book. Let them banter. That’s the formula.
A Cautiously Optimistic Verdict
I want this to be good. I really do. The 1999 “Mummy” is a perfect piece of late-90s adventure cinema, and Fraser and Weisz had chemistry that most modern blockbusters would kill for. Radio Silence knows how to make crowd-pleasers.
The cast is stacked with people who understand what made the original work. But I’ve been burned before. I sat through “Tomb of the Dragon Emperor” in a theater. I earned my skepticism. So consider me cautiously on board, ready to be disappointed but hoping to be proven wrong.
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