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Brendan Fraser and Rachel Weisz Reunite for 'The Mummy: Book of the Dead'
Confirmed
In Short: The Mummy franchise returns with Brendan Fraser and Rachel Weisz reuniting for the fourth installment.
Universal Pictures has announced that the next entry in the Mummy franchise will be titled 'The Mummy: Book of the Dead,' set to release on October 15, 2027.
The film reunites Brendan Fraser and Rachel Weisz as Rick and Evie O'Connell, the characters they first portrayed in 1999's 'The Mummy' and 2001's 'The Mummy Returns.'
Fraser and Weisz's return marks a 25-year gap since their last appearance together in the franchise, with filming beginning on September 7 at Sky Studios in London and in Morocco.
Sean Daniel, who produced the first two Mummy films and their spin-offs, is back to produce alongside William Sherak, James Vanderbilt, Paul Neinstein, and Clayton Townsend.
The new film will ignore the events of 'The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor' (2008), where Weisz was recast with Maria Bello, and will instead focus on the adventures of Rick and Evie.
The title 'The Mummy: Book of the Dead' refers to the ancient Egyptian funerary text, creating a connection to the franchise's mythos.
Despite the title's similarity to other Mummy-related films, such as Lee Cronin's 'The Mummy' and Blumhouse's 'Other Mommy,' the new film aims to offer a fresh take on the beloved characters.
Background
The Mummy: Book of the Dead is an upcoming American action adventure fantasy film directed by Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett, and written by David Coggeshall. It is a direct sequel to The Mummy (1999) and The Mummy Returns (2001), ignoring the events of The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor (2008), and the fourth installment in The Mummy series.
What's confirmed
- Though it sounds like the title of a video game or comic book spin-off, Book Of The Dead creates unnecessary confusion in the Mummy marketplace because Cronin, who released his Mummy movie earlier this year, became a Blumhouse-hold name on the Evil Dead reboot, which famously features a book of the dead.
- The film is the fourth entry in the saga that began with 1999's The Mummy, continued with 2001's The Mummy Returns, and seemingly concluded in 2008 with The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor.
What's still developing
- In a year that’s brought us Lee Cronin’s The Mummy and Blumhouse’s Other Mommy, we were hoping for a little more originality from the other Mummy movie lurching into theaters next year.
- Unfortunately, Brendan Fraser’s upcoming return to archeology has a humdrum title that probably took one hard afternoon and a strong nap to land on: The Mummy: Book Of The Dead.
- The Mummy 4 has yet to wrap filming, but we've got a Great Pyramid-sized update on the upcoming legacy horror sequel.
- Filming began September 7, with Brendan Fraser confirming the start date himself at the Deauville American Film Festival in France.
- Fraser has called this the Mummy movie he waited 20 years to make, and now it has a name.
- Universal’s announcement confirms the cast around Fraser and Weisz : John Hannah returns as Jonathan, Oded Fehr is back as Medjai leader Ardeth Bay, and Kevin J.
- Fraser has since said he’s been waiting 20 years for the call to return to the franchise, which combined has grossed more than $1.8 billion at the global box office.
- The pic remains set to hit theaters on October 15, 2027.
- We know Ash Williams must be somewhere begging the characters not to read from that goddamn book again.
- O’Connor ( Deep Rising, The Mummy, Van Helsing ) is somehow returning as Beni.
- The classic Universal monster property first sprang to life with Boris Karloff in the titular role of the 1932 feature The Mummy.
- “It’s so funny how it just never went away,” said Sommers, who also helmed The Mummy Returns.