Brendan Fraser and Rachel Weisz are set to reprise their roles in a fourth installment of The Mummy franchise. Directors Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett, known as Radio Silence, will helm the project for Universal Pictures. The announcement marks a return to the original 1999 reboot that launched Fraser as an action star.
Casting and Directors
Brendan Fraser and Rachel Weisz, who starred in the 1999 hit The Mummy, are reuniting for the fourth film in the franchise. Fraser played treasure hunter Rick O'Connell, while Weisz portrayed his love interest Evelyn Carnahan. The directors are Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett, the duo behind Radio Silence, best known for the 2019 thriller Ready or Not and the 2022 Scream revival for Paramount.
Universal Pictures, which originated the classic monster movies, had no comment on the project.
Franchise Background
The 1999 The Mummy, directed by Stephen Sommers, was a box office success that followed Rick accidentally awakening a cursed Egyptian priest. It spawned sequels including 2001's The Mummy Returns, which also featured Weisz, and 2008's The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor, where Fraser returned without her. A 2017 attempt to revive the series with Tom Cruise as the lead failed commercially and derailed Universal's Dark Universe plans for interconnected monster films.
Fraser stepped back from Hollywood amid personal and health challenges, including an assault allegation against the former HFPA president. He staged a comeback with 2022's The Whale, earning an Oscar for best actor.
Fraser's Comments
During promotion for The Whale, Fraser expressed openness to returning as Rick O'Connell. "I don’t know how it would work," he told Variety. "But I’d be open to it, if someone came up with the right conceit."
Reflecting on the 2017 film, Fraser noted its shortcomings: "It is hard to make that movie. The ingredient that we had going for our ‘Mummy,’ which I didn’t see in the new one, was fun. That was what was lacking in that incarnation. It was too much of a straight-ahead horror movie. ‘The Mummy’ should be a thrill ride, but not terrifying and scary."