After years of rumors and false starts, The Mummy 4 is officially happening. Universal Pictures has confirmed a release date for the long-awaited sequel and, yes, both Brendan Fraser and Rachel Weisz are back. Fans who grew up with their adventurous chemistry in the late ’90s and early 2000s might feel like the golden age of action movies is clawing its way out of the tomb again.
According to Variety, the next installment hits theaters on May 19, 2028. That means the movie will arrive almost a century after the original 1932 Universal monster classic, when Boris Karloff first brought the cursed creature to life. It’s a strangely poetic moment for Hollywood—one that might make audiences wonder if the past can actually be resurrected in a Hollywood era dominated by reboots and nostalgia.
This new chapter will be directed by Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett, the filmmaking duo behind Ready or Not and Scream VI. They’re working from a script by David Coggeshall, who, according to Gillett, has crafted a story that is “beautiful and sweeping and scary and fun.” Sounds bold, sure—but after a decades-long slumber, the question remains: will audiences buy into another resurrection?
Fraser returns as Rick O’Connell and Weisz as Evelyn, the brainy yet brave explorer who helped define the charm of 1999’s The Mummy. That film, directed by Stephen Sommers, became a box office phenomenon and spawned The Mummy Returns in 2001 and The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor in 2008. Fans will remember Weisz didn’t return for the last one, which left the story feeling incomplete. Now, both stars—each an Oscar winner—are set to reunite after two decades apart. Fraser won Best Actor for The Whale in 2024; Weisz earned hers back in 2006 for The Constant Gardener. Could lightning strike again?
Meanwhile, Universal’s past attempts to modernize the franchise didn’t go well. The studio’s 2017 reboot, The Mummy starring Tom Cruise, tried to launch a “Dark Universe” shared monster world. It flopped so badly that the entire plan collapsed before it began. That failure might be exactly why Universal is going back to what worked—classic adventure, pulp thrills, and the timeless chemistry of Fraser and Weisz.
There’s another wrinkle: Warner Bros. is releasing a separate film titled Lee Cronin’s The Mummy on April 17, 2026. It’s unrelated to the Universal version, which could confuse audiences or even ignite a battle between two rival Mummies. But then again, Hollywood loves a good rivalry. Which one will audiences dig up first?
For now, The Mummy 4 is just in development, but Universal is already treating it like a major event. After years of dark reboots and CGI overload, maybe a return to the classic treasure-hunting formula will remind fans what blockbuster filmmaking used to feel like. The sands of time are turning again—are moviegoers ready to open the tomb?
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English (US) · 