After over a decade of fans pleading for more of Brendan Fraser‘s The Mummy, Universal Pictures is moving full steam ahead. Numan Acar (Young Sherlock) has just joined the cast, alongside the returning Kevin J. O’Connor (Catch-22) and Oded Fehr (House of David). Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett of Radio Silence (Ready or Not) are co-directing.
The new and returning cast will co-star with Michael Johnston (Obsession). Plus returning franchise staples John Hannah (Sandokan), Brendan Fraser (The Whale), and Rachel Weisz (Dead Ringers).
O’Connor will be returning as Beni Gabor, because he finally got to the other side of the river. Fehr will reprise his role as Ardeth Bay, the leader of the elite secret society of warriors Medjai. An organization that must keep anyone from traveling to Hamunaptra and resurrecting the High Priest Imhotep, played by Arnold Vosloo in the first two films.
More of The Mummy
David Coggeshall (Orphan: First Kill) is writing the script, but plot details are still firmly under wraps. It’s also unknown at this time who Acar and Johnston will play.
The franchise kicked off in 1999, with The Mummy directed and co-written by Stephen Sommers. It stars Fraser and Weisz as explorers in the 1920s trying to stop a mummy hell-bent on reincarnating his long-lost love. The duo returned for the 2001 sequel Mummy Returns, with Sommers writing and directing again. Only Fraser returned for 2008’s The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor, directed by Rob Cohen, from a script by Alfred Gough and Miles Millar.
However, the directors have confirmed that the 3rd film won’t be considered canon, because it didn’t have Weisz reprise her role. It is also considered the weakest in the mainline franchise. When asked about the Tomb of the Dragon Emperor in relation to their film;
“Well, Rachel is in this one,” Bettinelli-Olpin told Entertainment Weekly. With co-director Gillett adding, “That should answer the question for you.”
Universal’s newest addition to The Mummy franchise is slated to hit theaters on October 15th, 2027.
