Brendan Fraser Confirms Talks About New Mummy Movie Return
John Hannah reveals conversations with Brendan Fraser about returning to the beloved franchise, while Rachel Weisz shows interest in reprising her role. A separate horror reboot arrives this April.
The beloved Mummy franchise might be getting another shot at resurrection. John Hannah, who played the charming thief Jonathan Carnahan in the original trilogy, has confirmed discussions about a potential fourth installment with his former co-star Brendan Fraser.
Speaking to RadioTimes, the Scottish actor addressed swirling rumors about The Mummy 4, which would follow 2008's Tomb of the Dragon Emperor. Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett from Radio Silence are reportedly attached to direct the project.
"Not officially. I mean, I've heard and seen the rumors, same as everybody else, and that would be fun to do. It would be fun to hook up with everybody again," Hannah explained. The actor admitted he struggles to envision how writers would realistically bring Jonathan, Evelyn, and Rick back together for another adventure.
Fraser Pushes for Original Cast Reunion
According to Hannah, Fraser has been actively advocating for reuniting the original cast members. "[Fraser] said that what they were looking to do was bring the original cast back together again. Certainly, in terms of Brendan and Rachel, bringing them back together, and Rachel was up for it, by all accounts," Hannah revealed.
The actor noted Rachel Weisz's willingness to return despite her successful career trajectory as both producer and Oscar-nominated performer. "She was willing to do that, you know, having gone off and created her own path, and been very successful as a producer, as an actor, Oscar-nominated, you know."
Hannah reflected on his initial hesitation about joining the franchise: "When I was first offered The Mummy, it was a bit like, 'I'm a serious actor, What do I want to go and do that kind of nonsense for?' But these are good family fun films." He made his position clear: "If they asked me to do it, I'll do it. Let's not be cute or anything."
Learning from Past Mistakes
The Dark Universe experiment crashed spectacularly after Tom Cruise's 2017 reboot failed to capture audiences. That ambitious shared universe was supposed to connect The Mummy with classic monsters like The Invisible Man, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, Wolf Man, Frankenstein, and others.
Fraser has been vocal about what went wrong with Cruise's version. The 57-year-old Rental Family star believes future Mummy projects should prioritize "fun" - something the 2017 attempt completely missed.
New Horror Version Coming Soon
Audiences shouldn't confuse any potential Fraser reunion with Lee Cronin's upcoming horror film. This April release stars Laia Costa from The Wheel of Time, Jack Reynor from Midsommar, and May Calamawy from Moon Knight.
Cronin's version comes from Blumhouse Productions and Atomic Monster, the team behind The Conjuring franchise. The plot centers on a father whose missing daughter returns after eight years, carrying an ancient mummy's evil spirit that spreads to his other child. To save his family, he must perform a horrific ritual and become a monster himself.
This supernatural horror has no connection to Universal Pictures' world. Whether it avoids being dead on arrival remains to be seen.