The Mummy 4: The Previous Film Isn't Canon!

Brendan Fraser and Rachel Weisz are returning for a new "Mummy" movie! This news has been causing quite a stir among fans for several months. At the same time, however, the question quickly arose as to how the third film in the series would be handled. The filmmakers have now commented on this in an interview with Entertainment Weekly.

But beware: we're not talking about "The Mummy" with Tom Cruise, the spin-off film "The Scorpion King" with Dwayne Johnson, or the upcoming "Lee Cronin's The Mummy." Rather, we're talking about "The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor," the third installment of the Fraser series.

The film follows "The Mummy" from 1999 and "The Mummy Returns". After Evelyn was played by Rachel Weisz in the first two films, there was a recasting in "The Tomb of the Dragon Emperor". The character was played by Maria Bello in the third film. However, other actors such as Fraser, John Hannah, and Arnold Vosloo continued to appear in their familiar roles.

For the new directing duo Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett, the recasting in part 3 is crucial. Their answer to the question of whether "The Tomb of the Dragon Emperor" is canon was relatively simple: Rachel Weisz is in their film. For them, that settles the matter. In other words, part 3 is not canon – the new film only takes into account the events of the first two parts.

The Release Date for The Mummy 4 Is Set!

Bettinelli-Olpin also commented on the script and the return of Fraser and Weisz.

"[The script] had all of the heart and the character that you could hope for. I don't think Brendan and Rachel are getting involved unless they love that script, and what they read, I think they really liked. And it's a good script. It's gonna be fun to make."

After the reboot with Tom Cruise, which was disappointing for many, fans are certainly looking forward to the return of the popular Fraser-Weisz series. A release date has already been announced – but we still need to be patient. The new "Mummy" movie will be released in theaters on May 19, 2028.

The Mummy phenomenon

The adventures of the daring treasure hunter Rick O'Connell remain one of the most popular film series of the late 1990s and early 2000s. With the theatrical release of "The Mummy" in 1999, director Stephen Sommers achieved a surprising revival of a classic theme from Hollywood horror history. Instead of a dark monster movie, the production relied on a mixture of adventure, humor, special effects, and romance – and thus struck a chord with a broad audience.

At the center of the series is adventurer Rick O'Connell, played by Brendan Fraser. Together with the curious librarian and later archaeologist Evelyn Carnahan, played by Rachel Weisz, he finds himself in a race against an ancient power: the resurrected high priest Imhotep. This character – played by Arnold Vosloo – is loosely based on the monster from the Universal classic "The Mummy" starring Boris Karloff, but was interpreted in a much more action-packed way.

The huge success of the first film quickly led to a sequel. "The Mummy Returns" hit theaters in 2001 and significantly expanded the adventure world. In addition to the return of Fraser and Weisz, Dwayne Johnson also appeared in an early film role as the Scorpion King – a character who later even got his own spin-off: "The Scorpion King". Finally, in 2008, "The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor" followed as a third installment, shifting the action from Egypt to China and this time featuring Jet Li as the antagonist.

The popularity of the Mummy films

What made the films special was their deliberately classic adventure structure. Many critics and fans see the series as following in the tradition of adventure films such as the "Indiana Jones" series. Temples full of traps, cursed artifacts, and fast-paced chases form the basic narrative framework. At the same time, humorous dialogues and the chemistry between Fraser and Weisz ensured that the films had a much lighter tone than many other monster productions.

In retrospect, the "Mummy" films are now considered defining representatives of a particular blockbuster era: large-scale adventure films with practical sets, elaborate – at the time still relatively new – CGI effects, and charismatic main characters. The chemistry between Brendan Fraser and Rachel Weisz in particular has become firmly established in pop culture. Many fans associate the series with a nostalgic cinema feeling from the turn of the millennium.

This is one of the reasons why Universal Pictures' attempt to reboot the franchise with another film starring Tom Cruise fell well short of expectations. For many viewers, the trilogy starring Brendan Fraser remains the true essence of the brand – a mix of adventure film, fantasy, and humor that still has a loyal fan base today.

By the way: The upcoming "Lee Cronin's The Mummy" has nothing to do with the "Mummy" series starring Fraser and Weisz. The film will be in theaters on April 17. Find out what it's about here in the trailer.