Lee Cronin’s The Mummy Runtime Revealed — And It’s Way Longer Than You Think

If you thought we were done digging up new versions of The Mummy, think again. Lee Cronin — the guy who turned apartment living into absolute hell with Evil Dead Rise — is now writing and directing his own spin on that classic monster, and apparently he wants to make sure you don’t leave the theater feeling shortchanged.

Cronin’s Mummy: Definitely NOT Your Usual Tomb Raiding

So, Cronin landed this gig back in June 2024, working with the horror hitmakers over at Atomic Monster, Blumhouse, and New Line Cinema. In classic filmmaker-hype mode, he teased the project as 'unlike any Mummy movie you ever laid eyeballs on before.' Whatever that means, here’s the direct quote he gave when it all became official:

This will be unlike any Mummy movie you ever laid eyeballs on before. I’m digging deep into the earth to raise something very ancient and very frightening.

If that doesn’t send Universal execs into a cold sweat, I don’t know what will. And just so we’re clear, this Mummy is NOT connected to the Universal franchise. That’s its own thing — more on that inside the list below.

The Clock Is Ticking (and Ticking…)

Cronin’s The Mummy lands in theaters on April 17, 2026. As of now, it’s officially clocking in at 134 minutes. That’s 2 hours and 14 minutes of undead, sand-choked nightmare fuel, or — to put it plainly — the longest Mummy movie we’ve ever gotten.

How Does That Runtime Stack Up?

• The Mummy (1999, Brendan Fraser version): about 125 minutes
• The Mummy Returns (2001): about 130 minutes
• The Mummy (2017, Tom Cruise edition): about 110 minutes
• The Mummy (2026, Cronin’s): 134 minutes — new record

So, if you like your ancient curses served in extra-large portions, this is clearly the one for you.

The Cast: A Solid Mix of Familiar Faces and Wild Cards

Cronin has put together a pretty interesting group for this one:
- Jack Reynor (Midsommar)
- Laia Costa (Victoria)
- May Calamawy (Moon Knight)
- Veronica Falcón (Queen of the South)
- Hayat Kamille (Vikings: Valhalla)
- May Elghety (Clash)

Okay, But What’s It Actually About?

Here’s the setup: A journalist’s young daughter goes missing in the desert, and she stays lost for eight years. When she suddenly reappears, the family thinks they're getting a happy ending — but (you probably guessed this) it’s more of a nightmare reunion than anything else. Ancient evil, family trauma, bad times all around.

Who’s Pulling the Strings?

It’s an all-star horror production line-up here: James Wan, Jason Blum, and John Keville are producing; Michael Clear, Judson Scott, and Macdara Kelleher are executive producers; Alayna Glasthal is keeping an eye on things for Atomic Monster; and Cronin’s own company Doppelgängers is in the mix too.

Oh, and if you’re wondering about those Universal Mummy movies — they’re also busy. Apparently, Universal has not one, not two, but three Mummy projects brewing. That includes a Wes Tooke prequel and a straight-up sequel to the beloved Brendan Fraser trilogy. For that one, both Fraser and Rachel Weisz are actually coming back (along with director team Radio Silence and writer David Coggeshall — Universal’s really betting big on nostalgia this decade).

Personally, I’m curious just how far Cronin takes the 'very ancient and very frightening' angle and whether general audiences have the patience for 2+ hours of desert dread. But hey, at the very least, it’s not more Tom Cruise body horror.