The Mummy 4 is in production with Brendan Fraser and Rachel Weisz, and the third film is being written out

Bit of an odd one today: something most 90s action fans were sure would never happen is, in fact, very much happening. The Mummy 4—yes, an actual Brendan Fraser-starring sequel to those original blockbusters—has officially left ‘maybe one day’ territory and kicked into production. Not a reboot, not Tom Cruise running from nothing: the real deal, dust, undead, dirigibles and all.

The Mummy 4 is due in cinemas in 2027, two decades after the last proper Fraser-led film in the series.

Here’s the genuinely surprising bit: after years of false starts, Brendan Fraser himself is back as adventurer Rick O'Connell, and he’s not coming alone. Rachel Weisz is returning as Evelyn, her first time in the role since 2001—ignoring entirely the efforts of that, let’s say, “alternative” third entry where she was swapped out for Maria Bello and adventure moved to China. The director-writers this time? The Radio Silence team—who you may know from Abigail and Ready or Not—with a script from David Coggeshall. The current plan is to have the cast suiting up for cameras as you read this, which sounds about as official as these announcements get.

Casting the Old Gang

So, Weisz is back, Fraser never left, and to make it even more of a nostalgia overload, John Hannah returns as Jonathan Carnahan. Oded Fehr, who was always good value as Medjai chief Ardeth Bay, is also on the call sheet, as is Kevin J. O'Connor—Beni himself, which frankly, is a baffling but welcome inclusion, given his last appearance ended rather definitively in scarab-infested circumstances.

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• Brendan Fraser: Rick O’Connell
• Rachel Weisz: Evelyn O’Connell
• John Hannah: Jonathan Carnahan
• Oded Fehr: Ardeth Bay
• Kevin J. O’Connor: Beni Gabor

No word yet on who’s playing the O’Connells’ son Alex this time round—Freddie Boath did the job in The Mummy Returns, Luke Ford took over in the third film that this sequel is quietly erasing from memory. Apparently, that whole Tomb of the Dragon Emperor detour is being chucked out of the official story and no one’s really mourning its loss. Matt Bettinelli-Olpin, one of the new directors, outright stated in March they’re ignoring it altogether, so back to Egypt we go.

Back Where it All Began

Everything about this do-over seems engineered to rekindle those very specific late-90s vibes. The story’s apparently heading right back to ‘familiar’ ground—read: pyramids and sand, not yetis or ancient Chinese emperors. At the end of The Mummy Returns, we last saw Rick and Evelyn literally flying off into the sunset, which is where the new film looks to be picking up (we’re all just pretending 2008 didn’t happen now).

In terms of box office, you can see why Universal would want to recapture the old magic: the first three films brought in $1.3 billion worldwide, even though The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor flagged a bit, pulling in $406 million on a $145 million budget but missing the highs of the earlier films. Recasting Weisz for that one did the film no favours either—audiences reacted about as you’d expect to an obvious swap-out, and Fraser has openly described Dragon Emperor as “a good standalone movie” but insisted it’s not part of the main continuity.

At this stage, plot details are still locked down tighter than Hamunaptra’s vaults. The team seems determined to keep any undead plot twists for later, but between the original cast, the old locations, and a release date years away, expect all the nostalgia levers to get pulled between now and 2027.

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