Jack Wagner, Editor

PHILADELPHIA- A new addition to the popular “Mummy” franchise from the late 1990’s to early 2000s is reportedly in the works, with stars Brendan Frasier and Rachel Weisz in talks to reprise their roles in the franchise. The two actors have not worked together since the second movie in the trilogy, “The Mummy Returns,” in 2001, and fans are excited at the prospect of a new entry to the series.

The “Mummy” franchise was highly successful in its time, with the first two movies, “The Mummy” and “The Mummy Returns” grossing over 400 million dollars worldwide on production budgets under $100 million. Their success prompted a spinoff film, “The Scorpion King,” starring Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, that came out a year after “The Mummy Returns,” and later the 2008 film “The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon King,” which saw Frasier return without Weisz.

The franchise was so popular that attractions based on the films were built in Universal theme parks in Orlando, Hollywood and Singapore, titled “Revenge of the Mummy.”

Universal Studios attempted to reboot the franchise with the 2017 film “The Mummy” starring Tom Cruise as a part of their push for a cinematic universe based on classic movie monsters. While it grossed over $400 million at the box office, the film was critically panned and shelved Universal plans for years.

Little is known about the upcoming film, as Universal has not yet released any information about the rest of the cast or any kind of plot summary. What is known is that Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett have been tapped to direct. The two have worked together previously as part of the film collective Radio Silence, which created films such as the 2022 “Scream” reboot, its sequel “Scream VI” and “Ready or Not.”  The script is being written by David Coggeshall, who has previously written the script for “The Deliverance” and “The Family Plan.” Frasier and Weisz are both listed as executive producers for the upcoming film, signaling a higher level of creative involvement than they had in previous installments.

Frasier and Weisz are currently the only actors confirmed to be returning to their roles, with no word on other franchise actors such as John Hannah or Arnold Vosloo and whether or not they will be a part of the project. It is also uncertain how the films will handle a necessary time jump, as it has been 17 years since the last entry in the franchise, and nearly three decades since the original movie was released. The release date for the new entry is also uncertain, as the film is still too early in development for any sort of real estimate to be made. There has been some industry speculation that the film will be hoping for a 2027 release, but without more detailed information, that remains purely conjecture.

Regardless of the final release, it will be interesting to see how Universal handles the revival of one of the most iconic action-adventure franchises of the 1990s-2000s.