‘The Mummy’ sequel reveals new title ahead of Brendan Fraser’s 2027 return
Universal has dubbed its fourth ‘Mummy’ film ‘The Mummy: Book of the Dead,’ according to Universal Pictures' latest announcement. The studio unveiled the title on Thursday, one year prior to the film’s planned theatrical release on October 15, 2027. It is a direct sequel to 1999’s ‘The Mummy’ and 2001’s ‘The Mummy Returns.’ Fans of the franchise will remember that the latter film saw Evie O’Connell (Rachel Weisz) dramatically recite from the black Book of the Dead at Hamunaptra, awakening the cursed priest Imhotep (Arnold Vosloo).
The October 2027 release date is earlier than initially anticipated, as Universal had scheduled the film for May 2028. Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett (‘Radio Silence’) are directing from a script by David Coggeshall (‘Orphan: First Kill’). The pair previously directed ‘Ready or Not’ (2019), before reviving the 'Scream' horror franchise with ‘Scream’ (2022), its sequel ‘Scream VI’ (2023), and ‘Abigail’ (2024), with their latest being ‘Ready or Not 2: Here I Come.’ Additionally, producer Sean Daniel has overseen previous entries in the series, notably ‘The Scorpion King’ (2002) and the 2017 ‘The Mummy’ reboot, which starred Tom Cruise.
The upcoming film sees Brendan Fraser (Rick O’Connell) reprise his iconic role alongside Weisz, John Hannah (Jonathan Carnahan), Oded Fehr (Ardeth Bay) and Kevin J. O’Connor (Beni Gabor). Fraser’s last outing as Rick O’Connell was in 2008’s ‘The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor,’ nearly 20 years before this film’s release. Weisz notably did not return for the third film, which starred Maria Bello as Evie, meaning that she has not appeared in the role since ‘The Mummy Returns’ in 2001. Interestingly, that film also marked Dwayne Johnson’s debut performance as the Scorpion King, and was the highest-grossing entry in the series, having earned $444 million. Fraser spoke to the Associated Press about the film while promoting ‘Rental Family,’ joking that the one he “wanted to make was never made,” having waited two decades for the call to return.
