Original stars of The Mummy officially returning for new sequel

The long-awaited fourth instalment of The Mummy franchise has finally been given a release date, with its original stars set to return.

Released in 1999, The Mummy starred Brendan Fraser as American explorer Rick O’Connell, with Rachel Weisz as librarian Evelyn Carnahan. The duo reunited for 2001 sequel The Mummy Returns, with just Fraser coming back for 2008’s The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor. That time, Weisz’s character was played by Maria Bello.

A fourth film has been rumoured for nearly two decades, with Bello saying that she had signed on to play Evelyn once more. However, it was cancelled in Universal Pictures in 2012.

On Tuesday (10 February), The Mummy 4 was finally given an official release date. Not only that, but both Fraser and Weisz will be returning to the franchise, with Weisz reclaiming the role of Evelyn for the first time in 25 years.

The film, which is yet to receive an official title, will be in cinemas on 19 May 2028. Attached to the project are Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett, the directing duo behind the fifth and sixth Scream films. The script will be written by David Coggeshall of Orphan: First Kill and the Family Plan film series.

Loosely based on a series of films spanning from the 1930s to 1950s that was later rebooted in 1951, The Mummy films of the 1990s and 2000s were box office smashes.

News that a fourth Mummy film is in the works once more came in November, with Fraser implying in an interview that he’d never been entirely satisfied with the third movie.

“The one I wanted to make was never made,” he told The Associated Press. “The one I wanted to make is forthcoming. And I’ve been waiting 20 years for this call. Sometimes it was loud, sometimes it was a faint telegraph. Now? It’s time to give the fans what they want.”

However, Fraser later appeared to shut down suggestions that The Mummy 4 was a dead cert, telling Radio Times: “I'm hopeful to have good news soon because I know how popular the films were.

“Would I like to? Absolutely. I've always said I like the idea and I always will. It's just… Well, it's not up to me to pull that trigger!”

The studio previously revived the Mummy franchise in 2017, with a Tom Cruise-led film that was intended to spark a new spin-off. However, it proved to be a major box office flop, and the plans were pulled.