A little over seven years after the last attempt to reboot the property failed, Blumhouse have revealed they’re working on a newMummymovie. The horror franchise first launched in 1932 and was part of the Universal Classic Monsters collection, with Boris Karloff portraying the titular entity before passing the reins on to Tom Tyler, Lon Chaney Jr. and Eddie Parker. The years since have seen two rebooted versions ofThe Mummyfranchise, beginning with the Brendan Fraser-led movies from Stephen Sommers, which also includedtheScorpion Kingspinoffs, and Tom Cruise’s failed 2017 reboot.
The officialBlumhouseTwitter page have unveiled thata newMummymovie is in the works from writer/director Lee Cronin, who recently excelled withEvil Dead Rise. The post features a script page with the title scratched out featuring Cronin’s credit with “Original Screenplay by” and both the studio and James Wan’s Atomic Monster listed in the bottom left corner. The scratched-out title is then removed to reveal “Lee Cronin’s The Mummy”, with the caption also confirming the movie will release in 2026, which has since been confirmed for April 17. Check out the announcement below:
In a statement released by the studio, Cronin also shared his enthusiasm for getting to helm a new incarnation of the iconic horror franchise, promising that hisMummymovie will be “unlike any” that audiences have seen from previous versions of the series. Check out the rest of his statement below:
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.
What This Means For The Mummy Franchise
Cronin & Blumhouse’s Recent Successes Could Bode Well
While Cronin is certainly not the first filmmaker to attempt to bringThe Mummyto modern audiences,he will be the first to follow up Cruise’s critically panned 2017 movie. The movie, in which Blumhouse didn’t have any involvement, was intended to launch aninterconnected franchise known as the Dark Universethat would’ve also included a newInvisible Manled by Johnny Depp andBride of Frankensteinstarring Javier Bardem. However, due to the movie reportedly losing upward of $95 million and garnering widespread panning from critics, the franchise was scrapped.
What Went Wrong With The Mummy: 10 Ways The Franchise Got Worse After Brendan Fraser’s 1999 Debut
In 1999 Brendan Fraser’s The Mummy was a spectacular blockbuster sensation, but with every sequel movie and reboot, the franchise got worse and worse.
Though some have called for Fraser to return forThe Mummy 4,Blumhouse and Cronin’s recent successes could be a positive sign for the decision to go for another reboot. A few years after Cruise’s failure, the indie horror studio teamed withSawandInsidiousco-creator Leigh Whannell to write and direct a newInvisible Manreboot, which was a critical and commercial hit. Not only has a sequel to the 2020 movie been in talks since, but Blumhouse has alsoreteamed with Whannell for aWolf Manreboot, showcasing the studio’s continued interest in the Universal Classic Monsters library.
Cronin similarly made a name for himself recently in the world of franchise filmmaking withEvil Dead Rise, the second movie spinoff in the horror series after 2013’s rebootquel. The 2023 movie, originally planned for a streaming-exclusive premiere,became the highest-grossingEvil Deadmovie to datewhile also garnering the third-best reviews of the series behind Sam Raimi’s original two installments. Its success also secured the franchise’s future, with two other spinoffs currently in the works,beginning with Sébastien Vaniček’sEvil Dead Burn, which is set for a 2026 release.
Our Take On Cronin’s Mummy Reboot
Could Be The Fresh Direction The Property Needs
While Cruise’s movie was certainly ambitious in its efforts, Cronin’s background could serveThe Mummyfranchise far better going into the reboot. Even in the hyperstylized world ofThe Evil Dead, the writer/director still maintained the grounded nature of his hit debut,The Hole in the Ground, inRise, and considering Blumhouse has approached their various updates on the Universal Classic Monsters library in a similar way, I think the combined might of Cronin and Blumhouse will bring the fresh direction the franchise needs.
The Mummy
The Mummyfranchise is a series of films and media centered around resurrected mummies and the adventurers who combat them. The franchise began with the originalThe Mummyfilm in 1932, but it was the 1999 reboot directed by Stephen Sommers that rejuvenated the series, blending action, adventure, and horror with a heavy dose of special effects. This version starred Brendan Fraser as the heroic Rick O’Connell and Arnold Vosloo as the reanimated mummy, Imhotep. The success of the 1999 film spawned two sequels, a spin-off series (The Scorpion King), and a 2017 reboot intended to launch Universal’s Dark Universe, though it failed to ignite the intended franchise.
