A new take on The Mummy from Evil Dead Rise director Lee Cronin is set to shamble into theaters next year, but it seems Universal Pictures may still be interested in revisiting a more light-hearted take on the classic movie monster.
Despite getting mixed reviews at the time, Stephen Sommers' original 1999 movie proved to be a decent (if unspectacular) hit when it was released, and has remained a firm fan-favorite over the years.
Two direct sequels and a Scorpion King spin-off starring Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson weren't nearly as successful, and Universal's more recent reboot starring Tom Cruise bombed to such a degree that it closed the tomb on the studio's plans for a Dark Universe franchise after a single movie.
Even so, rumors have persisted that another Mummy movie is in development, and while previous reports have claimed that the project was being set-up as a prequel, Daniel Richtman (via FearHQ.com) believes that the studio is dead set on making a direct sequel with Brendan Fraser back in the lead role of adventurer Rick O'Connell.
Wes Tooke (Midway, The Rescue) was said to be attached to pen the script for the prequel, but we have no idea if that project is still alive.
Cronin recently revealed that he had wrapped principal photography on a new Mummy movie from Blumhouse/Atomic Monster, with Jack Reynor, Laia Costa, Veronica Falcón, May Calamawy, and May Elghety on board in the lead roles.
"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," said Cronin in a statement when production commenced.
When asked if he might be interested in reprising his most famous role in a 2023 interview, Fraser seemed more than willing to return to battle the forces of darkness.
“I’m not opposed to it, I don’t know an actor who doesn’t want a job. I don’t think I’ve been this famous and unsalaried at the same time in my professional life so sign me up!”
"The Mummy is a rousing, suspenseful and horrifying epic about an expedition of treasure-seeking explorers in the Sahara Desert in 1925. Stumbling upon an ancient tomb, the hunters unwittingly set loose a 3,000-year-old legacy of terror, which is embodied in the vengeful reincarnation of an Egyptian priest who had been sentenced to an eternity as one of the living dead."
Were you a fan of The Mummy? How would you feel about a direct sequel starring Fraser? Drop us a comment down below.