Michael Johnston in Talks for 'The Mummy 4' With Fraser, Weisz
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- Michael Johnston is in early talks to join Universal's fourth 'Mummy' installment, riding a breakout year in which his Curry Barker horror film 'Obsession' became a low-budget box-office sensation after his earlier run on 'Teen Wolf.'
- Brendan Fraser and Rachel Weisz have closed deals to officially reprise Rick O'Connell and Egyptologist Evelyn O'Connell, marking Weisz's return to the franchise after skipping the 2008 threequel 'The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor.'
- John Hannah has also been confirmed to return to the franchise, rounding out the legacy core cast for the new film.
- Universal Pictures has dated the movie for a wide theatrical release on Oct. 15, 2027, with Radio Silence duo Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett directing from a screenplay by David Coggeshall.
- Sean Daniel returns as producer — he has shepherded every installment of the $1.8 billion-grossing franchise since the original 1999 'Mummy,' including the 2017 Dark Universe project — alongside William Sherak, James Vanderbilt and Paul Neinstein producing through Project X Entertainment.
- Plot details for the new 'Mummy' film are being kept, per the source, 'not unironically' under wraps, with the original film's premise centering on a treasure hunter who accidentally awakens a cursed Egyptian priest.
Why it matters: Universal is rebuilding a tentpole monster franchise around its original 1999 cast and a $1.8 billion box-office legacy, handing directing duties to horror specialists Radio Silence rather than a traditional action filmmaker. The casting of Johnston — a horror breakout rather than a proven blockbuster lead — signals the studio is leaning into genre DNA for a franchise it once tried and failed to relaunch with the Dark Universe in 2017.
