The Mummy 4: Brendan Fraser and Rachel Weisz to reunite for sequel - will John Hannah join them?
Over a quarter of a century after it made its debut, a hit film frachaise is set to return to the big screen for a new instalment.
‘The Mummy’ was one of the biggest films of 1999 - with Brendan Fraser playing treasure hunter Rick O’Connell on a supernatural Egyptian adventure accompanied by librarian Evelyn Carnahan (Rachel Weisz) and her older brother Jonathan (John Hannah).
There have been a number of sequels, prequels, spin-offs and reinventions of the film in the years since, but now it seems (at least two of) the original gang are getting back together.
It’s the latest in an unlikely career resurgence for Brendan Fraser, who fell out of favour after being one of the biggest action stars in the world in the late 1990s and early 2000s.
It all started with him winning the role of a lifetime in The Whale, which earned him the Oscar for Best Leading Actor and made him one of the hottest names in Hollywood once more.
Here’s what we know about the film so far.
How many films are there in the Mummy franchaise?
After the original film was released in 1999 there were two direct sequels - The Mummy Returns in 2001 and The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor in 2008.
Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson then starred in the prequel The Scorpion King in 2002, which has had no fewer than four sequels, namely The Scorpion King 2: Rise of a Warrior (2008), The Scorpion King 3: Battle for Redemption (2012), The Scorpion King 4: Quest for Power (2015) and The Scorpion King: Book of Souls (2018). It’s rumoured that Dwayne Johnson is in talks to appear in a reboot of the series.
Then there was the animated series that ran from 2001 to 2003, and and unsuccessful 2017 reboot starring Tom Cruise in a rare box office bomb.
Who is set to return in The Mummy 4?
Brendan Fraser and Rachel Weisz are reportedly already in talks to star in the sequel. Fraser starred in all three films to date, while Weisz was only in the first two (wisely, if the reviews are to be believed).
Scottish actor John Hannah is the only actor other than Fraser to have been in all three films, so it would seem likely he’ll be invited along for the ride - but there has been no officialy announcement thusfar.
Arnold Vosloo also starred in the first two films as memorable villain Imhotep and would be a popular returnee for the fourth instalment.
Who is directing The Mummy 4?
It has been reported that filmmaking duo Matt Bettinelli-Olpin - known as Radio Silence - will be directing, and that their involvement was crucial in attracting the interest of Fraser and Weisz. They have already breathed new life into the Scream franchaise with the fifth and sixth films in the series enjoying box office (and critical) success in 2022 and 2023 respectively, and so would seem like a safe two pairs of hands.
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