New Mummy film gets official title and release date

The next movie in The Mummy franchise will be titled The Mummy: Book of the Dead.

Universal Pictures have revealed original stars Brendan Fraser and Rachel Weisz will be back as Rick and Evie O'Connell alongside John Hannah, Michael Johnston, Numan Acar, Kevin J. O’Connor and Oded Fehr, and the film will be released on 15 October 2027, exactly a year after the title announcement was made.

Radio Silence duo Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett will direct The Mummy: Book of the Dead from a script by David Coggeshall.

The original 1999 cinematic classic The Mummy introduced audiences to Rick O'Connell, a dashing American adventurer who teams up with eccentric librarian Evelyn Carnahan and her brother Jonathan (Hannah) to uncover the lost Egyptian city of Hamunaptra. Their archaeological expedition takes a terrifying turn after accidentally awakening the cursed high priest Imhotep, unleashing a plague of supernatural horrors.

Driven by groundbreaking visual effects and an iconic blend of action and comedy, the movie was a massive commercial hit, grossing $415.9 million worldwide against an $80 million budget. Its highly successful 2001 follow-up, The Mummy Returns, performed even better, raking in $436.5 million globally against a $98 million budget.

While plot specifics have been kept under wraps, the new film is being described as a continuation of the earlier Mummy movies, with Brendan Fraser and Rachel Weisz returning to their roles from the original films.

Directors Matt and Tyler previously teased the script has "all of the heart and the character that you could hope for".

Matt added to Entertainment Weekly: "I don't think Brendan and Rachel are getting involved unless they love that script, and what they read, I think they really liked. It's a good script. It's gonna be fun to make."

Earlier this year, Tyler described the long-awaited sequel as "beautiful and scary".

He told Empire magazine: "Having stepped into Scream, our radar for jumping into another franchise is that it has to feel special. And [David Coggeshall’s] script really does that. It is very beautiful and sweeping and scary and fun."

Meanwhile, Brendan previously acknowledged that “anything’s possible” in the film series but refused to confirm his return.

He told Deadline: “Hey, anything’s possible at this point. It is speculation, and I would love to tell you … I would love to answer more about that. But my lips are kind of sealed.

"I am sorry, but I want you to know that there is a definite fan base."

The George of the Jungle actor also reflected on the huge fanbase he'd amassed through The Mummy series.