After eighteen years, countless rumors, one failed Tom Cruise reboot, and approximately ten thousand fan petitions, it’s finally official: Rick and Evelyn O’Connell are coming back. The Mummy 4 is in development with Brendan Fraser and Rachel Weisz reprising their roles, Radio Silence (Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett) directing, and a production start aimed for August.
The announcement feels like a collective hallucination come to life. For years, Fraser has been asked about a potential return to the franchise that made him an action superstar, and for years he’s given variations of “maybe, if the script is right.” Apparently, the script is finally right. According to the actor, he’s been waiting twenty years for this specific call, and the project has everything he’s ever wanted to see from the swashbuckling franchise.
Weisz’s return is perhaps even more surprising. She sat out 2008’s The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor—the third installment that replaced her with Maria Bello and sent the franchise to China instead of Egypt—and her absence was widely interpreted as a lack of interest in continuing the series.
But when Radio Silence came calling with a script by David Coggeshall (Orphan: First Kill, The Family Plan), she signed on, effectively erasing Tomb of the Dragon Emperor from continuity. As the directors cheekily noted: “Well, Rachel is in this one. That should answer the question for you.”
Radio Silence, fresh off their successful Scream reboot and the upcoming Ready or Not 2, seem like perfect fits for the material. They understand how to balance horror, humor, and heart—the exact alchemy that made Stephen Sommers’ 1999 original such a joy. They’ve described Coggeshall’s script as “beautiful and sweeping and scary and fun,” hitting all the notes that fans want from a Mummy movie.
According to them, Fraser and Weisz wouldn’t have signed on if they didn’t love the script, which suggests that the project respects the characters’ legacy while pushing them into new territory.
The question of setting remains open. Sommers, the original director, has expressed hope that the story returns to Egypt eventually, noting that while the sequels expanded the globe—London in Returns, China in Dragon Emperor—the heart of the franchise is in the pyramids and tombs of the Nile. Whether Radio Silence heeds this advice or charts their own course remains to be seen, but with an August production start, details should emerge soon.
The Mummy 4 is scheduled for release on May 19, 2028, giving the filmmakers plenty of time to craft something worthy of the wait. For fans who grew up on Fraser’s earnest charm and Weisz’s plucky determination, this represents a rare second chance—a legacy sequel that actually involves the original stars, not just their IP.
In an era of endless reboots and reimaginings, there’s something comforting about the return of Rick and Evelyn, ready to fight mummies and banter their way through another adventure.
Welcome back to the jungle, O’Connells. We’ve missed you.
Prepare for the return—see The Mummy 4 in theaters May 19, 2028, and witness Brendan Fraser and Rachel Weisz reunite for the adventure we’ve been waiting twenty years for.
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