The best news of the week, nay, the year has just arrived.
According to Deadline, Brendan Fraser and Rachel Weisz are in talks to return for a new Mummy movie at Universal. They will presumably be reprising their respective roles as Rick O’Connell and Evelyn Carnahan from the previous trilogy of films. Or, at least Fraser will, as fans know all too well that Weisz opted not to return for The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor and was replaced by Maria Bello.
Radio Silence’s Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett (Ready or Not, Scream VI) will direct from a script by David Coggeshall (The Family Plan films, The Deliverance). Franchise veteran Sean Daniel is returning to produce alongside William Sherak, James Vanderbilt, and Paul Neinstein of Project X Entertainment.
Plot details remain under wraps, although The Hollywood Reporter noted in its report that a source has described “the project as not a reboot, but rather a sequel that would disregard the events of the third movie.”
It’s Not the Worst Idea to Ignore The Mummy 3
While I’m not usually one to jump on board with the idea of disregarding previous entries when rebooting a property, it does make a ton of sense to ignore Tomb of the Dragon Emperor. First, let’s address the biggest problem: Weisz wasn’t involved. An actor leaving a role for a movie and then returning for a later sequel isn’t something new. It’s been done countless times before, so that alone isn’t enough to disregard the events of Tomb of the Dragon Emperor (no matter how forgettable it is).
The real problem is that the Mummy movies have not cared one bit about time. The first Mummy was set in 1923 and released in 1999. The sequel, The Mummy Returns, arrived just two years later, in 2001, but was set a decade later, in 1933. Tomb of the Dragon Emperor arrived in 2008, but was set 13 years later, in 1946.
Those who know basic math will see that there was a 23-year time jump between the first and third movies, which, if these movies had been released similar to when they were set, means that Tomb of the Dragon Emperor should have featured a 2022 Fraser instead of a 2008 Fraser. Having The Mummy 4 set in 1950, but featuring a Rick O’Connell that has aged almost two decades in an in-universe span of four years, makes no damn sense. So, ignoring 3 and having this reboot instead set in 1950 makes the passage of time feel a whole lot more believable.
But regardless of whether Tomb of the Dragon Emperor ends up canon or not, there is no need to bring their son back. He can just be doing his own thing off-screen. John Hannah definitely needs to return as Evelyn’s brother, Jonathan Carnahan, though.
Are you ready for a new Mummy with Brendan Fraser? Should they decanonize Tomb of the Dragon Emperor? Tell us down in the comments!
