The Mummythe iconic monster of classic horror cinema, will return to the big screen in 2026 under a new vision of the filmmaker Lee Croninrecognized for his work in Evil Dead: The Awakening.
The new adaptation will be produced by Blumhouse, Atomic Monster and Doppelgängers in collaboration with New Line Cinema, in order to create a modern and terrifying version of this famous character.
Cronin, who will also write the script, described this project as a reinvention that seeks to explore ancient horror. “This will be different from any movie The Mummy that they have seen before”he said in a statement to The Hollywood Reporter.
The filmmaker's proposal will seek to move away from the most recent versions of the franchise in which the tone of adventure and action predominated over horror. “I'm digging deep into the earth to unearth something very ancient and very creepy.”Cronin commented.
The film, scheduled for release on April 17, 2026, is backed by an expert team in the genre. James Wan, Jason Blum y John Keville are at the forefront as producers, while Michael Clear, Judson Scott and Macdara Kelleher They are the executive producers. Atomic Monster's Alayna Glasthal will oversee the project.
In addition, the official announcement was accompanied by a video on Blumhouse's social networks showing the first page of the script, wrapped in a haunting chant similar to that of the soundtracks of the classic versions.
The story of The Mummy on the big screen began in 1932, with the film starring Boris Karloff as Imhotep, a mummified Egyptian priest seeking to reunite with his reincarnated love. The film was a success for Universal Pictures, leading to the creation of several sequels.
In the late 1950s, Hammer Films produced its own version, starring Christopher Lee y Peter Cushingconsolidating the character as a fundamental element of the horror genre.
Universal revitalized the franchise in 1999 with a more action-adventure-oriented approach. Starring Brendan Fraser and Rachel Weisz, this new version of The Mummy It was a commercial success that raised millions of dollars and spawned two sequels: The return of the mummy (2001) y The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor (2008).
However, other attempts to revive the character failed to achieve the same impact. In 2017, Universal released a new version with Tom Cruise as the protagonist, in what was planned to be the beginning of a “Dark Universe” of classic monsters. The film was a critical and financial failure, losing nearly $95 million, prompting the studio to rethink its strategies.
Months ago, both Brendan Fraser and the director of the first two films, Stephen Sommers, had been consulted about whether they would be willing to resume the saga.
Sommers, in an interview with The Hollywood Reporterdeclared in May: “Of course I would work with all those actors again, but I don't know if the studio is interested.” For his part, Fraser expressed with humor: “I'm always looking for work. If someone has a good idea, it sounds like fun.”
The main obstacle to a direct sequel is the financial factor. Although The Tomb of the Dragon Emperor had an acceptable performance at the box office, it failed to match the success of the first two installments. Added to this, the failure of the 2017 version raised doubts about the viability of new films in the Universal franchise.
