The Mummy 4 is shaping up to be a true reunion project. Following casting reports, John Hannah confirmed his return to the franchise while hinting that more legacy cast members will also be back.
Universal Is Getting the OG Cast Back for The Mummy 4
“You’ve heard all the rumors and it’s true. Everyone’s back,” Hannah told journalists at the Monte-Carlo Television Festival (via Variety). The actor is reprising his role as Jonathan Carnahan, the older brother of Evelyn. He joins Brendan Fraser as the only cast members to appear in all installments of The Mummy.
So far, only Hannah, Fraser, and Rachel Weisz are confirmed for The Mummy 4. Weisz is making her long-awaited return to The Mummy franchise as Evelyn after not appearing in Tomb of the Dragon Emperor. Maria Bello took over the role of Evelyn for the 2008 sequel.
Other notable characters from the first The Mummy trilogy include Oded Fehr’s Aredeth Bay and Arnold Vosloo’s Imhotep. While Hannah remained tight-lipped over whether either of them might appear in The Mummy 4, he did share that “there will be some surprises” in the sequel.
A fourth Mummy movie was initially in development following the release of Tomb of the Dragon Emperor, but was ultimately canceled by Universal in favor of the 2017 reboot starring Tom Cruise. The project reentered development in November 2025 and was officially confirmed in February 2026.
“Brendan had sort of whispered in my ear previously about the potential of this happening and it wasn’t long after that that official contact was made,” Hannah shared. His return was first reported in March 2026.
Brendan Fraser Is Getting Back in Mummy-Fighting Shape
Fraser revealed that he has begun to get back in shape for The Mummy 4. “I’m doing my best to get this 57-year-old gear in shape,” he told Jimmy Fallon on The Tonight Show last month. Production is set to start this August with Radio Silence’s Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett in the director’s chairs. David Coggeshall wrote the screenplay.
While plot details remain under wraps, Fraser told Fallon that the sequel is “going to give the audience what they have been bothering all of us for the last 20-whatever years.” While he didn’t divulge too much else, he did reveal that they would be shooting at some of the previous locations.
Bettinelli-Olpin shared a similar statement back in March. He noted that their work on the recent Scream movies helped prepare them for taking on another major legacy franchise. Like Scream, they plan to honor what fans love about the original Mummy movies while offering fans something new.
“You don’t want to be too beholden to what came before, but you want to be really respectful of it,” Bettinelli-Olpin explained. “It’s walking that fine line of giving people and ourselves something new and fresh that stands on its own when it comes out without alienating what came before it, but also without just being nostalgia bait. I think it has to be both of those things.”
After having its release date moved up, The Mummy 4 is now set to hit theaters on Oct. 15, 2027.
- Release Date
-
May 19, 2028
- Director
-
Tyler Gillett, Matt Bettinelli-Olpin
- Writers
-
David Coggeshall
- Producers
-
James Vanderbilt, Paul Neinstein, Sean Daniel, William Sherak