By the time the Mummy franchise got around to 2008’s The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor, much had changed. Mainly, the franchise’s co-star, Rachel Weisz, was now an Oscar winner and a mother. So, when the script came around for a new installment that brought back both her and Brendan Fraser’s characters, Weisz declined. Maria Bello then took over the role, and while the resulting film was a hit, The Mummy was buried thereafter.
That is, until 2028. In 2028, two decades after the previous installment, both Weisz and Fraser will reprise their roles in the monster-inspired adventure series under the direction of Radio Silence, aka Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett. The return of the two stars, however, then raises the question of canon. Do the events of The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor count in the world of The Mummy 4? And, if not, is The Mummy 4 really Mummy 3?
“Well, Rachel is in this one,” Bettinelli-Olpin told Entertainment Weekly about the upcoming film.
“That should answer the question for you,” Gillett added. And while it literally does not answer the question, it certainly implies that the new film will ignore the events of the third film and only consider Rachel Weisz’s films canon. Sorry, Ms. Bello.
Now, to be fair, this is almost certainly the right choice. There are probably many, many people out in the world who don’t even know a third Mummy movie came out. Everyone knows the first one, of course. Especially, as there has been a recent rise in popularity that all but willed this new one into existence. And most people know the second one, The Mummy Returns, because it was the acting debut of Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson. Plus, it got a prequel, The Scorpion King.
But the third film? Directed by Rob Cohen and starring Jet Li as the Mummy? Not as well beloved. It did okay financially, grossing over $100 million in the US and over $400 million worldwide, but that wasn’t quite enough to keep The Mummy alive.
But there have to be fans out there, right? Every movie has its fans. And, to those fans, we’re sorry. Tomb of the Dragon Emperor is not, apparently, canon to the new, upcoming Mummy. That new movie is currently set for release on May 19, 2028.
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