The Mummy went down the horror route with Lee Cronin’s separate take on the beloved franchise, and the genre influence is extending into the next mainline instalment. Following his breakout performance in the Curry Barker horror sensation Obsession, Michael Johnston, whose previous credits include Teen Wolf, is circling a role in the yet-to-be-titled The Mummy 4.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, the actor is in early talks to join the sequel, but if the deal goes through, he will star alongside Brendan Fraser and Rachel Weisz, who are reprising their original roles as adventurer Rick O’Connell and Egyptologist Evelyn O’Connell, respectively. The move would also keep Johnston under the Universal banner, as Obsession hails from the studio’s indie outfit, Focus Features.
The surprise of success Obsession shot Johnston to overnight fame, almost 15 years into his screen acting career. Now Focus’ top-grossing film of all time, it follows him as Bear, a music store employee who buys a supernatural toy that grants his wish for his friend Nikki (Inde Narrette) to fall in love and become obsessed with him. It grossed US$458.6 million at the global box office against an estimated budget of US$750,000, and now stands as the eighth-highest-grossing horror film of all time.
As for The Mummy 4, story details are currently being kept under wraps. Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett, best known for Ready or Not, are directing the pic at Radio Silence, while David Coggeshall (Orphan: First Kill) pens the screenplay. In addition to starring in the project, Fraser serves as executive producer alongside Jason F. Brown and Denis Stewart from Hivemind, with fan favourite John Hannah also confirmed to return.
Based on a loose remake of the 1932 film of the same name that was released as part of the Universal Monsters franchise, The Mummy follows Rick O’Connell as he teams up with Evelyn Carnahan and travels to Hamunaptra, the City of the Dead, accidentally awakening Imhotep, a cursed high priest with supernatural powers, in the process. The Stephen Sommers-directed feature would later spawn two sequels and a prequel titled The Scorpion King, which itself expanded into five movies, as well as a 2017 reboot headlined by Tom Cruise. However, it failed to make a splash at the box office, and the abysmal performance ended Universal’s plan to kick off its Dark Universe interconnected monster franchise.
The fourth Mummy instalment will wake up from its slumber on 15 October 2027.
Si Jia is a casual geek at heart – or as casual as someone with Sephiroth’s theme on her Spotify playlist can get. A fan of movies, games, and Japanese culture, Si Jia’s greatest weakness is the Steam Summer Sale. Or any Steam sale, really.
Kevin Low
