Brendan Fraser and Rachel Weisz Reuniting for New ‘Mummy’ Movie

Great news for fans of adventure! A new Mummy film featuring Brendan Fraser and Rachel Weisz is officially in the works, and we’re eagerly awaiting its release.

Brendan Fraser and Rachel Weisz, who famously played adventurers Rick and Evie O’Connell in The Mummy (1999) and The Mummy Returns (2001), directed by Stephen Sommers, are reportedly discussing a return to those roles.

Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett, who together are known as Radio Silence, will direct the next installment in the popular supernatural adventure series featuring Universal Pictures’ classic monster. They previously gained recognition for directing the well-received horror film Ready or Not in 2019.

Radio Silence also directed the fifth and sixth Scream films, released in 2022 and 2023. These movies were very popular, proving the directors understand how to successfully revive and update a classic franchise for modern audiences.

A source told The Hollywood Reporter that the new movie will be a direct sequel, not a remake. They also said it will ignore everything that happened in the third film, The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor.

Released in 2008, The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor brings back Rick and Evie, now with their grown son Alex, for a new adventure in Egypt. They investigate the secrets of the Terracotta Army and face off against a dangerous ancient emperor. Rachel Weisz, who previously played Evie, was replaced by Maria Bello because Weisz had recently given birth and wasn’t happy with the film’s story.

While Tomb of the Dragon Emperor made a profit in theaters, it earned less money than any other film in the Mummy series. Critics and fans didn’t love it, finding it didn’t recapture the excitement of the original movies and missing the strong connection between stars Brendan Fraser and Rachel Weisz.

In 2017, Universal attempted to bring its classic monsters back to life with The Mummy, starring Tom Cruise. While the film earned a decent amount of money at the box office, it received negative reviews from both critics and viewers. As a result, plans for a new franchise called the Dark Universe, which was intended to modernize Universal’s monster movies, were cancelled.

Earlier this year, Brendan Fraser suggested that the movie The Mummy, starring Tom Cruise, wasn’t successful because it didn’t feel lighthearted enough.

The actor acknowledged Tom Cruise’s challenges filming his movie, saying it’s a notoriously difficult project. He explained that while making these films is hard, most of them have been enjoyable and exciting, making the effort worthwhile – with the exception of The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor.

A new take on The Mummy is coming to cinemas in 2026. Directed by Lee Cronin, known for Evil Dead Rise, and produced by Jason Blum and James Wan, the film will be a scary, supernatural horror movie. Notably, it will be the first Mummy movie in decades not released by Universal Pictures, breaking with a tradition established by the Hammer Films series from the 1950s and 70s.

Cronin’s The Mummy will be released on April 17, 2026.

Overlooked ’90s Movies That Should Have Been Bigger

The Paper (1994)

With a box office total of $48.4 million, The Paper is perhaps the most overlooked film directed by Ron Howard in the 1990s – a decade that also brought us hits like Backdraft, Apollo 13, and Ransom. However, it may also be his best work from that period. This energetic movie offers a look inside a major city newspaper, starring Michael Keaton as a stressed-out editor whose dedication to a story puts both his career and marriage at risk. For fans of journalistic dramas, The Paper is a standout, featuring a fantastic cast including Robert Duvall, Glenn Close, Jason Alexander, Marisa Tomei, and Jason Robards.

Guilty As Sin (1993)

I just finished watching Guilty As Sin, and it was a surprisingly fun ride! Director Sidney Lumet, famous for films like Dog Day Afternoon and 12 Angry Men, teamed up with Larry Cohen, who’s known for more sensational stuff, and the combination really worked. The story is a clever twist on Basic Instinct – this time, it’s the lawyer who’s attracted to the main suspect. Rebecca De Mornay is good, but honestly, the movie is a showcase for Don Johnson. He plays this incredibly charming, yet awful, gigolo, and he’s hilarious. Seriously, you want to see him get what’s coming to him. There’s this one scene in a bar where he basically strong-arms a woman into paying for his drink and then just walks off – it’s amazing! The box office total was $22.8 million, and it’s easy to see why – it’s a really entertaining flick.

The Quick and the Dead (1995)

With a box office total of $18.6 million, Sam Raimi has become a highly respected filmmaker. However, in the early 1990s, many critics dismissed his work as being all flash and no depth. They underestimated films like his Western, The Quick and the Dead, which was arguably the most visually striking Western since Sergio Leone’s films. Despite boasting a fantastic cast – including Sharon Stone, Gene Hackman, Keith David, Lance Henriksen, and future stars Russell Crowe and Leonardo DiCaprio – the film wasn’t well-received. Westerns weren’t popular at the time, and audiences largely ignored The Quick and the Dead. It’s surprising such a visually impressive movie didn’t resonate more with viewers; it seems audiences in the 90s didn’t fully appreciate what they had.

Devil in a Blue Dress (1995)

With a box office total of $16.1 million, Devil in a Blue Dress is a standout film, and it’s hard to imagine anyone looking better on screen than Denzel Washington in a simple white tank top. While perhaps not a traditional measure of success, Washington’s charismatic performance as Easy Rawlings – an unemployed man pulled into a complex mystery – is a major reason to watch. Based on Walter Mosley’s novel, the film boasts a fantastic supporting cast, including Tom Sizemore, Jennifer Beals, and a young Don Cheadle. Director Carl Franklin’s script powerfully explores the racial tensions of 1940s Los Angeles, and Washington’s captivating presence makes the film completely engrossing.

Trial and Error (1997)

The film earned $14.5 million at the box office. While many stars from popular ’90s TV sitcoms didn’t succeed in movies, this movie stands out as a charmingly quirky comedy. It’s similar in style to Kindergarten Cop, featuring Michael Richards (from Seinfeld) pretending to be a lawyer when his friend (Jeff Daniels) is unable to attend court due to a wild bachelor party. It’s a rare, lighthearted comedy, and it also showcases an early film role for Charlize Theron.

Lone Star (1996)

The film Lone Star earned $12.4 million at the box office. Director John Sayles was a highly respected independent filmmaker in the 80s and 90s, but his output decreased in the 2000s, potentially impacting his recognition with newer audiences. Released in 1996, Lone Star featured an early role for Matthew McConaughey and tells the story of a sheriff’s son (Chris Cooper) investigating the discovery of remains, which uncovers hidden truths about his community. The film is a compelling mystery that realistically examines the myths surrounding small-town American life.

The Two Jakes (1990)

With a box office total of $10 million, The Two Jakes initially seems like an unnecessary sequel to Chinatown. However, once you watch it, it feels like the perfect answer to a question you barely remember hearing. The film picks up long after the events of Chinatown, with private detective Jake Gittes (played and directed by Jack Nicholson) entangled in a complex case. He’s hired by a client (Harvey Keitel) who may be using him to conceal a murder. As Gittes investigates, he uncovers a link to his own history. Despite a difficult production and initial failure, The Two Jakes, written by the original Chinatown screenwriter Robert Towne, is a beautifully sad story about being haunted by the past. While the ending of Chinatown is famous, the final line of The Two Jakes – “It never goes away” – is perhaps even more chilling.

The Red Violin (1999)

The movie earned $10.0 million at the box office. It’s a compelling but often forgotten film that tells the story of a centuries-old violin. The movie uniquely blends mystery and multiple short stories, tracing the violin’s journey from its creation in the 17th century to its appearance at a Montreal auction in the late 1990s. We see different moments in the violin’s history, set in cities like Vienna, Oxford, and Shanghai. Samuel L. Jackson plays a quiet appraiser who uncovers a key secret about the instrument.

Dirty Work (1998)

Despite a career full of solid work, comedian Norm Macdonald never quite received the recognition he deserved. He was even fired from Saturday Night Live seemingly for being too funny. Sadly, much of his work was critically dismissed or ignored by audiences. His one starring role in a movie, Dirty Work, is a good example. It currently has a low score of 14% on Rotten Tomatoes and only earned $10 million at the box office. The film, about a man who starts a revenge-for-hire business with his friend (Artie Lange), was directed by Bob Saget. While Dirty Work isn’t a cinematic masterpiece and some jokes are questionable, it’s often genuinely funny—often funnier than many critically praised comedies of the 90s—and Norm Macdonald is fantastic in it. (Though his unusually large shirts are a bit of a mystery!) It’s definitely worth revisiting Dirty Work soon.

Night Falls Over Manhattan (1996)

With a box office total of $9.8 million, Night Falls on Manhattan is a classic Sidney Lumet film. It follows a promising young lawyer, played by Andy Garcia, who discovers the corruption within New York City’s political and legal systems. While the plot is a bit complex, the movie avoids sensationalism, quickly resolving the expected courtroom drama to instead focus on the damaging effects of ambition and politics on justice. Notably, the film features early performances from several actors who would later star in The Sopranos, including Dominic Chianese, Frank Vincent, and James Gandolfini, who plays a troubled police officer.

Matinee (1993)

I was really struck by Matinee. With a box office of $9.5 million, it clearly resonated with audiences, but it’s so much more than just a nostalgic trip. The film beautifully portrays a young boy, Gene, and his family navigating a tough time – his dad is away serving during the Cuban Missile Crisis, and his mom is doing her best to hold everything together. The local movie theater becomes their escape, a little pocket of joy amidst all the uncertainty. What I found particularly clever is how the film uses those old, cheesy B-movies to explore what really scares us versus the manufactured thrills Lawrence Woolsey, the wonderfully eccentric filmmaker played by John Goodman, creates. It’s ironic, but this movie about a purveyor of low-budget horror is actually incredibly insightful and moving.

The Spanish Prisoner

The film The Spanish Prisoner earned $9.5 million at the box office. This cleverly plotted con artist story, written by David Mamet, features a strong cast including Campbell Scott, Ben Gazzara, Ricky Jay, Ed O’Neill, and Steve Martin. The story centers on Joe (Scott), who has invented a potentially valuable process, and Jimmy (Martin), a businessman who suddenly shows interest. The film keeps you guessing: who is actually helping Joe, and is everyone trying to trick him? The mystery even extends to the meaning of ‘the Spanish prisoner’ – it’s actually the name of an old con game, not a person!

Serial Mom (1994)

With a box office total of $7.8 million, John Waters’ darkly comedic take on America’s fascination with true crime feels surprisingly prescient—and is even funnier than current events. Kathleen Turner stars as a seemingly normal suburban mother who secretly has a murderous side, punishing anyone who breaks her personal rules. (A word of advice: if you have a date with the daughter of Serial Mom, don’t cancel!) While now a cult classic, Serial Mom received mixed reviews and didn’t perform well at the box office when it was released in the mid-1990s. However, the intense media coverage of the O.J. Simpson trial a few years later made Waters seem like a remarkably insightful—and twisted—director.

The Man in the Moon (1991)

The film earned $2.8 million at the box office. Reese Witherspoon became well-known thanks to films like Election and Cruel Intentions, but she first showed her acting talent in The Man in the Moon. In this early indie drama, a 14-year-old Witherspoon plays a girl in 1950s Louisiana experiencing her first crush on Jason London’s character. Even in her debut role, Witherspoon acted with remarkable confidence, and audiences who saw the film in the early 1990s likely predicted her future success.

Household Saints (1993)

I recently revisited Nancy Savoca’s Household Saints, and wow, it’s a film that really stuck with me. It’s incredibly rare to find a movie that balances genuinely funny moments with such heartbreaking sadness, all while exploring faith in a way that feels both honest and questioning. I think its refusal to fit neatly into any category is probably why it’s not as well-known as it should be – it must have been a nightmare to sell! It’s too passionate and vibrant for a purely religious audience, but it’s definitely not a film about making fun of Catholicism. And that’s exactly what makes it so special. It’s unlike anything else I’ve seen when it comes to portraying family or faith. Lili Taylor is phenomenal as the center of this sprawling, multi-generational Italian American family saga. Honestly, I don’t think I’ve ever encountered a character quite like hers on screen before.

2025-11-05 00:59