Why might the new Mummy sequel be about to ignore one film in the franchise?
Brendan Fraser’s long-awaited Mummy comeback might rewrite the franchise’s history – by quietly skipping over its least-loved adventure.
Universal’s beloved Mummy franchise looks set to rise from its sarcophagus once more. Brendan Fraser and Rachel Weisz – who fronted the hit adventure films at the turn of the millennium – are reportedly in talks to return for a new sequel directed by Ready or Not and Scream duo Radio Silence (Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett).
According to The Hollywood Reporter, the new project will reunite Fraser’s roguish explorer Rick O’Connell with Weisz’s bookish but brave Evelyn Carnahan, nearly three decades after the pair first awakened the ancient high priest Imhotep in 1999’s The Mummy.
Producers from the original trilogy are also on board – but there’s one intriguing twist: industry whispers suggest the film might ignore the events of 2008’s The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor.
So why might the third entry in the existing Mummy series be erased from canon? To understand the speculation, let’s first take a quick journey back to where it all began.
What happened in The Mummy and The Mummy Returns?
Stephen Sommers's 1999 blockbuster The Mummy injected old-school adventure into Universal’s classic monster catalogue, mixing Indiana Jones-style derring-do with supernatural thrills. Set in 1920s Egypt, it followed soldier-of-fortune Rick O’Connell (Fraser), spirited librarian Evelyn Carnahan (Weisz) and her bumbling brother Jonathan (John Hannah) as they stumble upon the lost city of Hamunaptra – and accidentally resurrect the cursed high priest Imhotep (Arnold Vosloo). Cue plagues, scarab beetles, sandstorms with faces, and plenty of witty banter amid the chaos.
The film became a global hit, grossing over $422m and turning Fraser into a bona-fide leading man. Its success led to 2001’s The Mummy Returns, a bigger, brasher sequel set a decade later. Now married with an eight-year-old son, Alex, Rick and Evie once again battle Imhotep – this time resurrected by cultists hoping to harness the power of the Scorpion King (Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, in his film debut).
While the sequel leaned more heavily into CGI spectacle, it preserved the pulpy, romantic energy that defined the first adventure. Together, The Mummy and The Mummy Returns became a cornerstone of early-2000s blockbuster nostalgia.
What happened in The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor?
Released in 2008 and directed by Rob Cohen, The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor marked a sharp departure from the formula.
Swapping the sands of Egypt for the mountains of China, the film introduced Jet Li as the villainous Dragon Emperor – an ancient warlord cursed into terracotta form. When Rick and Evie’s now-adult son Alex (Luke Ford) awakens him, the family must reunite to stop the Emperor’s army from conquering the world.
Why might the new Mummy sequel ignore Tomb of the Dragon Emperor?
The 2008 film was a dramatic departure from its predecessors – swapping Egypt for China, mummies for terracotta warriors, and the franchise’s pulpy romantic tone for a more generic adventure feel.
It also suffered from another major shift: Rachel Weisz declined to return as Evelyn, reportedly due to script concerns and the long overseas shoot, and was replaced by Maria Bello – a recast that disrupted the chemistry fans loved between Weisz and Brendan Fraser.
While the film still earned solid box office returns, it’s widely regarded as the weakest of the trilogy, with poorer reviews and less fan affection.
Ignoring it would let the new Mummy sequel streamline the story, return to the tone and mythology of the first two adventures, and reunite the original leads without awkward narrative baggage, effectively giving The Mummy franchise the chance to rediscover its original magic.
In an age of legacy sequels like Top Gun: Maverick and Ghostbusters: Afterlife, audiences have shown they’ll reward respectful revivals that capture the old magic. A Mummy film that honours its first two adventures while quietly brushing aside the missteps of the third fits that pattern perfectly.
The first three films in The Mummy franchise are currently available to stream on Sky Movies and NOW.
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Authors
Morgan Jeffery is the Digital Editor for Radio Times, overseeing all editorial output across digital platforms. He was previously TV Editor at Digital Spy and has featured as a TV expert on BBC Breakfast, BBC Radio 5 Live and Sky Atlantic.
