The Mummy 4 release date revealed as Brendan Fraser and Rachel Weisz set to return to franchise

For the last few months, speculation has been rife that Brendan Fraser and Rachel Weisz are set to reprise their iconic roles as Rick O'Connell and Evelyn Carnahan in a fourth instalment of the long-dormant The Mummy franchise.

Well, now those rumours have been officially confirmed: Universal has announced a release date of 19th May 2028 for the film.

The movie will be directed by Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett – the duo collectively known as Radio Silence – from a script by David Coggeshall (Orphan: First Kill), although no plot details have been disclosed at this stage.

Beyond Fraser and Weisz, there is also no word yet on any further returning cast members, although John Hannah – who played Evelyn's brother Jonathan in the series – recently told RadioTimes.com that a return to the beloved action-adventure franchise "would be fun to do", so there's every chance he may eventually be announced too.

And of course, we'd very much expect some new talent to be signed up for this latest entry as well – so we'll certainly be keeping an eye out for news on any casting updates in the near future.

18 years have passed since Fraser last played adventurer Rick in 2008's widely derided third film The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor, for which Weisz did not return and was replaced as Evelyn by Maria Bello.

The opening two instalments in the series, 1999's The Mummy and 2001's The Mummy Returns, both remain firm favourites with many fans despite mixed reviews from critics – and the hope will be that a fourth film can recapture that appeal.

Of course, Fraser has enjoyed something of a career resurgence in recent years – including his Oscar-winning role in Darren Aronofsky's The Whale – so perhaps it's no surprise that his most popular series is making a return to the big screen.

Speaking to Empire in a new interview, Bettinelli-Olpin and Gillett referenced how their previous success in stepping in to revive a popular franchise with Scream might help them in this instance, explaining that: "Our radar for jumping into another franchise is that it has to feel special."

Gillett continued: "And [Coggeshall’s] script really does that. It is very beautiful and sweeping and scary and fun."

Let's hope it lives up to that promise!

The first three films in The Mummy franchise are currently available to stream on Sky Movies and NOW.

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