Last November, Deadline got a scoop that Rachel Weisz and Brendan Fraser were in talks to reprise their roles in The Mummy 4. Fans have been asking to reboot that franchise for decades, so the news spread like wildfire. In January, Fraser told the Radio Times that he’d totally be down to give the people what they want, but that the final decision was not up to him.
Well, The Mummy will officially rise again, with both Fraser and Weisz confirmed as Rick and Evelyn O’Connell. John Hannah is also returning as Evelyn’s brother, Jonathan Carnahan. Fraser recently appeared on The Tonight Show to promote his new World War II movie, Pressure. Before Jimmy Fallon even brought up that film, he asked Brendan about The Mummy 4. Brendan stopped himself before he said too much, but did joke about having to get back in action-movie shape. I’ll embed the video below and here’s a recap from People:
“The Mummy” star Brendan Fraser was in his thirties when he first became an action star with his trio of adventure movies. Now, nearly 20 years after his last outing as archaeologist Rick O’Connell, the 57-year-old actor is getting back into shape for the long-awaited “Mummy 4.”
Fraser joined Jimmy Fallon on “The Tonight Show” to tease “The Mummy 4,” which is set to release in theaters on Oct. 15, 2027. He’ll reunite with Rachel Weisz, who starred as Rick’s wife Evelyn in the first two “Mummy” movies before being replaced by Maria Bellow in the role in “The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor.” John Hannah, who played Evelyn’s older brother Jonathan, is also back for the sequel.
“We’re gonna get the band back together,” Fraser told Fallon. “The only way to do it. So, we are going to give the audience what they have been bothering all of us for, for the last twenty-whatever years.”
“The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor” was released in 2008, but was the lowest grossing film of the trilogy and received negative reviews compared to 1999’s original “The Mummy” and the 2001 sequel “The Mummy Returns.”
“I was hopeful for a long while, and then I was like, ‘I don’t know if they are.’ Then other ‘Mummy’ movies got made,” Fraser said about his return to the franchise. “But listen, what we’re gonna do is saddle back up, go back to the locations — I should probably stop talking like this, because I don’t want to give everything away.”
“The Mummy 4” will be Fraser’s first action movie in years. He won the Oscar for best actor for his 2022 drama “The Whale,” had a supporting role in Martin Scorsese’s “Killers of the Flower Moon” and recently starred in last year’s awards contender “The Rental Family.”
“Please wish me luck,” he said about his “Mummy 4” training. “I’m doing my best to get this 57-year-old gear in shape.”
In the video, you can tell that Brendan was given instructions on how to answer that question. He starts off cautiously by talking about his own feelings about wanting to do it. I think he started to get excited and was about to reveal actual film information before catching it and stopping himself. To that, I have a message for Brendan: Buddy, we were on the edge of our seats. Give us some scraps while we wait for the movie’s October 2027 release.
Brendan’s joke about getting in shape was a funny thing to pivot to. I’m sure he is working hard to get back into shape, but I hope he’s being kind to himself! He famously almost died while filming a stunt for the first movie. Fans don’t care if Rick is in shape or not. He could have a dad bod for all we care. We’re just happy to have the gang back together after so long.
Here’s Brendan’s interview with Jimmy. I queued it to start at the part where they talk about The Mummy:
Photos credit: Xavier Collin/Image Press Agency/Avalon, James Warren/Bang Showbiz/Avalon, Justin Ng/Avalon, Getty
I just want him to take care. He doesn’t have to be in perfect shape.
As long as Rachel Weisz is given the same latitude then I’m fine with his dadbod. But if she’s expected to roll up as a size -2 with muscles, perky breasts, and an unlined face, then I’m not okay with BF being given free reign to show up as he is.
To be clear, they should BOTH be allowed to show up as they are – older, more wrinkled, soft around the middle, bigger bodies. I just tire of the different expectations for men and women.