The InSneider is reporting that Michael Johnston (Obsession, X-Men '97) is in early talks to join the cast of Universal's highly anticipated The Mummy 4.
Details on his role remain under wraps, but if his deal closes, he'll join returning franchise mainstays Brendan Fraser ("Rick O'Connell"), Rachel Weisz ("Evelyn O'Connell"), and John Hannah ("Jonathan Carnahan").
Radio Silence’s Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett (Ready or Not; Scream) have been tapped to helm the feature from a screenplay by David Coggeshall (The Family Plan, Orphan: First Kill).
Sean Daniel, William Sherak, James Vanderbilt, Paul Neinstein, and Clayton Townsend are producing, while Brendan Fraser and Jason F. Brown serve as executive producers.
Johnston broke out in Curry Barker's blockbuster horror hit Obsession, which grossed over $458.8 million globally on a modest $750,000 budget. His other notable credits include voicing Young Nathan Summers in Marvel Studios' X-Men '97, a guest appearance on Supergirl, and 25 episodes of Teen Wolf. He also voiced Dante in the Marvel's Avengers video game.
The Fraser-fronted films were among the biggest blockbusters of the late '90s and early 2000s, with the original trilogy grossing over $1.264 billion globally. The first two films have maintained a passionate fanbase over the years, so interest in this next chapter should be at an all-time high.
While plot details for the fourth installment are being kept deep within Imhotep's tomb, Fraser previously teased that this is the film he's wanted to make for nearly two decades. He told AP News last year, "The one I wanted to make was never made. The third one was a model of … how can I say this to the AP reporter? NBC had the rights to broadcast the Olympics that year. So they put two together and we went to China. Working in Shanghai, an incredible experience. I’m proud of the third one because I think it’s a good standalone movie. We picked up and did what we do with a different crew on deck and gave it our best shot. But the one I wanted to make is forthcoming. And I’ve been waiting 20 years for this call. Sometimes it was loud, sometimes it was a faint telegraph. Now? It’s time to give the fans what they want."
There's no official word on a production start date, but with casting underway, filming will presumably begin before the end of the year.
The Mummy 4 is set to hit theaters on October 15, 2027!