The Mummy franchise began in 1999. It introduced moviegoers to Brendan Fraser's Rick O'Connell and Rachel Weisz's Evelyn Carnahan, and following their clash with the resurrected Imhotep, the duo returned in 2001's The Mummy Returns, which introduced Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson's Scorpion King.
In 2002, that character was front and centre in his own ill-fated spin-off, before the franchise rose from the dead in 2008 with The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor. That also didn't receive the warmest response, even with Jet Li in a starring role.
Perhaps most disappointing for longtime fans was Weisz not reprising her role as Evelyn. She was replaced by Coyote Ugly star Maria Bello, but Weisz finally returns in the upcoming fourth instalment, which has started shooting in the UK.
As we first reported on SFFGazette.com, she's been photographed on set in full period costume with a small portable radio or communication device in hand.
No other cast members have been seen as we write this, but The Mummy 4, a movie many fans didn't expect would happen, now feels far more real. Hopefully, Fraser will be seen next, as excitement to see what he brings to the table as Rick is similarly high.
Tomb of the Dragon Emperor is not being considered canon moving into this next chapter of the franchise. Both the movie's directors and Fraser have expressed that in interviews, with the latter promising fans this fourth instalment will have been worth the wait.
"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," Fraser previously said. "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."
He continued, "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."
Starring Brendan Fraser, Rachel Weisz, John Hannah, Arnold Vosloo, Oded Fehr, Kevin J. O'Connor, Michael Johnston, and Numan Acar, The Mummy 4 is directed by Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett, aka Radio Silence.
David Coggeshall (The Family Plan, Orphan: First Kill) wrote the screenplay for this next instalment of the franchise, with Sean Daniel returning as a producer. William Sherak, James Vanderbilt and Paul Neinstein will produce through Project X Entertainment, and they're frequent collaborators with the movie's directors, Radio Silence.
The Mummy 4 arrives in theaters on May 19, 2028.