Blumhouse’s New Reboot of 94-Year-Old Horror Franchise Already Has 1 Major Problem

Blumhouse is bringing back one of Universal’s classic monsters with a new film called The Mummy, directed by Lee Cronin (known for Evil Dead Rise). While fans are eager for this reboot, a recent preview has already raised some concerns. The movie appears to be a fresh take on the iconic monster story.

The new film centers around a journalist whose daughter went missing in the desert. Eight years later, the daughter returns, but things aren’t as the family hoped. Announced in December 2024, the movie will be released on April 17, 2025, and stars Jack Reynor, Laia Costa, and May Calamawy.

Lee Cronin’s The Mummy Franchise Will Struggle Against The Brendan Fraser Reboot

While Lee Cronin is making a new Mummy movie, another sequel featuring Brendan Fraser is also in development, which is great news for fans of the 1999 film. This new movie will be the fourth main installment in the Mummy series, which also includes the Scorpion King spin-offs.

According to a November 2025 report in Variety, the directors of Ready or Not, Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett, are lined up to direct a fourth Mummy movie. While Brendan Fraser hasn’t officially said the film is happening, many expect him and Rachel Weisz to reprise their roles, marking their first appearance together in the series since 2001’s The Mummy Returns.

I’m really excited about the news of another Mummy movie! But honestly, I’m a little worried about Lee Cronin’s version. Everyone loves Brendan Fraser’s The Mummy, and there’s so much buzz around a sequel with him coming back. I’m afraid it might steal the spotlight from Cronin’s film. They’re both going after the same audience, and I think Fraser’s movie will probably end up being much more popular, which isn’t fair to Cronin’s vision.

As a movie fan, I think both of these films could probably find an audience if they weren’t released so close together. We’ve seen it work with DC – look at how The Batman, Joker, and the main DCU all exist as separate things, and fans are into it! It shows that if a franchise has a dedicated following, multiple, unconnected series can thrive. The Mummy isn’t quite at Batman‘s level of popularity, of course, but I honestly think two different Mummy franchises could work – they just need some breathing room between releases.

Although a release date for The Mummy 4 hasn’t been revealed, it might have benefited Lee Cronin’s The Mummy if news of the sequel had stayed under wraps a bit longer. Cronin’s film could have gained more traction without being compared to the Brendan Fraser movie. Now that The Mummy 4 has been announced, it will be interesting to see how the 2026 release performs knowing the sequel is also in development.

How Lee Cronin’s The Mummy Can Stand Apart From The Brendan Fraser Film

Having two separate Mummy franchises at the same time could be tricky, but Lee Cronin’s version can still succeed. Just look at Batman – each series offers something unique. The Batman is dark and realistic, the DCU is a more colorful and sweeping superhero world, and Joker is a standalone, stylized story focused on the villain. Despite all being connected to Batman, they’re all very different from one another.

The original Mummy films with Brendan Fraser were huge action-comedy hits, but didn’t focus much on horror. Because of this, a fourth film would likely follow the same formula. Therefore, Lee Cronin’s new Mummy movie needs to try a different approach and stand out.

Lee Cronin’s work on Evil Dead Rise shows he excels at creating gory, scary, and darkly funny movies. His upcoming The Mummy should embrace those same qualities. While the film’s rating is still unknown, an R-rating would help differentiate it from previous Mummy films starring Brendan Fraser. This would allow Cronin to fully explore the franchise’s potential for intense horror and push creative limits that Fraser’s films didn’t reach.

Look, as a huge movie fan, I always felt like Lee Cronin’s The Mummy could really stand out if it just leaned into being genuinely scary. The Brendan Fraser one was fun, a real adventure flick like Indiana Jones, but this new take has the potential to actually terrify people. If they do that, it opens the door for sequels that feel different – they wouldn’t be competing with the Fraser films, and Lee Cronin’s The Mummy could really build into its own successful franchise.

Which The Mummy film are you looking forward to more? Share your thoughts in the comments and join the discussion on the ComicBook Forum!

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2026-01-21 19:45