Lee Cronin Reveals How The Mummy Takes Gore to a New Level for 2026 [Exclusive]

by

It’s a common occurrence in Hollywood for two studios to release strikingly similar movies around the same time – think of films like The Prestige and The Illusionist, Deep Impact and Armageddon, or Finding Nemo and Shark Tale. But now, we’re seeing this happen with The Mummy franchise. While Lee Cronin‘s new Mummy movie arrives on April 17th, another film – a fourth installment featuring Brendan Fraser – is already in development, slated for release in 2028. This year’s Mummy is different, though – it’s leaning into a more mature, R-rated horror style with plenty of intense and graphic scenes.

While promoting The Mummy, makeup artist Matthew Cronin spoke with ComicBook about how far he could push the special effects. He explained that whenever the story involved characters losing skin, he wanted to make it as realistic and intense as possible, as it was central to the plot’s mystery. There were no limitations during the planning and execution of these effects, especially when it came to a particularly gruesome toenail scene. Cronin aims to shock and then immediately move the audience to something new, constantly keeping the experience fresh and unexpected. He wants to create a memorable moment, then quickly shift focus to maintain the audience’s engagement.

Embracing Gore Is a Smart Approach for Lee Cronin’s The Mummy

Blumhouse, the studio behind the new Mummy film directed by Lee Cronin, knows how closely people associate Brendan Fraser with the franchise. They even jokingly posted “BRENDAN FRASER IS NOT IN LEE CRONIN’S THE MUMMY” repeatedly on social media, which went viral. This playful campaign actually pointed to a major hurdle for the new film. While The Mummy is a classic Universal Monsters property, the previous films starring Fraser turned it into a more action-packed, Indiana Jones-style adventure series. Given Fraser’s recent career comeback and his strong connection to the Mummy films, he’s become almost inseparable from the brand.

Many movie fans were likely curious if Brendan Fraser would appear in the new Mummy film. The studio has been proactively clarifying that he won’t, and their marketing emphasizes that this movie is a very different take on the Mummy idea. If the new film felt too much like Fraser’s previous Mummy movies, audiences might question why it even exists. Instead, it’s showing that two distinct Mummy series can be successful at the same time. While The Mummy 4 aims to be a fun, action-packed adventure, Lee Cronin’s The Mummy is focused on scaring audiences with a genuinely frightening horror story. They’re both different films, aimed at different viewers.

As a critic, I’m really hoping Lee Cronin’s The Mummy can establish itself as something unique, because it feels like it could be the launchpad for a whole new series. I spoke with Cronin, and while he understandably said the main goal is to deliver a fantastic film and see how audiences react, he also hinted he’s already brainstorming potential continuations, even while filming! Honestly, that’s a smart move. We’ve seen studios rush into things with sequels before – remember the failed Dark Universe? – and it rarely works. It’s much better to focus on making this first movie the best it can be and then see what the future holds.

The new Mummy film is aiming to be truly terrifying with intense gore and a focus on gruesome imagery. If director Lee Cronin’s latest movie delivers on the promise of its trailers, it could be a major horror success. Cronin has proven he can create gripping horror films – like The Hole in the Ground and Evil Dead Rise – and he seems poised to bring a fresh perspective to The Mummy. Early looks suggest horror fans have a lot to look forward to.

What do you think? Leave a comment below and join the conversation now in the ComicBook Forum!

https://comicbook.com/movies/feature/9-years-later-this-new-horror-movie-looks-like-it-can-do-something-even-tom-cruise-failed-to/embed/#

Read More

2026-04-14 17:41