The mummy rises—but not as you remember it

Forget Brendan Fraser’s charmingly hapless adventurer. A new Mummy film is arriving in April, and it’s trading action-adventure for something far more sinister, a shift that’s already sparking bewilderment and a surprisingly aggressive social media campaign from the studio.

A stark departure from the beloved franchise

For months, whispers of a third Mummy installment have circulated, initially slated for a May 2028 release. While the prospect of revisiting the Dragon Emperor's tomb seemed a likely route, this new venture, spearheaded by Lee Cronin (Possessor) and starring the Spanish actress Laia Costa, is an entirely different beast. Warner Bros. is positioning it as a psychological horror, drawing clear parallels to the Conjuring universe—a far cry from the globe-trotting thrills that defined the 1999 film and its sequels.

The studio's unusual promotional strategy has only amplified the confusion. Over the past few days, the official social media channels have been relentlessly reminding audiences that, yes, Brendan Fraser is indeed absent from this production. The attempt at humor feels forced, a transparent acknowledgment of the franchise’s inherent Fraser association. The reality is, this isn't a continuation of the beloved saga; it’s a complete reimagining, one that aims to scare rather than entertain with grand set pieces and supernatural spectacle.

The core narrative, as revealed on the Warner Bros. website, centers on a journalist's missing daughter who reappears eight years later, shattering the fragile peace of her grieving family. What should be a joyous reunion quickly descends into a nightmare. It’s a fundamentally different premise, one that steers clear of the adventure tropes that defined the original.

The trailer, now available, offers a glimpse into this unsettling new direction. While this project carries a considerably smaller scale than Tom Cruise’s ill-fated attempt to resurrect the franchise, one can only hope it achieves the success that eluded its predecessor. The April 17th Spanish release date will offer the first critical verdict, and it remains to be seen if audiences will embrace this unsettling detour into psychological horror.