It’s Blumhouse‘s turn to resurrect “The Mummy.” THR reports that “Evil Dead Rise” director Lee Cronin will write and direct the latest take on the undead horror trope via New Line. James Wan‘s Atomic Monster is also in on the action, with the banner and Blumhouse co-financing the project.
READ MORE: Alex Kurtzman Says ‘The Mummy’ Was “Brutal,” But “The Failure Rebuilt Him Into A Tougher, Clearer Filmmaker”
Wan, Jason Blum, and John Keville produce “The Mummy,” with Cronin also producing via his Doppelgängers banner. Executive producers include Michael Clear, Judson Scott, and Macdara Kelleher. Alayna Glasthal oversees via Atomic Monster.
The news answers what Cronin’s previously announced mystery project is, and New Line currently has it set for an April 17, 2026 release. “This will be unlike any “Mummy” movie you ever laid eyeballs on before,” Cronin told THR. “I’m digging deep into the earth to raise something very ancient and very frightening.” Cronin looks to capitalize on his success with “Evil Dead Rise,” which grossed $150 million worldwide last year, establishing him as a horror director to watch.
But why on earth would Cronin risk his ascendant career on the likes of “The Mummy”? The most recent rendition of the IP was nothing short of disastrous for Universal, with Alex Kurtzmann‘s 2017 film bombing big time at the box office and killing plans for the Dark Universe franchise before they even began. The film was also a rare big-budget misfire for star Tom Cruise, who thankfully rebounded the next year with “Mission: Impossible – Fallout.” (Read our D- reivew of the film here) So if that’s what fans are thinking about when it comes to “The Mummy” (and not the classic Universal monsters films, or Hammer‘s 1959 rendition with Christopher Lee, or the adventure trilogy starring Brendan Fraser), why even bother?
Well, maybe Cronin has a great and original take on the concept. But it doesn’t bode well for Blumhouse’s plans to revamp the Universal monsters that the studio decided to dump Leigh Whannel‘s “Wolf Man” to next January. That hints they’re not happy with the finished product, and don’t expect to be the major hit “The Invisible Man” was in 2020. That film did extremely well with critics and audiences, taking in $144.5 million worldwide of a $7 million budget. If “Wolf Man” doesn’t hit numbers like those, expect plans for “The Mummy” to get adjusted.
After “The Mummy” hits theaters in 2026, Blumhouse has Dracula, Frankenstein, and The Creature From The Black Lagoon left if they want to remake all of the Universal Monsters. Will they do so? Let’s see how Cronin’s take on “The Mummy” does first.
