It’s been more than 25 years since Brendan Fraser first swaggered onto the big screen as Rick O’Connell in The Mummy, the pulp-adventure classic that became one of the most beloved action movies of the ’90s. For years, the franchise has felt locked away in Universal’s sarcophagus vault, collecting dust like a forgotten relic—but that’s finally changing. After a long stretch of silence (and even longer fan speculation), The Mummy 4 is officially on the horizon. We’re heading back to the desert, back into the ruins, and back into the world the No Sudden Moves actor helped define—and now the actor is explaining why he’s been waiting 20 years to make this sequel.
In a new interview with the Associated Press, Fraser opens up about how the series diverged from his original vision for the sword and sandals adjacent series, after The Mummy Returns, and why the next installment is the one he’s been hoping to make for two decades. As he told the outlet:
The one I wanted to make was never made. 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. 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.
Those comments will hit longtime fans hard. The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor was a major creative detour driven by corporate scheduling and broadcast rights. Fraser makes clear he respected the production and its crew, but it wasn’t the direction he envisioned for Rick O’Connell.
And yet, what stands out most is that he never let go of that vision. After years of career highs, lows, reinvention, and an Oscar win that capped off his heartfelt comeback lovingly called the Brenaissance, Fraser says the story he always wanted to tell is finally within reach. In his words:
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.
Fraser’s long-held hope that The Mummy 4 would one day rise from the tomb is finally paying off—not just for him, but for everyone who grew up on his swashbuckling Rick O’Connell. The post-Whale chapter of the George of the Jungle star has been defined by vulnerability, and audiences are rallying behind him all over again for the Brenaissance 2.0. Returning to the role that helped define him for a generation feels like the most natural next step, especially since the School Times alum’s affection for O’Connell has never dimmed.
A fourth film built around the story Fraser originally wanted to tell has the potential to be both a nostalgic throwback and a genuinely new adventure. And if he already sounds this energized before a single camera has rolled, imagine what the finished movie could feel like. After 20 years, the stars have finally aligned.
As much as fans would love to see The Mummy 4 magically appear on the 2026 movie schedule, the odds aren’t in our favor. With production still in its earliest stages, casting underway, and next year’s release slate already packed—both for Universal and the industry at large—the franchise’s return is far more likely to land sometime in 2027. So, the adventure is coming, but we’ll need just a little more patience before the O’Connells ride again.
Brendan Fraser’s next project, the 2025 movie release Rental Family, will hit theaters on November 21, 2025, arriving the weekend before Thanksgiving.