Obsession Star Michael Johnston Circling The Mummy 4

Michael Johnston, the breakout star of Curry Barker’s sensational horror hit Obsession, is in early talks for a major role in the fourth The Mummy film at Universal Pictures. The Radio Silence duo of Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett are directing the next film from a script by David Coggeshall. Franchise veteran Sean Daniel is set to produce alongside William Sherak, James Vanderbilt, Clayton Townsend and Paul Neinstein. Johnston’s talks for The Mummy were first reported by The InSneider.

Johnston would star opposite the returning Brendan Fraser, Rachel Weisz and John Hannah if the the deal does go through. Plot details are undisclosed at this time, but the brand new sequel is supposed to elide the events of the third movie, in which Rachel Weisz did not appear. "It’s just really beautiful and scary and sweeping, and it’s awesome,” Gillet teases. Bettinelli-Olpin adds that the film “has all of the heart and the character that you could hope for.”

The Mummy Franchise Timeline

The Mummy first hit theaters in 1999. The film stars Fraser as treasure hunter Rick O’Connell, who rouses the evil Egyptian priest Imhotep after thousands of years. The film sparked a 2001 sequel, The Mummy Returns and a 2008 Chinese-inspired followup, The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor which did not feature Weisz as co-star. The Mummy franchise abruptly ended after Tomb of the Dragon Emperor, which was budgeted at $175M and barely raked a decenr profit. The new chapter seeks to revive the wind in the franchise's sails. The new directors, Bettinelli-Olpin and Gillett, have a horror-heavy filmography that includes Ready or Not, Abigail, Scream (2022), and Scream VI.

Johnston's Obsession has emerged as Focus’ top-grossing film of all time at over $458M worldwide. It marks the actor’s big break, almost 15 years into his screen acting career. Universal hasn't commented on Johnston's involvement.

The new spin on The Mummy is slated for release on October 15th 2027.