Mummy 4 eyes Michael Johnston after Obsession breakout
Michael Johnston is in early talks for The Mummy 4, joining a Universal sequel led by Brendan Fraser and Rachel Weisz.
By Georgia Hale · Staff Writer
3 min read
Michael Johnston is in early talks for The Mummy 4, Variety has confirmed, putting the Obsession star in line to join Brendan Fraser and Rachel Weisz in Universal’s next trip back to the cursed-sand franchise.
Universal Pictures has set the film for a wide theatrical release on Oct. 15, 2027. The studio did not comment to Variety, and the report did not identify what role Johnston might play if a deal closes.
Johnston is coming off Obsession, the R-rated horror film from director Curry Barker. Variety reported that the low-budget movie became a box-office hit. In the film, Johnston plays Bear, a hopeless romantic who strikes a Faustian bargain to win over his crush, Nikki, played by Inde Navarrette.
Before Obsession, Johnston was known for playing Corey Bryant on the TV series Teen Wolf. The possible Mummy casting would put him inside one of Universal’s most recognizable monster-adventure brands.
Who is in The Mummy 4 cast?
Fraser and Weisz have closed deals to reprise Rick O’Connell and Evelyn O’Connell, Variety reported. John Hannah has also been confirmed to return to the franchise.
That lineup matters to longtime fans because Weisz skipped the 2008 third film, The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor. Her comeback restores the central pairing from 1999’s The Mummy and its 2001 sequel, The Mummy Returns.
The new movie will be directed by Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett, the Radio Silence filmmakers behind Ready or Not and Ready or Not 2: Here I Come. David Coggeshall, whose credits include The Family Plan and Orphan: First Kill, wrote the screenplay.
Plot details are being kept secret. The original Mummy centered on a treasure hunter who accidentally wakes a cursed Egyptian priest with supernatural powers, kicking off a pulpy action-horror franchise built around ancient tombs, undead trouble and Fraser’s swashbuckling hero.
What is The Mummy franchise?
The Mummy is Universal’s monster-adventure series that revived the studio’s classic creature property for a modern blockbuster audience. Variety reported that the franchise has grossed $1.8 billion across its installments.
Sean Daniel, who has produced every Universal installment in the series since the 1999 film, is returning for the new movie. His credits on the franchise include The Mummy Returns, The Scorpion King, The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor and the 2017 Dark Universe project.
William Sherak, James Vanderbilt and Paul Neinstein will produce through Project X Entertainment. Clayton Townsend is also producing, while Fraser and Hivemind’s Jason F. Brown will executive produce.
If Johnston’s talks lead to a deal, The Mummy 4 would add a rising horror name to a sequel already built around the return of the franchise’s original stars.
This story draws on original reporting from Variety.