The Mummy (franchise)

Original series (1932–1955)

The original series of films consists of six installments, which star iconic horror actors such as Boris Karloff (only in the original one, as Imhotep); and both Tom Tyler and Lon Chaney Jr. as Kharis. The series of films is part of the larger Universal Classic Monsters series.

''The Mummy'' (1932)

Main article: The Mummy (1932 film)

When archaeologists awaken the tomb of the mummy Imhotep, he sets out to find the reincarnation of his long-lost love.

''The Mummy's Hand'' (1940)

Main article: The Mummy's Hand

Steve Banning and his assistant Babe Jenson, who are being watched by spies, decide to fund an expedition. A magician and his beautiful daughter join the expedition, but when they awaken the tomb of the mummy Kharis, they don't know whether they are going to survive the expedition.

''The Mummy's Tomb'' (1942)

Main article: The Mummy's Tomb

The mummy Kharis is back after he was lit on fire 30 years ago. After 30 years, Steve Banning has now become a famous archaeologist and is living in the peaceful town of Mapleton, Massachusetts. The town becomes less peaceful, however, when Steve is murdered by an unknown assailant. His son John tries to crack the case with some help from Babe Hanson, Steve's friend who helped defeat Kharis 30 years ago.

''The Mummy's Ghost'' (1944)

Main article: The Mummy's Ghost

After Kharis is defeated by the Banning family, a new protagonist, Tom Harvey and his girlfriend Amina, who is the reincarnation of princess Ananka, are in conflict with Kharis, who grows closer to Amina and wants to turn her immortal, while Tom and the police try to stop him.

''The Mummy's Curse'' (1944)

Main article: The Mummy's Curse

25 years later after The Mummy's Ghost, an irrigation project in the bayous of Louisiana unearths the mummy Kharis from his sleep and is resurrected once again. Meanwhile, Kharis's lost love Ananka also forms from a swamp, causing the monster to embrace his 3,000 year old love after many years.

''Abbott and Costello Meet the Mummy'' (1955)

Main article: Abbott and Costello Meet the Mummy

Two expatriate Americans are supposed to work as guardians of a mummy during its transportation, but their prospective employer is murdered and the mummy is stolen. The duo are left in possession of a sacred medallion which supposedly records the location of a hidden treasure. They get acquainted with a female treasure hunter and with the modern followers of the mummy.

Hammer series (1959–1971)

In 1959, the franchise was rebooted, starring Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee. Though the title suggests Universal Pictures' 1932 film of the same title, the film actually derives its plot and characters entirely from two 1940s Universal films, The Mummy's Hand and The Mummy's Tomb, with the climax borrowed directly from The Mummy's Ghost. The character name Joseph Whemple, the use of a sacred scroll, and a few minor plot elements are the only connections with the 1932 version.

''The Mummy'' (1959)

Main article: The Mummy (1959 film)

In 1895, British archaeologists find and open the tomb of Egyptian princess Ananka with nefarious consequences.

''The Curse of the Mummy's Tomb'' (1964)

Main article: The Curse of the Mummy's Tomb

British archaeologists and their American investor ship an Egyptian mummy's sarcophagus to London but someone has the amulet to revive the mummy that will then kill all those who disturbed its tomb.

''The Mummy's Shroud'' (1967)

Main article: The Mummy's Shroud

In 1920 an archaeological expedition discovers the tomb of an ancient Egyptian child prince. Returning home with their discovery, the expedition members soon find themselves being killed off by a mummy, which can be revived by reading the words off the prince's burial shroud.

''Blood from the Mummy's Tomb'' (1971)

Main article: Blood from the Mummy's Tomb

An archaeological expedition brings back to London the coffin of an Egyptian queen known for her magical powers. Her spirit returns in the form of a young girl and strange things start to happen.

Stephen Sommers series (1999–present)

Originally a proposed remake of The Mummy would have been directed by horror filmmaker and writer Clive Barker. Barker's vision for the film was violent, with the story revolving around the head of a contemporary art museum who turns out to be a cultist trying to reanimate mummies. Barker's take was "dark, sexual and filled with mysticism", and that, "it would have been a great low-budget movie".

In 1999, Stephen Sommers wrote and directed a remake of The Mummy, loosely based on the original film of 1932. This film switches genres from the emphasis on horror to action, concentrating more on adventure sequences, special effects, comedy, and a higher element of Egyptian lore. The film became a box office success spawning two sequels, several video games, a spin-off series, and an animated television series. The first two films received mixed to positive reviews, while the third one received mostly negative reviews.

Main series

''The Mummy'' (1999)

Main article: The Mummy (1999 film)

It is the year 1923 and Rick O'Connell, an American explorer and treasure hunter, has discovered Hamunaptra, the city of the dead. Three years later, he meets with a beautiful librarian, Evelyn "Evy" Carnahan and her brother, Jonathan. When Evy accidentally revives the mummified corpse of an Egyptian priest, Imhotep, the pair must find a way to kill him before he rises back into power and destroys the world.

''The Mummy Returns'' (2001)

Main article: The Mummy Returns

In 1933, Rick O'Connell and Evelyn Carnahan are married with an 8-year-old son, Alex. When Alex triggers a curse and Imhotep is resurrected, Rick and Evy must once again try to save the world and fight both the mummy and the Scorpion King.

''The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor'' (2008)

Main article: The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor

Set in 1946, the film continues the adventures of Rick O'Connell, his wife Evy, and his son Alex against a different mummy, the Dragon Emperor (Jet Li) of China.

Original plans for fourth film, cancellation and revival

After Tomb of the Dragon Emperor was released, actress Maria Bello stated that another Mummy film would "absolutely" be made, and that she had already signed on. Actor Luke Ford was signed on for three films as well. In 2012, Universal Pictures cancelled the film and later developed a reboot of the series.

In November 2025, a fourth film was reported to be in development with Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett attached to direct and David Coggeshall writing. Fraser and Weisz are slated to reprise their roles. In an interview made while promoting Rental Family, Fraser later mentioned it saying "the one I wanted to make…is forthcoming" and that it was time to "give the fans what they want". In a January interview with the Radio Times, however, Fraser seemed to suggest that a fourth film was not guaranteed, though he would want to be involved if there was one.

Critical and public response

''The Scorpion King'' spin-off series

Main article: The Scorpion King (film series)

This spin-off series is set before the events of Sommers's Mummy franchise. It follows the adventures of the Mathayus of Akkad, later known as the Scorpion King within the series's timeline, and an antagonist in The Mummy Returns.

''The Scorpion King'' (2002)

Main article: The Scorpion King

Set in 3067 BC, the film reveals the origins of Mathayus and his rise to power as a legendary hero. The film stars Dwayne Johnson in his first lead role.

''The Scorpion King 2: Rise of a Warrior'' (2008)

Main article: The Scorpion King 2: Rise of a Warrior

A direct-to-video prequel to The Scorpion King, it follows a young Mathayus who witnesses the death of his father at the hands of an evil military commander. Mathayus's quest for vengeance transforms him into the most feared warrior of the ancient world.

''The Scorpion King 3: Battle for Redemption'' (2012)

Main article: The Scorpion King 3: Battle for Redemption

A direct-to-video sequel and set after the events of The Scorpion King, the film continues the story of Mathayus, now an assassin-for-hire, and portrays his battle to stop the tyrant Talus from claiming the Book of the Dead.

''The Scorpion King 4: Quest for Power'' (2015)

Main article: The Scorpion King 4: Quest for Power

A direct-to-video sequel, in the film Mathayus is betrayed and framed by his friend for the murder of the king of Norvania. Mathayus and his friends band together to stop his opponent from obtaining an ancient power.

''The Scorpion King: Book of Souls'' (2018)

Main article: The Scorpion King: Book of Souls

A direct-to-video sequel, in the film Mathayus is joined by the warrior Tala in a hunt for an ancient relic known as the Book of Souls in an effort to stop an evil warlord.

Future

In November 2020, a reboot of The Scorpion King film series was announced to be in development. Jonathan Herman was attached to serve as screenwriter, with the plot taking place in modern-day and involving a contemporary adaptation of Mathayus of Akkad / Scorpion King. Dwayne Johnson was hired as producer alongside Dany Garcia and Hiram Garcia. The project is a joint-venture production between Universal Pictures and Seven Bucks Productions.

Dark Universe

''The Mummy'' (2017)

Main article: The Mummy (2017 film)

U.S. Army Sergeant Nick Morton, a soldier of fortune, accidentally unearths the ancient tomb of entrapped Egyptian princess Ahmanet. When she awakens from the tomb and unleashes the evils on the world, Nick teams up with allies to stop her.

A reboot of the series, the film stars Tom Cruise, Sofia Boutella, Annabelle Wallis, Russell Crowe and Jake Johnson. Directed by Alex Kurtzman and written by David Koepp, Christopher McQuarrie and Dylan Kussman (based on the story by Jon Spaihts), the film was released in 2017. Several directors and writers were attached to the project at one point, such as Len Wiseman, Andy Muschietti, and Billy Ray.

The Mummy was originally developed as the first entry of the new shared universe franchise titled Dark Universe by Universal Pictures, who hired Alex Kurtzman and Chris Morgan to develop all classic movie monsters such as Dracula, Frankenstein, The Wolf Man, Creature from the Black Lagoon, The Invisible Man, Bride of Frankenstein, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, Van Helsing, and the Mummy. The film, however, became a critical and commercial failure, causing all the future planned films in the Dark Universe to be cancelled.

New Line Cinema

Main article: Lee Cronin's The Mummy

A new film adaptation of The Mummy is in development since 2024, when Irish filmmaker Lee Cronin signed in June to write and direct a horror film for New Line Cinema, in association with Atomic Monster and Blumhouse Productions under his production company Doppelgängers, with an April 17, 2026, release date.

Feature films

Cast and crew

Cast

Crew

Other media

Video games

Two video game adaptations of The Mummy (1999) were developed by Rebellion Developments and published by Konami in 2000: an action adventure game for the PlayStation and PC as well as a Game Boy Color puzzle game. A Dreamcast version was announced, but later cancelled in late 2000. The Mummy Returns was released in late 2001 for the PlayStation 2, developed by Blitz Games, along with a Game Boy Color version developed by GameBrains; both versions were published by Universal Interactive. The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor was released in 2008, developed by Eurocom for the PlayStation 2 and the Wii, while the Nintendo DS version was developed by A2M; all published by Sierra Entertainment. In March 2012, a massive multiplayer online game known as The Mummy Online was released. The Mummy Demastered and The Mummy: Dark Universe Stories, based on the 2017 film The Mummy were released that same year.

The Mummy and characters from the franchise were featured in the video game, Funko Fusion, which was released in 2024.

Comic books

In May 2001, Chaos! Comics released the first of a three-issue series inspired by the film, titled The Mummy: Valley of the Gods. The plot was supposed to take place between the first film and The Mummy Returns. Rick and Evelyn are on their honeymoon in Egypt and end up embarking on yet another adventure where they must unravel the mysteries of the Orb of Destiny and discover the location of the Valley of the Gods hidden beneath the sands. The second and third issues, however, were never published. This was most likely due to Chaos later filing bankruptcy in 2002 and selling the rights to all their titles at that time. Years later in 2008, another Mummy comic series was released by IDW Publishing, spanning four issues. This series was titled The Mummy: The Rise and Fall of Xango's Ax. Unlike the preceding comic series, all of the planned issues were published.

Television

An animated series simply titled The Mummy was made by Universal Animation Studios where it was based on the Stephen Sommers series of films. The series was later renamed in the second season as The Mummy: Secrets of the Medjai. It aired between 2001 and 2003.

Theme park rides

The film also inspired a roller coaster ride named Revenge of the Mummy in Universal Studios Theme Parks, Florida. Similar rides can also be found in Hollywood and Singapore. A mummy identified as Ankhsenamun appears in the Monsters Unchained: The Frankenstein Experiment ride at Universal Epic Universe.

References

References

1. Slotek, Jim. (1999-05-02). "Unwrapping ''The Mummy''". [[Toronto Sun]].
2. (1999-05-03). "The Mummy That Wasn't". Cinescape.
3. Hobson, Louis B.. (1999-05-01). "Universal rolls out new, improved Mummy". [[Calgary Sun]].
4. Adler, Shawn. (2008-03-10). "'Mummy 3' Star Maria Bello Talks About Taking Over For Rachel Weisz, Fighting An Invisible Baddie". [[MTV]].
5. Miska, Brad. (2008-07-16). "Luke Ford Signed For Three 'Mummy' Films". The Collective.
6. Kroll, Justin. (2025-11-04). "Brendan Fraser & Rachel Weisz In Talks To Return For New 'Mummy' Movie From Universal; Radio Silence To Direct".
7. Rubin, Rebecca. (2025-11-04). "Brendan Fraser, Rachel Weisz Reuniting for Fourth 'Mummy' Movie".
8. Kit, Borys. (2025-11-04). "Brendan Fraser, Rachel Weisz Team With 'Ready or Not' Filmmakers for New 'Mummy' Movie".
9. Coyle, Jake. (2025-11-19). "Brendan Fraser's new horizons include 'Rental Family' and rental hedgehogs". [[Associated Press.
10. Raisbeck, Alex. (January 11, 2026). "Brendan Fraser breaks silence on The Mummy 4 reports and whether he would reprise the role of Rick O'Connell". Radio Times.
11. "Search".
12. "The Mummy".
13. "The Mummy".
14. "The Mummy Returns".
15. "The Mummy Returns".
16. "The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor".
17. "The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor".
18. Kroll, Justin. (2020-11-10). "'Scorpion King' Reboot In Works From Dwayne Johnson And Dany Garcia's Seven Bucks Productions And Universal; 'Straight Outta Compton' Scribe Jonathan Herman Penning Script".
19. Williams, Celeb. (2014-10-22). "EXCLUSIVE: First Plot Details on Alex Kurtzman's 'The Mummy' Reboot". Superhero Movies News.
20. Ford, Rebecca. (2015-10-14). "New Mummy in Universal's Monster Might Be Female".
21. Kroll, Justin. (2015-11-24). "Tom Cruise in Talks to Star in 'The Mummy' Reboot (EXCLUSIVE)".
22. (2015-12-08). "'Kingsman' Actress Sofia Boutella in Talks to Star in 'The Mummy' (Exclusive)".
23. Kroll, Justin. (2016-03-07). "Tom Cruise's 'Mummy' Reboot Casts Annabelle Wallis".
24. Kit, Borys. (2016-03-08). "'New Girl' Star Jake Johnson Joins Tom Cruise in 'The Mummy' (Exclusive)".
25. Kit, Borys. (2014-07-30). "Alex Kurtzman to Direct 'The Mummy' Reboot".
26. Gallagher, Brian. (2012-04-12). "'The Mummy' Gets Reboot from 'Prometheus' Writer Jon Spaihts". Watchr Media.
27. (2016-04-03). "PICTURES: Hollywood superstar Tom Cruise films in Oxford". [[Oxford Mail]].
28. Treese, Tyler. (2016-04-05). "Mummy Set Photos Featuring Tom Cruise and Annabelle Wallis". ComingSoon.net.
29. (2013-11-27). "Universal Dates 'The Mummy' Reboot For April 2016, Pushes 'Warcraft' Out Of 'Star Wars' Slot". [[Penske Media Corporation]].
30. Kroll, Justin. (2016-01-21). "Tom Cruise's 'The Mummy' Gets New Release Date".
31. Fleming, Mike Jr.. (2012-09-24). "Len Wiseman Wrapping Up Deal To Helm Universal Reboot Of 'The Mummy'". [[Penske Media Corporation]].
32. Orange, B. Alan. (2012-12-13). "The Mummy Remake to Be an Epic Horror Movie Set in Present Day America". Watchr Media.
33. Sneider, Jeff. (2013-07-31). "Director Len Wiseman Exits 'The Mummy' Reboot at Universal".
34. (2013-09-13). "'Mama' Director in Talks to Helm 'Mummy' Reboot for Universal".
35. Sneider, Jeff. (2014-05-06). "'Mummy' Reboot Loses 'Mama' Director Andy Muschetti".
36. Brodesser-Akner, Claude. (2013-02-14). "Starving for Mummy Reboot, Universal Hires Hunger Games Screenwriter to Pen Competing Script". [[New York (magazine).
37. (2012-05-01). "Universal Signs Kurtzman And Orci; Pair Takes On 'The Mummy' And 'Van Helsing'". [[Penske Media Corporation]].
38. Tilly, Chris. (2013-10-18). "Bob Orci Discusses Van Helsing Reboot". [[IGN]].
39. Fleming, Mike Jr.. (2014-07-16). "Universal Taps Alex Kurtzman, Chris Morgan To Relaunch Classic Movie Monster Franchises". [[Penske Media Corporation]].
40. Kroll, Justin. (2019-01-25). "'Invisible Man' Finds Director, Sets New Course for Universal's Monster Legacy (EXCLUSIVE)".
41. Couch, Aaron. (2024-06-13). "'Evil Dead Rise' Filmmaker Lee Cronin Sets 2026 Movie from Atomic Monster, Blumhouse and New Line".
42. (2024-06-13). "4.7.26".
43. Grobar, Matt. (2024-12-20). "'Evil Dead Rise's Lee Cronin To Direct 'The Mummy' For New Line".
44. (2024-12-20). "Something terrifying will be unleashed in 2026.".
45. (2001-01-05). "The Mummy". [[Ziff Davis]].
46. (2000-11-17). "The Mummy". [[Paramount Streaming.
47. Hilliard, Kyle. (2023-04-25). "Funko Fusion Teaser Features Properties Like The Thing, Child's Play 2, Jurassic World, And More".
48. Lawson, Sean. (2023-05-09). "Funko Fusion guide — every character and IP in the upcoming PS5 game".
49. "Mummy: Valley of the Gods".
50. "Mummy: Valley of the Gods issue 2-Z-INVALID".
51. "Mummy: The Rise and Fall of Xango's Ax".
52. "Revenge of the Mummy – The Ride".
53. "Revenge of the Mummy".