It’s Official: The Hottest Couple in Horror Will Return

Remember The Dark Universe? It’s not just a section in Universal’s new suped-up theme park (though I’m sure they wish it were). What I speak of was an attempt by the film company to make a cinematic universe featuring some of its famed monsters. They assembled a whole team of actors, too! Then, they photoshopped them into a picture together, posted it on Twitter, and it’s still there! No, seriously! It’s there, and Russel Crowe and Sofia Boutella are tagged in it! Look, I even took a screenshot:

Was the rollout kind of embarrassing? Yes. I mean, those actors don’t even look like they’re in the same room. Was the idea itself a bad one? I don’t think so! Not everything needs an interconnected film universe, but Universal managed to do it decades ago. This is ground they’ve already covered with their legendary monsters. Granted, those films were less concerned with continuity and more about putting characters from different films together, but it still worked.

The bad idea at the heart of Universal’s attempt capture that magic again was starting with The Mummy. It’s not like the idea of a mummy movie is untouchable; it’s that it felt like they were trying to recapture the magic of their 1999 smash hit that remains a perfect movie. Dripping with action, adventure, horror, and romance, Stephen Sommers’ The Mummy is incredible, and any horror adventure attempting to ape its style was going to be cast aside, whether it had Tom Cruise in it or not.

Usually, I’d say we just let it lie. But, dammit, I’m not made of stone, and despite the two sequels to the movie being subpar, I’m excited to say that we’re getting another one, and they’re bringing the band back together. Brendan Fraser and Rachel Weisz are returning to the franchise through which they helped many people… awaken a part of themselves. Deadline reports that the duo is officially back for the new installment, which will be written and directed by the Radio Silence team.

This news feels… insane. Not in the sense that it shouldn’t happen (but maybe it shouldn’t, I dunno), but because there’s so much terrible stuff going on right now that I’ll gladly latch onto any news that makes me smile. It won’t be hitting screens until 2028, but, dammit, I’ll wait for it! I don’t know if I’ll be alive by then, but if I am, my kids and I will be seated happily.

Usually, I’d give a company grief for failing to reboot a property and deciding instead to just go back to the well that quenched their thirst to begin with. But, again, I am not made of stone, and I would love to see these two amazing (and attractive) actors get back in the saddle and fight a mummy again. Bring back Arnold Vosloo, and I’ll camp out the night before. I don’t care. Push my nostalgia button, daddy. Gimme that sweet sweet distraction.