As The Mummy franchise prepares to rise again from its cinematic tomb, Rachel Weisz’s ageless beauty has reentered public debate. The actress once made her stance on cosmetic enhancements crystal clear. In 2011, Titanic star Kate Winslet stated that she, Emma Thompson, and Weisz had founded a British Anti-Cosmetic Surgery League. Winslet declared firmly (via BuzzFeed):
I will never give in. [Cosmetic surgery] goes against my morals, the way that my parents brought me up and what I consider to be natural beauty. I am an actress. I don’t want to freeze the expression of my face.
Now, with Weisz reportedly circling a return to The Mummy franchise alongside Brendan Fraser, fans are pulling up those comments again. Has time simply been kind to Weisz, or has Hollywood’s microscope exaggerated the mystery of her timeless charm?
Brendan Fraser, Rachel Weisz in New Mummy Movie: What We Know About the Sequel
After nearly two decades buried beneath cinematic dust, The Mummy may soon rise again. Brendan Fraser, fresh from his Oscar-winning glory for The Whale, and Weisz, acclaimed for Dead Ringers and Black Widow, is reportedly in early talks for a brand-new sequel.
According to Deadline and The Hollywood Reporter, the project is being developed by Universal Pictures with Radio Silence filmmakers Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett at the helm. These directors are best known for their inventive horror hits Ready or Not and Scream 5 & 6. Weisz informed Net-a-Porter in 2023:
It’s beloved to me too. When we were making it, we had no idea — we didn’t know if it was going to even sell tickets. Everybody in The Mummy was just brilliant, and it was just some alchemical thing in it, that it had charm, and charm is such a strange thing. It’s either there or it isn’t.
Meanwhile, Fraser once remarked to Variety:
The Mummy should be a thrill ride, but not terrifying and scary. I know how difficult it is to pull it off. I tried to do it three times.
The upcoming installment will reportedly act as a direct sequel, ignoring the events of the 2008 film The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor.
Production Snapshot
Why Rachel Weisz Didn’t Return for The Mummy 3: Box Office & Plot Details Explained
Fans still debate why Rachel Weisz didn’t reprise her role as Evelyn O’Connell in The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor (2008). Several stories have emerged over time. Rumors emerged that she wanted to stay close to her then-two-year-old son and avoid a five-month shoot in China. Director Rob Cohen offered another version, recalling (via Digital Spy):
I got a very angry phone call from her agent, saying she’ll never play the mother of a 21-year-old. I said, ‘OK, good, fine, bye’.
A third rumor claimed Weisz was dissatisfied with the script’s quality. As Cinemablend reported, one insider bluntly said:
The script is still in the same shape that it was the last time I told you about, meaning that it’s still crap, and Weisz finally took the high road out of there.
Even Stephen Sommers, who directed the first two films, confessed to The Hollywood Reporter:
I didn’t want to do the third movie because I just felt like the first two really came together. I’m really proud of both of them. Third ones are just very hard. So I knew right off, I didn’t want to direct it, and Rachel wasn’t going to be in it.
Plot & Box Office Breakdown of The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor
Though it earned substantial box office numbers, critics and audiences agreed that the magic dimmed without Weisz’s warmth and chemistry with Fraser, the heart that once made The Mummy series a beloved adventure saga. If Weisz truly returns to The Mummy sequel, it will be more than a cinematic reunion; it will be a resurrection of the spirit that first defined the franchise.
So, readers, what do you think? Should Weisz and Fraser dig up one more adventure, or should this mummy rest in peace? Sound off in the comments below. After all, legends live on when people keep talking.
The Mummy (1999) and The Mummy Returns (2001) are available to stream on fuboTV.
The upcoming Mummy sequel’s script is still under wraps. Stay tuned to FandomWire for updates on the official cast announcement, release window, and trailer reveal.
