"Franchises have been cannibalizing themselves for decades, pumping out countless sequels, spinoffs, and remakes to keep the most promising intellectual property alive. In most cases, it's just as macabre as it sounds: one doesn't have to look further than Universal and its flailing "Dark Universe" for evidence."
"Their chemistry was the key to making this reboot work, but all that fell apart when actress Maria Bello replaced Weisz in 2008's The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor. The third film lost sight of this franchise's charm in other ways, too, making it an installment most fans - including Radio Silence - are happy to ignore."
"The Mummy 4 will correct the franchise's biggest misstep by... ignoring it completely. Universal Pictures will officially reunite Fraser and Weisz as the O'Connells, an update that inevitably brings canon into question."
The film industry relies heavily on franchises, sequels, and reboots to capitalize on established intellectual property, with mixed results. Universal's Dark Universe struggled initially but found success with grounded monster adaptations. The studio now revives The Mummy franchise with directing duo Radio Silence. Stephen Sommers' original Mummy films, though themselves reboots of 1930s material, became beloved adventure classics for Millennials, anchored by Brendan Fraser and Rachel Weisz's chemistry. The franchise derailed with 2008's Tomb of the Dragon Emperor, which replaced Weisz with Maria Bello and lost the series' charm. The new Mummy film will reunite Fraser and Weisz while canonically ignoring the problematic third installment.
Read at Inverse
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