The next Mummy adventure is coming together, and Universal has added some fresh talent to the cast! Egyptian actress Tara Emad has joined The Mummy: Book of the Dead, which will reunite Brendan Fraser and Rachel Weisz for another round of supernatural action and ancient Egyptian horrors.
According to an exclusive report from Dread Central, Emad has landed a leading role in the sequel, although details about her character are being kept under wraps. With the film currently in production, it’ll be interesting to see how she fits into Rick and Evelyn O’Connell’s next adventure.
Emad has an established career in Egyptian film and television, with credits that include Diamond Dust and the Arabic adaptation of Suits. She’s also appeared in the horror sequel The Blue Elephant 2, where she played a mermaid, so she’s already had some experience with the supernatural side of storytelling.
Her casting follows Universal’s recent reveal of the sequel’s official title, and she’s joining quite a few familiar faces from the original films.
Fraser and Weisz are returning as Rick and Evelyn O’Connell, with John Hannah reprising his role as Evelyn’s brother, Jonathan Carnahan. Oded Fehr is also coming back as Ardeth Bay, along with Kevin J. O’Connor as Beni Gabor.
Beni’s return is particularly interesting considering how things ended for him in the original movie. Whether he’s somehow survived his gruesome fate or the filmmakers have something else planned for his character remains to be seen.
The sequel will reportedly ignore the events of The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor and instead continue the story established in the first two films. That creative choice make sense, especially with Weisz returning to play Evelyn after sitting out the third installment.
Also joining the cast are Michael Johnston and Numan Acar, although their roles haven’t been revealed.
Scream (2022) and Ready or Not directors Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett, collectively known as Radio Silence, are directing the sequel. Their experience mixing horror, action, and dark humor makes them an interesting choice for a franchise that has always balanced creepy monsters with outrageous adventure.
The screenplay comes from David Coggeshall, whose previous credits include Orphan: First Kill.
Fraser has already talked about getting back into fighting shape to play Rick O’Connell again, which should be fun to see. Rick was always at his best when he was getting thrown around by monsters, narrowly escaping death, and delivering sarcastic remarks while everything around him fell apart.
Universal hasn’t revealed any story details yet, but with the original cast returning and a new adventure taking shape, there’s plenty to look forward to.
The Mummy: Book of the Dead is scheduled to hit theaters on October 15, 2027.
