Michael Johnston, the breakout star of the horror hit ‘Obsession,’ is reportedly in early talks to join Universal’s fourth ‘Mummy’ film
The legacy sequel brings back Brendan Fraser and Rachel Weisz, with John Hannah also reprising his role, more than 25 years after the 1999 original
Radio Silence’s Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett are directing, with a theatrical release set for October 15, 2027
Michael Johnston, fresh off his breakout role as Bear in the horror sensation Obsession, is reportedly in early talks to join Universal’s upcoming fourth Mummy film. The potential casting would fold a fast-rising new face into one of the studio’s most storied adventure franchises, though Universal has declined to comment and no role has been specified.
The move would place Johnston inside a property with deep box office history. The Mummy series has grossed roughly $1.8 billion USD across its run, beginning with Stephen Sommers’ 1999 original and its 2001 follow-up The Mummy Returns, both of which cleared $400 million USD worldwide, before expanding into the Dwayne Johnson-led Scorpion King spinoff and 2008’s The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor. Those films helped define a certain era of globe-trotting studio spectacle, and they were instrumental in lifting Brendan Fraser to leading-man status as roguish adventurer Rick O’Connell.
This fourth installment leans hard into that nostalgia. Fraser returns alongside Rachel Weisz as Egyptologist Evelyn, and John Hannah is set to reprise his role as her brother Jonathan Carnahan, reuniting the core trio more than a quarter-century after the 1999 film. Steering the revival are Radio Silence’s Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett, the duo behind Ready or Not and recent Scream entries, working from a script by David Coggeshall. Franchise veteran Sean Daniel, who has produced every chapter since 1999, returns as well, anchoring the project’s continuity with the series’ past.
Johnston, by contrast, represents the fresh energy the revival is reportedly courting. He spent nearly 15 years as a working actor, with earlier visibility on the television series Teen Wolf, before Obsession transformed his profile. Directed by Curry Barker for Focus Features, the low-budget horror film became a genuine phenomenon, grossing more than $458 million USD worldwide against a reported $750,000 budget USD and standing as Focus’s highest-grossing release ever. In it, Johnston plays Bear, a lovelorn young man whose Faustian wish to be loved curdles into something far darker, a performance that vaulted him onto casting shortlists across the industry.
Should the deal close, his addition would round out a cast that blends franchise mainstays with a breakout of the current moment, a balance the revival appears to be chasing. For now, the pairing remains at the talks stage, and the specifics of Johnston’s involvement have not been confirmed. Production on the film is reportedly expected to begin shooting soon, ahead of its dated theatrical bow.
