Interviews
‘The Mummy 4’ Directors Confirm Plans to Emphasize Practical Effects Over CG
Tyler Gillet & Matt Bettinelli-Olpin are gearing up to unleash crowd-pleasing horror fun with this week’s release of Ready or Not 2: Here I Come, but they’re also in the midst of reviving another beloved franchise.
The filmmaking duo, also known as Radio Silence, is set to direct The Mummy 4 for Universal, scheduled for release on May 19, 2028.
Brendan Fraser and Rachel Weisz have officially signed on to reprise their iconic roles as Rick and Evelyn O’Connell in the as-yet-untitled fourth installment in The Mummy franchise, written by David Coggeshall (Orphan: First Kill).
Plot details, of course, are under wraps at this time, though the directors have hinted that it’ll disregard the third entry, which saw Weisz replaced by Maria Bello.
When speaking with Gillett and Bettinelli-Olpin ahead of Ready or Not 2’s release, the directors teased more about the project and whether they’d continue their streak of employing practical effects as much as possible, especially in a franchise that emerged in the ’90s with some noticeably dated VFX.
“I think we can fully say that’s the aim,” Gillett tells Bloody Disgusting about whether they’ll opt for practical over VFX. “To steer into Raiders [of the Lost Ark] territory. Obviously, there are going to be big grand set pieces that are going to require some of that, but I think our goal is to put ourselves and the crew and the cast in as real a situation as we can.”
A remake of the classic Universal monster movie, The Mummy was released in 1999 and grossed $422.5 million worldwide. It was followed by The Mummy Returns in 2001 and The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor in 2008.
The Mummy Returns, in particular, has been criticized for its VFX, notably of the villainous Scorpion King (Dwayne Johnson). So this is especially great news to hear.
Stay tuned for more from Bloody Disgusting’s chat and more on Ready or Not 2.
As the inaugural season of Apple TV+’s stellar new series “Widow’s Bay” barrels toward its finale in two weeks, the latest episode gives Kate O’Flynn the spotlight as her character revisits her trauma with the Boogeyman.
“Your Baggage“, directed by Andrew DeYoung (Friendship), sees O’Flynn’s scene-stealing Patricia once again renew her fight with the Michael Myers-like stalker that slaughtered her peers during her adolescence. Thrillingly, it makes for one extended chase sequence that sees Patricia trying to warn others, while evading the undead killer.
In short, this episode’s incredible riff on Halloween and the slasher subgenre transformed Patricia into a fierce Final Girl.
“Well, that felt like a bucket list that I didn’t know was on my bucket list until I did it, but when I did it, I just lapped up every minute,” O’Flynn tells Bloody Disgusting of her triumphant turn this episode. “It felt fantastic for her to get that moment where she is becoming a badass. That was amazing.”
The actress turned to a few notable references for her performance. “Horror-wise, I go back to my youth, which was referenced in some of the episodes: Wicker Man, Carrie, and Rosemary’s Baby, that sort of thing is my kind of vibe.”
O’Flynn also notes how the series’ unique tone allows for so much creative freedom to make bold swings. “There’s something very freeing about it. Every moment is up for grabs, so it’s like we don’t have to totally land in one direction or another. It keeps it alive.“
Patricia is the eccentric assistant to Matthew Rhys‘ Mayor Tom Loftis, who’s at the forefront of trying to solve the island’s pesky curse predicament. Rhys felt the same about “Widow’s Bay” and its rare ability to make you laugh and scream in equal measure, stemming from series creator Katie Dippold.
“The mandate was, ‘It’s a real world with real people. You play for real.’ There’s no playing for comedy or horror,” Rhys echoes O’Flynn’s sentiments on how freeing the series’ tone has been.
New episodes will release every Wednesday through June 17 only on Apple TV+.
Kate O’Flynn in “Widow’s Bay,” now streaming on Apple TV.
You must be logged in to post a comment.