Following the success of Evil Dead Rise — which grossed $147 million on a $14 million budget — writer-director Lee Cronin decided to forgo the opportunity to return for a sequel, instead pursuing something different in The Mummy.
“The risk was not making a sequel to my last movie, because that was really easy for me to do,” Cronin tells SFX (via GamesRadar). “I said no, ultimately, because I wanted to do something else, and I like to take a risk and gamble.”
He continues, “The other risk factor is there’s brilliant movies called The Mummy, but they’ve also been there since the ’30s. It’s not just about Brendan Fraser, 25 years ago, but there’s a risk because modern culture probably looks at those movies that way.
“Maybe the Tom Cruise one wasn’t necessarily as well received, although I really enjoyed that film, but for me, the risk was breaking the mold in terms of what people will expect.”
Cronin adds, “It’s going to definitely surprise people, but when you make a movie you have to take a risk, because it might be your last chance to make something, and repeating a trick is a sin to me.”
Based on the trailer, it looks like Cronin injected some of his Evil Dead sensibilities into his take on The Mummy to get the best of both worlds.
In the film, a journalist’s young daughter disappears into the desert without a trace. Eight years later, the broken family is shocked when she is returned to them, as what should be a joyful reunion turns into a living nightmare.
Jack Reynor (Midsommar), Laia Costa (“The Wheel of Time”), May Calamawy (“Moon Knight”), Natalie Grace (“1923”), and Veronica Falcón (“Ozark”) star.
Cronin’s twisted retelling of the classic monster tale hits theaters on April 17.
Meanwhile, we have two new Evil Dead movies to look forward to: Sébastien Vaniček’s Evil Dead Burn is due out on July 24, while Francis Galluppi’s Evil Dead Wrath just entered production for an expected 2027 release.
