Lee Cronin’s “The Mummy” Heads Back to the Tomb as the Trailer Teases Pure Horror

From Brendan Fraser to Tom Cruise to Lee Cronin, “The Mummy” keeps evolving.

Some things are meant to stay buried. That warning now sets the tone for “Lee Cronin’s The Mummy,” which hits theaters April 17, 2026. Warner Bros. will also release it in IMAX in North America. International releases begin April 15, 2026.

Cronin wrote and directed the film. The studio is pitching it as an audacious, twisted retelling of an iconic horror story. It also arrives after Cronin’s work on “Evil Dead Rise,” which the studio calls a record-setting revival and the studio’s success with Weapons.

What the story is about

At the center is a family that never recovered from a disappearance. The young daughter of a journalist vanishes in the desert. Then she stays missing for eight years. Eventually, she returns to her family without explanation. The reunion should bring relief and closure. Instead, it turns into a living nightmare.

That setup signals a tighter, more personal kind of terror. It also suggests the film will lean into grief, dread, and the fear of the unknown.

Cast and key creatives

Jack Reynor and Laia Costa lead the film. May Calamawy, Natalie Grace, and Veronica Falcón also star. James Wan, Jason Blum, and John Keville produced the movie. Michael Clear, Judson Scott, Macdara Kelleher, and Cronin serve as executive producers.

Meanwhile, Cronin built a stacked crew behind the camera. Dave Garbett serves as director of photography. Nick Bassett handles production design, while Bryan Shaw edits the film. Joanna Eatwell designed costumes, Stephen McKeon composed the score, and Terri Taylor and Sarah Domeier Lindo led casting.

The Fraser and Cruise eras

For many fans, “The Mummy” means Brendan Fraser sprinting through sandstorms with a grin. The 1999 film played like a horror adventure ride. It mixed laughs, monsters, and big set pieces that still hit.

Next came “The Mummy Returns” in 2001, which pushed the scale higher. Then, “Tomb of the Dragon Emperor” in 2008 moved the franchise into a new setting. Those films treated the mummy myth as a popcorn playground.

However, the 2017 “The Mummy” with Tom Cruise aimed for something else. It tried to launch a shared universe approach for classic monsters. That movie leaned into modern action and franchise building. Cronin’s version looks like a hard pivot back to fear. It does not sell itself as a globe-trotting adventure. Instead, it centers on a family horror scenario with a desert mystery at its core.

Marketing already frames this as a darker reinvention. So, expect fewer winks and more unease. Also, keep an eye on how the film uses the desert and the passage of time. If Cronin sticks the landing, “The Mummy” could feel fresh again. It may also remind audiences why some legends refuse to stay buried.

Lee Cronin’s The Mummy releases April 17, 2026.

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