The Only Explainer You Need Before Lee Cronin's The Mummy

After making a name for himself with "Evil Dead Rise," Lee Cronin has returned to the big screen with a fresh, new take on the "Mummy" franchise. Want to know more about what the movie's got in store for horror fans everywhere? Click the video above and get the lowdown before heading to theaters.

Cronin's rumination on the notion of eternal life seem to have taken root in subject matters that have long obsessed his filmography — family, the frightening realities of parenthood, and the horrifying notion that your loved one might turn into a menace from beyond. 

In "Lee Cronin's The Mummy," a family goes into the desert and a little girl named Katie Cannon (Natalie Grace) disappears and cannot be found. Her mother (Laia Costa), journalist father Charlie (Jack Reynor), and siblings (Shylo Molina and Billie Roy) are devastated. Eight years later, Katie is discovered — dirty, unable to speak, wrapped in leather bandages, and unaged in a centuries-old sarcophagus. It becomes clear that she's been possessed by some unknown spirit. Her parents try to convince themselves that Katie only needs tender loving care — but things quickly devolve from there as the bodies begin to pile up.

The legacy of "The Mummy" has been a scattershot film enterprise for almost a century; comprised of different directors, different actors, and, in several cases, different storylines. The original six films in the "Mummy" universe were Universal Pictures productions, featuring Boris Karloff as high priest Imhotep, mummified and brought to life in the modern era. The legacy of the 1932 version of "The Mummy" would not be denied, but the character is reimagined as a different mummy, Kharis, for the rest of the series. This iteration is played by Tom Tyler, Lon Chaney Jr. and Eddie Parker in turn. Kharis is less erudite and sophisticated than Imhotep — a classic monster mummy who lacks vocabulary and intelligence. 

Hammer Horror created a new version of the mythos in the 1950s, with Kharis rising in the form of Christopher Lee for four pictures; the character was now driven by his love for a princess. Stephen Sommers' legendary 90s' "Mummy" pictures, meanwhile, reimagine the legend as a swashbuckling, action-adventure trilogy focusing on new characters Rick O'Connell (Brendan Fraser) and Evelyn Carnahan (Rachel Weisz). It also reinstates Imhotep (Arnold Vosloo) as the mummy in question. It gave birth to its own spin-off series, "The Scorpion King," centered initially around Mathayus (Dwayne Johnson), the titular leader. 

The next-most recent iteration of the material (as of this writing) stemmed from Universal's attempt at creating The Dark Universe. But the might of Tom Cruise couldn't interest audiences in a new bag of bones; 2017's "Mummy" subsequently flopped at the box office. How will Lee Cronin's rendition fare? Find out on April 17, 2026 when "The Mummy" his theaters. Looking to learn more about the complicated world of the shambling creature? Watch our video, which will catch you up on all things mummy-related.