Universal PicturesImitation, it’s said, is the highest form of flattery — but the film industry has turned that approach into something unrecognizable. Franchises have been cannibalizing themselves for decades, pumping out countless sequels, spinoffs, and remakes to keep the most promising intellectual property alive. In most cases, it’s just as macabre as it sounds: one doesn’t have to look further than Universal and its flailing “Dark Universe” for evidence. The studio made a valiant attempt to reboot its universe of monsters in 2017 to no avail, and though it’s since had some success with grounded takes on the Invisible Man and Wolf Man, Universal might be abandoning that pursuit to chase a more surefire success. It’s tapped Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett, the directing duo known professionally as Radio Silence, to bring the Mummy franchise back to life... and hopefully fix nearly 20 years of missteps.While Stephen Sommers’ Mummy films are themselves reboots of the 1930s film starring Boris Karloff, they’re beloved enough to feel like the original trilogy. They were the formative swashbuckling adventure for many a Millennial, but things didn’t end on the best note, either. The first two films featured Brendan Fraser as the treasure hunter Rick O’Connell, and Rachel Weisz as Evelyn Carnahan, the librarian and Egyptologist who eventually becomes his wife. Their chemistry was the key to making this reboot work, but all that fell apart when actress Maria Bello replaced Weisz in 2008’s The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor. The third film lost sight of this franchise’s charm in other ways, too, making it an installment most fans — including Radio Silence — are happy to ignore.The Mummy 4 will correct the franchise’s biggest misstep by... ignoring it completely. | Universal PicturesThe Mummy 4 will officially reunite Fraser and Weisz as the O’Connells, an update that inevitably brings canon into question. Many wondered if the new film would skip over the events of Tomb of the Dragon Emperor or try to retcon Weisz’s role in that film — and though plot details have been few and far between, Bettinelli-Olpin and Gillett have offered fans the most concrete answer thus far.In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, the directors addressed whether they consider Tomb of the Dragon Emperor canon to The Mummy 4. “Well, Rachel is in this one,” Bettinelli-Olpin replied. “That should answer the question for you,” Gillett added.It sounds like The Mummy 4 is going back to exactly what worked in the first two Mummy films, which should please fans as much as the script seemed to please Fraser and Weisz. “I don’t think Brendan and Rachel are getting involved unless they love that script,” continued Gillett. “What they read, I think they really liked. And it’s a good script... It’s just really, really beautiful and scary and sweeping, and it’s awesome.”That description is exactly the cocktail of themes that’s been missing since The Mummy Returns, signaling a true return to form for the franchise. Bettinelli-Olpin and Gillett have proven their aptitude for a faithful reboot, especially in the realm of horror with Scream 5 and Scream 6 — and it seems like they’ve got the perfect attitude to bring The Mummy saga back to life. This is the rare occasion where imitation is A-OK, so long as it washes away the taste of so many misguided remakes.The Mummy 4 opens in theaters May 19, 2028.