Claim:
Brendan Fraser and Rachel Weisz are starring in a fourth film in "The Mummy" franchise, set to release in 2025.
Rating:
Labeled Satire ( About this rating? )
On Dec. 6, 2023, a Facebook post from the page YODA BBY ABY claimed that Brendan Fraser and Rachel Weisz will star in "The Mummy: Fountain of the Persian Knights," the fourth installment in the franchise that began with the 1999 film "The Mummy." According to the post, Fraser and Weisz would reprise the roles of Rick O'Connell and Evelyn Carnahan. The post also claimed that Universal Pictures would release it in 2025.
The post , which showed a poster featuring Fraser and Weisz posing in front of a domed building with minarets, had around 450 likes and had been shared around 168 times as of this writing. The poster and the claim were subsequently shared in posts by a number of other Facebook pages. One post from the page Movie Magic with Brian, shared just hours after the original YODA BBY ABY post, had around 4,800 comments and 6,100 shares as of this writing.
The caption of the original YODA BBY ABY post read:
THE MUMMY 4!!!!
Embark on an electrifying journey in "The Mummy: Fountain of the Persian Knights," the highly anticipated fourth chapter starring Brendan Fraser and Rachel Weisz as Rick and Evelyn. Three years after their son went missing and presumed lost on a perilous quest for the legendary fountain, a glimmer of hope emerges. Rick discovers that their son may be alive, held captive by malevolent forces. Join Universal Pictures in 2025 for a gripping tale of family, danger, and the unyielding pursuit of hope.
However, the above claim was fabricated and there was no evidence that such a movie was actually being made. If this were the case, there would have been mainstream news coverage and a promotional campaign involving the main stars. Although fans have expressed great interest in a potential fourth "Mummy" movie, the entertainment news website ScreenRant reported in May 2024 that Stephen Sommers, the director of the first two films in the franchise, was "unaware of any studio interest in making 'Mummy 4' happen."
Searches of the IMDb pages for Fraser and Weisz found no mention of an upcoming Mummy film starring either actor. A Google reverse-image search also yielded no authentic sources for the poster in the post.
The post originated from a Facebook page that is satirical in nature. YODA BBY ABY describes everything it posts as satirical. According to its Facebook introduction : "I'm just here to eat frogs, lift rocks and be satirical. The page is 100% satire and fake news." Given that this disclaimer is on the page, we rate this claim as "Labeled Satire."
This is not the first time we have fact-checked posts from this page. Previously, one post promoted a fake poster for a "Hocus Pocus" prequel series. Another post from the page incorrectly claimed that Will Smith would star in a remake of the 1993 film "Mrs. Doubtfire."
For background, here is why we sometimes write about satire/humor.
Sources:
"Brendan Fraser | Actor, Producer, Art Department." IMDb , https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000409/ . Accessed 6 June 2024.
Evon, Dan. "Snopes Tips: A Guide To Performing Reverse Image Searches." Snopes, 22 Mar. 2022, https://www.snopes.com/articles/400681/how-to-perform-reverse-image-searches/ . Accessed 6 June 2024.
Ibrahim, Nur. "'Hocus Pocus' Prequel Series in Works at Disney?" Snopes , 23 May 2024, https://www.snopes.com//fact-check/hocus-pocus-prequel-disney/ .
---. "Will Smith Starring in 'Mrs. Doubtfire' Remake?" Snopes , 28 May 2024, https://www.snopes.com//fact-check/will-smith-mrs-doubtfire/ .
"Rachel Weisz | Actress, Producer, Director." IMDb , https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001838/ . Accessed 6 June 2024.
Zinski, Dan, and Grant Hermanns. "Brendan Fraser's The Mummy 4 Gets An Update From Director Stephen Sommers." ScreenRant , 11 May 2024, https://screenrant.com/the-mummy-4-movie-brendan-fraser-update-stephen-sommers/ .
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