Universal's 2017 film The Mummy, intended to launch a shared "Dark Universe" of classic movie monsters in the vein of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, has arrived on Prime Video this month, giving audiences a chance to revisit what was widely regarded as a critical and commercial disappointment. The film starred Tom Cruise as soldier of fortune Nick Morton, who battles Sofia Boutella's resurrected Egyptian princess Ahmanet, with Russell Crowe playing an immortal Dr Henry Jekyll heading a secret monster-hunting society meant to seed future spin-offs. Its failure effectively killed Universal's planned franchise, which had lined up stars including Javier Bardem, Angelina Jolie and Johnny Depp.

The Mummy followed earlier failed attempts to revive Universal's classic monsters as an interconnected franchise, including 2004's Van Helsing and 2014's Dracula Untold. With the Dark Universe concept now repurposed for Universal's Epic Universe theme park, the studio is instead pursuing a more traditional sequel to the beloved 1999 adventure film The Mummy, bringing back Brendan Fraser and Rachel Weisz alongside co-stars John Hannah, Kevin J. O'Connor and Oded Fehr. Directed by horror duo Radio Silence, the untitled follow-up is scheduled for release on 15 October 2027.