‘The Mummy 4’ Premieres the Same Year as the Original 1932 Movie Enters the Public Domain

by

The Mummy films have a bit of a tangled history. Most people remember the trilogy starring Brendan Fraser, and there’s even a new sequel on the way. However, other movies in the series don’t quite fit neatly into the main storyline. By the time The Mummy 4 comes out in 2028, the franchise will be celebrating a significant anniversary. This won’t directly affect Fraser’s return, but it will give any future related projects a unique connection.

The first film called The Mummy came out in 1932, directed by Karl Freund and starring Boris Karloff as Imhotep. It was a hit, leading to five sequels by 1955, though these were mostly standard follow-ups. Unlike the consistent team behind the later Brendan Fraser movies, the cast and crew changed frequently. In 2017, Tom Cruise starred in a new version of The Mummy, but it wasn’t successful, and the planned series of monster movies it was meant to begin never got off the ground. That’s why the return of Brendan Fraser to the role is so exciting, and the fact that a new movie is planned for 2028 is particularly important.

1932’s ‘The Mummy’ Will Enter the Public Domain the Same Year as Brendan Fraser’s Return

In the United States, copyright law protects creative works for 95 years from their official registration date. Since The Mummy was registered in 1931, its copyright will expire in 2028. This means the film will enter the public domain, becoming freely available for anyone to use without permission from Universal. After nearly a century of protection, it will no longer be subject to copyright law.

Brendan Fraser is returning as Rick O’Connell this year, reviving a fan-favorite period for the franchise. It’s a striking coincidence, and quite fitting, that this is happening as the film’s copyright expires in 2028. While several movies from 1932 will become public domain then, The Mummy is one of the most well-known and impactful. Other films entering the public domain at that time include the original Scarface, Tarzan the Ape Man, and Alfred Hitchcock’s Number Seventeen.

What This Means for ‘The Mummy 4’ (& the Franchise at Large)

Just the original 1932 Mummy film will become freely available for anyone to use in 2028. This won’t automatically make the entire series public domain. The 1940 film The Mummy’s Hand will enter the public domain next, followed by The Mummy’s Tomb in 1942, and so on. It will be many years before the films starring Brendan Fraser face this situation, and even longer before it affects a potential Mummy 4. Therefore, the upcoming sequel doesn’t need to worry about copyright issues with the older films – its characters and story are protected for the foreseeable future.

The new film, Lee Cronin’s The Mummy, is scheduled for release in April 2026. Produced by Warner Bros., it offers a unique horror-focused take on the historical figure of Imhotep. This isn’t a remake of the classic Universal film, so it doesn’t infringe on any existing copyrights.

Starting in 2028, we can expect a lot more unofficial Mummy movies and adaptations. Once the copyright on the original 1932 film expires, anyone will be able to create their own versions without legal issues. This is similar to what happened with Sherlock Holmes – after Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s stories became public domain, a wave of new, unrelated content appeared. While the recent Mummy films starring Brendan Fraser are still protected, the age of the 1932 movie means we should prepare for a surge of horror films featuring the classic villain.

Read More

2026-04-03 16:19