The Mummy 4 directors Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett, also known as Radio Silence, have revealed whether or not Tomb of the Dragon Emperor is still canon.

In 1999, Brendan Fraser and Rachel Weisz starred as Rick O’Connell and Evelyn Carnahan in The Mummy, an action-adventure film written and directed by Stephen Sommers. With that movie having a massive fanbase, it was followed by a sequel, The Mummy Returns, in 2001, which Fraser and Weisz both returned for, as well as a prequel spin-off movie, The Scorpion King, in 2002.

In 2008, a third mummy movie was released, titled The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor. Fraser once again reprised his role in the movie, while Weisz did not; Maria Bello instead played Evelyn. Tomb of the Dragon Emperor is easily the worst-reviewed entry in the franchise,  with it currently having a 13 percent Tomatometer score on Rotten Tomatoes with 174 reviews. It was also the lowest-grossing entry in the main series, though it did beat out The Scorpion King.

Last year, it was announced that The Mummy 4 is officially in the works at Universal Pictures, with Fraser and Weisz both returning. Plot details remain under wraps at this time.

What did The Mummy 4 directors say about Tomb of the Dragon Emperor?

Speaking with Entertainment Weekly, Bettinelli-Olpin and Gillett were asked if Tomb of the Dragon Emperor would still be canon to their new film, given that most fans of the franchise don’t particularly care for that entry.

“Well, Rachel [Weisz] is in this one,” Bettinelli-Olpin said.

Gillett added, “That should answer the question for you.”

Based on those comments, it sounds like Tomb of the Dragon Emperor will not be canon, meaning there’ll be no references to the football-playing Yetis in the new Mummy movie. Perhaps the bigger question this raises is whether or not Rick and Evelyn’s son, Alex, will have a role in Bettinelli-Olpin and Gillett; that character was played by Luke Ford in Tomb of the Dragon Emperor, but if that’s no longer canon, then he hasn’t been seen since he was a child in The Mummy Returns, where he was played by Freddie Boath.

The Mummy 4 will be released on May 19, 2028.

Originally reported by Brandon Schreur at SuperHeroHype.