Michael Johnston could be about to inherit one of Hollywood’s most unexpected queer legacies. Long before social media gave us the phrase “gay awakening,” The Mummy was already doing the work. One adventure film somehow convinced an entire generation to fall for Brendan Fraser, Rachel Weisz—or, for many viewers, both. Now the Obsession breakout is reportedly in early talks to join The Mummy 4, and suddenly the internet is wondering if lightning can strike twice.
According to Variety and Deadline, the Obsession breakout is negotiating for an undisclosed role in the long-awaited sequel. While Universal Pictures is keeping plot details buried deeper than an Egyptian sarcophagus, the studio is expected to reunite franchise favorites Brendan Fraser, Rachel Weisz, and John Hannah, with the film currently slated for release on October 15, 2027.
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Johnston has not officially joined the cast, but the possibility alone has queer fans paying attention. After all, this isn’t just another blockbuster. It’s the franchise that became an unexpected queer touchstone for countless fans while pretending to be an action movie.
Michael Johnston is having one very good year
If Johnston lands the role, it’ll cap off a meteoric rise that’s been impossible to ignore. After breaking through as Corey Bryant on MTV’s Teen Wolf, Johnston steadily built a career across television, film, animation, and video games before horror finally came calling.
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This year’s sleeper sensation Obsession turned him into one of Hollywood’s fastest-rising young actors. Johnston plays Bear, whose wish for the girl he likes to fall in love with him unleashes a spectacularly bloody nightmare. Directed by YouTuber-turned-filmmaker Curry Barker, the Blumhouse release became one of 2026’s biggest breakout horror hits, earning widespread acclaim and putting Johnston firmly on Hollywood’s radar.
That’s not just a breakout. That’s the kind of momentum that gets studios making phone calls.
The role that found its own magic
Long before Obsession, Johnston quietly became an important source of representation for LGBTQ+ viewers through his portrayal of gay teenager Corey Bryant on Teen Wolf. What Johnston didn’t realize at the time was just how much that character would matter to people watching at home.
michael johnston has a locker room makeout in teen wolf in case you forgot pic.twitter.com/5ouRIUrJqR
— Most (@Most) June 16, 2026
Speaking with Fr Conventions, Johnston revealed he wasn’t publicly out when he first accepted the role, making the response from LGBTQ+ fans unexpectedly life-changing.
“I do think representation is obviously very important and I’m so glad that I could be
He continued:
“It gave me the confidence to come out, or it just made me feel really good about myself. I really didn’t ever think that it could have that kind of impact.”
Turns out, sometimes the character ends up helping the actor just as much as the audience.
Universal, we have one tiny request
Johnston has said his dream is to completely disappear into transformative performances.
“There are so many different types of roles I would like to play going forward. I want to be like Charlize Theron in Monster. I want to be in prosthetics, and you won’t even know it’s me. That is my dream career.”
Respectfully… Maybe not too much prosthetic makeup this time.
If Michael Johnston is indeed joining The Mummy 4, we’d like at least a few uninterrupted minutes where his face isn’t wrapped in dusty linen from ancient Egypt. Brendan Fraser already survived the curse once. Rachel Weisz gave us one of cinema’s coolest heroines. Michael Johnston deserves the chance to become the franchise’s newest heartthrob before anyone starts chanting ancient spells.
His casting has yet to be officially confirmed, but one thing already feels certain: if The Mummy became an unexpected queer classic for many LGBTQ+ fans the first time around, this long-awaited sequel has every opportunity to recapture that same magic. And if Michael Johnston does end up wandering through haunted tombs alongside Brendan Fraser and Rachel Weisz, don’t be surprised if another generation leaves the theater with more questions about their type than ancient Egyptian history.