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On December 22nd, 2006, filmmaker Shawn Levy (Free Guy) introduced audiences everywhere to the magical, hysterical and surprisingly educational world of Night at the Museum. Chronicling the exploits of Larry Daley (Ben Stiller), a down-on-his-luck inventor and single father, who takes a job as a night guard at the Museum of Natural History in New York City. It doesn't take long for Larry to discover that, thanks to a magical ancient Egyptian tablet, all the museum's exhibits come to life, leading him to form friendships with various historical figures like adventurous President Teddy Roosevelt (Robin Williams), Native American guide Sacajawea (Mizuo Peck), and educated Pharoah Ahkmenrah (Rami Malek).
The film was a massive box office success, earning nearly five times its estimated budget of $110,000,000 USD, so a franchise was being on the horizon was hardly a surprise. The first sequel, Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian (2009), took Larry and his friends to the titular educational campus located in Washington D.C., where we met new allies like ace pilot Amelia Earhart (Amy Adams) as well as new foes like Ahkmenrah's evil brother, Kahmunrah (Hank Azaria), the latter of which plotted to use the tablet to raise an army to conquer the mortal world. The trilogy concluded with Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb (2014), which took our heroes to Great Britain where they put a nice little bow on the franchise, giving it a surprisingly heartfelt ending.
Though Secret of the Tomb seemed like the end of the franchise, it seems that it will be one of the many intellectual properties that the Walt Disney Company desires to revive after acquiring 20th Century Studios. Come later this year, audiences will be able to return to the magical version of the Natural History Museum with Night at the Museum: Kahmunrah Rises Again (2022), an all-new animated continuation, this time following Larry's son as he takes on the mantle of night guard.
The unconventional continuation is releasing surprisingly soon, so to get ready to see Rexy and the gang again (this time in cartoon form), here is everything we know so far about Night at the Museum: Kahmunrah Rises Again.
Editor's Note: This article was updated on December 2 with the latest trailer.
Is There a Trailer for Night at the Museum: Kahmunrah Rises Again?
Yes, there is! The first trailer for Night at the Museum: Kahmunrah Rises Again was recently released. Check it out in the player above.
Before the trailer, we got our first look at the film via a screenshot. The image shows off Larry's son Nick Daley, now being played by Joshua Bassett (High School Musical: The Musical: The Series) who is taking over for the role of Jake Cherry (The Sorcerer's Apprentice) who played Nick in the first two films and Skyler Gisondo (Licorice Pizza) who played him in the third. Nick is now all grown up and donning the Night Guard attire like his dad. The image also shows familiar faces like the dog-like Tyrannosaurus Rex skeleton, Rexy, and the chewing gum-loving Easter Island Head (Kelemete Misipeka), all of which are shown off in 2D animated form for the first time in the franchise.
Is Night at the Museum: Kahmunrah Rises Again Releasing on Streaming or in Theaters?
No theatrical release has been planned at this time, as Night at the Museum: Kahmunrah Rises Again will be premiering exclusively on Disney+.
The first Night at the Museum film and Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb are also available on Disney+, but perhaps due to a pre-existing rights commitment, Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian is only available on Starz, which is ironic given that film is the one that introduces the titular villain of the latest entry.
What is the Release Date of Night at the Museum: Kahmunrah Rises Again?
Kahmunrah will officially rise once again exclusively on Disney+ starting Friday, December 9th, 2022.
What is the Plot of Night at the Museum: Kahmunrah Rises Again?
The Night at the Museum franchise has made a habit of summarizing the overall plot of the film right in the title, and the official plot synopsis for Kamunrah Rises Again shows that the pattern will continue with the latest film:
Nick Daley hesitates becoming a museum nightwatchman and Kahmunrah returns to conquer the world.
As the title implies, the nefarious Kahmunrah, the fan-favorite antagonist of Battle of the Smithsonian, returns to wreak havoc once more, though this time he'll be voiced by Joseph Kamal (The Flight Attendant) instead of Hank Azaria (The Birdcage). A now grown-up Nick sounds like he may not be interested in carrying on the mantle of night guard like his father, likely wanting to do something different with his life, which isn't all that dissimilar from the situation that Larry had when he first started working at the museum. Even though this is very much Nick's story, Larry will still be present in the film, this time with Zachary Levi (Tangled) taking over the role from Ben Stiller.
Who is Making Night at the Museum: Kahmunrah Rises Again?
Though he won't be in the director's chair this time around, original trilogy director Shawn Levy will still have an active role in the project as a producer. Levy himself has praised the project for staying true to the original while offering something totally new, stating it's "somehow its own thing, but very, very loyal to the legacy of those characters in that title". Also joining Levy as producers are Michael Barnathan (Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone), Emily Morris (Stranger Things), and Mark Radcliffe (The Christmas Chronicles).
Also, a part of the crew is experienced animation director Matt Danner (The Looney Tunes Show), Fairly OddParents (2001-2017) writers Ray DeLaurentis and William Schifrin and original Night at the Museum scribe Milan Trenc, and composer John Paesano (Daredevil).
Who is Starring in Night at the Museum: Kahumunrah Rises Again?
Some fans of the original trilogy may be dismayed to hear that the major cast from the previous three films won't be returning to voice their characters (though cameos are always a possibility), but the current cast list is certainly nothing to scoff at.
We've mentioned already that Joshua Bassett and Joseph Kamal will face off as the voices of Nick and Kahumunrah respectively, and Nick's parents will also be present with Zachary Levi as former franchise face Larry Daley and Gillian Jacobs (Invincible) will voice Nick's mother, Erica. As for other recasting for the denizens of the Museum, we have Thomas Lennon (17 Again) as President Teddy Roosevelt, Steve Zahn (The White Lotus) as miniature cowboy Jebediah, Jack Whitehall (Jungle Cruise) as miniature Roman legionnaire Octavius, Kieran Sequoia (iZombie) as historic guide Sacagawea, Alexander Salamat (Elementary) as the friendly conqueror Attila the Hun, and Kelemete Misipeka (Ray Donovan) as the Easter Island Head. Jamie Demetriou (Cruella) will also be a part of the cast as stingy museum curator Dr. McPhee.
The rest of the cast is rounded out by Akmal Saleh (100% Wolf), Alice Isaaz (The Gilded Cage), Shelby Simmons (Stargirl), Lidia Porto (Get Shorty), Tenzing Norgay Trainor (Abominable), Bowen Yang (Isn't It Romantic), Chris Parnell (Rick and Morty), Christie Bahna (Imaginary Friend), Zeeko Zaki (Allegiant), Jonathan Roumie (The Chosen), and Dee Bradley Baker (Star Wars: The Clone Wars).