Audiences are ready to return to the most beloved museum in cinema with the upcoming film Night at the Museum: Kahmunrah Rises Again. The movie is headed directly to Disney+, taking the franchise to an animated format for the first time. The official trailer was recently released courtesy of Walt Disney Studios, giving fans their first look at Nick Daley, Teddy Roosevelt, and plenty more characters from the initial trilogy.
This time, Nick Daley is taking over the night watchman gig from his father for the summer, an enormous responsibility for the high school student. When an old threat returns from the basement, it will be up to Nick, Jedediah, Octavius, Sacagawea, and the rest of the museum to stop them. The recently released trailer can be found below.
The official synopsis for Night at the Museum: Kahmunrah Rises Again reads:
Nick Daley’s summer gig as night watchman at the museum is a challenging job for a high school student, but he is following in his father’s footsteps and is determined not to let him down. Luckily, he is familiar with the museum’s ancient tablet that brings everything to life when the sun goes down and is happy to see his old friends, including Jedediah, Octavius, and Sacagawea, when he arrives. But when the maniacal ruler Kahmunrah escapes with plans to unlock the Egyptian underworld and free its Army of the Dead, it is up to Nick to stop the demented overlord and save the museum once and for all.
In the trailer, we see a brief appearance from Larry Daley, the role Ben Stiller previously held in the live-action franchise. This time, Zachary Levi (Shazam!) takes over the character, though his involvement in the movie is yet to be seen. Instead, Joshua Bassett will take the lead role, making his debut in the part of Larry's son, Nick. The rest of the cast will include all new actors, with Thomas Lennon playing Teddy, Joseph Kamal as Kahmunrah, Steve Zahn as Jedediah, Jack Whitehall as Octavius, and Kieran Sequoia as Sacagawea. Fans can see the fourth entry in the franchise, Night at the Museum: Kahmunrah Rises Again, when it releases exclusively on Disney+ on Dec. 9.
Night at the Museum: Kahmunrah Rises Again is 'Very Loyal' to the Original Characters
Though the beloved actors from the original films won't return, Night at the Museum: Kahmunrah Rises Again will do its best to honor their legacy. The new voice actors will bring their own spin to the characters, though they want to continue the personality which began with Night at the Museum in 2006.
During an interview with Collider, producer Shawn Levy discussed the project and their hopes for the characters. "I am very actively in hands-on, producing that. I've seen two of the three acts in animation form," Levy explains. "It is somehow its own thing, but very, very loyal to the legacy of those characters in that title."
Following up the performances of Robin Williams, Ben Stiller, Owen Wilson, Rami Malek, and Steeve Coogan will be difficult. However, the new actors are just as talented and ready to give their take on the characters. Audiences can see the fourth entry in the franchise on Dec. 9, when Night at the Museum: Kahmunrah Rises Again hits Disney+.