Universal today released the first official teaser poster for Rob Cohen’s upcoming “The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor,” moving away from the sandy, golden look toward something a little fierier and red. Sure, the poster looks pretty cool, but I’m still not so quite sure what to expect from this flick.

Cohen seriously messed up his previous action spectacle “Stealth,” so I’m having a hard time believing he’ll be capable of pulling off yet another sequel to the Stephen Sommers’ satisfying “The Mummy” and the rather mediocre follow-up. All right, Brendan Fraser is still on board, Rachel Weisz is out, Maria Bello is in, and the film also stars Jet Li, which at least sounds pretty impressive.

I can’t say the first stills from “Dragon Emperor” raised my expectations, but I am more than willing to give the flick a chance and wait for the first trailer. “The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor” will open Aug. 1, 2008.