Rob Cohen? The chances of me seeing this in the theater just dropped.

Too bad Rachel Weisz isn't returning. I really hope that doesn't mean her brother wont be in it either. He was the best thing about the first two movies, so hopefully he'll still be back in it somehow.

Agreed, I like John Hannah. He was great in Sliding Doors as well.

Good idea. I hate additions of kids in to these movies (damn you Superman Returns!) and i'd love to see the kid written out with this kind of explanation.

I'm hoping that Jet Li plays something other than The Mummy. Something about a 5' mummy that just isn't scary.

Of Course without Weisz and (I can't believe I'm saying this) Summers, I'll probably pass anyway.

It's just not a Mummy movie without the supporting cast of Arnon Milchan and Oded Fehr (even Kevin O'Connor).

Ford to star in third 'Mummy'
Shooting will begin in Montreal July 27
By MICHAEL FLEMING

U is mulling possibilities for its 'Mummy' future as Brendan Fraser returns but Rachel Weitz exited.

Universal Pictures and director Rob Cohen have set Luke Ford to star in the third installment of "The Mummy," in a move that potentially sets the franchise up for future films.

The 26-year-old Australian actor was cast with the expectation that he will eventually carry the franchise.

"We may spin off into a complete father-son direction with Brendan (Fraser, who played the adventurer who battled the monster in the first two installments), but by getting an actor who is in his 20s and not a teenager, we can also put the future on his shoulders," Cohen told Daily Variety. "He tested against four much more established actors, and he was magic when he read with Brendan."

As sequel star salaries grow prohibitively expensive, several franchises are bringing in new blood. Shia LaBeouf is playing the son of Indiana Jones in the fourth installment of that franchise, and Fox just hired David Goyer to develop the Sheldon Turner-scripted "Magneto," an "X-Men" spinoff to be driven by two young leads that will play Magneto and Professor Xavier.

In "The Mummy" sequel, Ford will play Alex O'Connell, the 20ish son of adventurer Rick O'Connell (Fraser), who journeys into the forbidden tombs of China and into the Himalayas, where they run into a new shape-shifting mummy, a former Chinese emperor who was cursed by a female wizard.

Jet Li plays the mummy, Michelle Yeoh the wizard. The studio has tested six actresses to replace Rachel Weisz in the role of Evelyn Carnahan O'Connell after she declined to reprise.

Script was written by "Smallville" creators Miles Millar and Alfred Gough; Sean Daniel, Jim Jacks, Stephen Sommers and Bob Ducsay are producing.

Shooting will begin in Montreal on July 27, and then move to China. Pic will open in July 2008, just before the Olympics begin in Beijing.

The first two "Mummy" films grossed $841 million worldwide and spawned spinoff "The Scorpion King."

Ford just finished starring with Toni Collette in the Elissa Down-directed "The Black Balloon," and has appeared in "Kokoda" and "Junction Boys."

Ford's repped by WMA and Australia-based Matt Andrews of Marquee.

It's sad that the film will be made without Weisz. She must be holding out for Constantine 2: Hell Breaks Loose to start filming.

In all seriousness I won't say anything bad about this 3rd film because
a) It can't be any worse than The Scorpion King
b) The Smallville creators hopefully can provide an interesting twist on a plot that sounds a bit iffy to me.

I'm interested in seeing it, but I wish they'd just leave Evelyn out of it all together rather than trying to recast her.

Strong agreement.

The rest of the story seems like it could be pretty fun too. And hey, I liked the Scorpion King

I saw JP3, and don't recall a talking dino.

Oh, and if you can't get Rachel Weisz (though I admire her for declining), don't have the role in the movie. Just leave her out.

Sad that shes not in it, but its not that hard to write her character out of the movie.

The two of them will be in China, she could be in Egypt.

But thinking about how old the kid is...wouldn't that mean this movie will take place sometime in the 1940's?

It's near the start of the film when everyone's on the plane.

Wait, they cast that piece of shit LaBeouf in the Magneto movie? I hope not as he is fucking up everything I want to see

As far as M3, I thought Returns was great at first, but seeing it now when a little older, it really is a stupid movie. I actually liked Scorpion cause I took it as an Army of Darkness kinda thing. Though Im dissapointed M3 wont have Hannah and Oded; they really made the last 2 worthwhile

Bello replaces Weisz in 'Mummy'
Actress signs up for third installment
By MICHAEL FLEMING
Bello

Maria Bello will replace Rachel Weisz in the third installment of "The Mummy."

She joins Brendan Fraser, Luke Ford, Jet Li and Michelle Yeoh in the Rob Cohen-directed film for Universal Pictures.

Bello will play Evelyn Carnahan O'Connell, the adventuress played in the first two films by Weisz. After Weisz declined to reprise, Cohen and the studio cast a wide net for a replacement.

Scripted by "Smallville" creators Miles Millar and Alfred Gough, the film brings the O'Connells and their full-grown son (Ford) to the forbidden tombs of China and the Himalayas, where they battle a shape-shifting mummy, a former Chinese emperor (Li) cursed by a wizard (Yeoh).

The first two films grossed more than $830 million worldwide for Universal, which will release the third installment next summer. Sean Daniel, Jim Jacks, Stephen Sommers and Bob Ducsay are producing.

Most recently seen in "A History of Violence" and "Flicka," Bello next stars in "The Jane Austen Book Club" for Sony Pictures Classics, and "Butterfly on a Wheel," which Lionsgate will release in August.

She's repped by CAA and manager John Carrabino.
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No disrespect to Maria Bello, but I think this is a fucking stupid idea... there are ways to write out a character. And I would think the Mummy 3 with a 20yo son to join Brendan doesn't have to have a female lead.

Agreed. If they HAD to have a female lead, I'd almost rather them use the crappy "oh, Mom died and her sister is now living with us" way to get around it.

I am a Maria Bello fan so I have no issues with this decision. The quality of this movie will not depend on Bello, so that is what I am not worried about.

I'm still going to miss John Hannah.

This is going to be a massive turd. Mummy Returns basically sucked ass. I'm someone that actually enjoyed the first one for what it was. Hell, even The Scorpion King was better than Mummy 2.

But you understand that casting another CAN take a viewer out of the movie. Again, I mean no disrespect towards Maria Bello's acting, but she doesn't look anything like Rachel Weisz. At least they tried their best to make Elizabeth Shue look like Claudia Wells. Would you be able to appreciate Return of the Jedi if Carrie Fisher was replaced by Cindy Williams?

I think you mean Arnold Vosloo not Arnon Milchan, who is a movie producer attached to Regency Pictures.

Lots of good stuff in this other thread: http://forum.dvdtalk.com/showthread....hlight=Mummy+3

If Weisz doesn't win an Oscar she would have been on board.

I don't know, apparently winning an Oscar makes you more prone to signing off on crappy action movies. Maybe the script was looking too good, so she turned it down to be in a sequel to Catwoman or Aeon Flux.