Oscar Winning Weisz Replaced by Maria Bello in Mummy 3

Monday, May 14, 2007

One of the most sought after female actresses today, Rachel Weisz, is bowing out of the upcoming Mummy 3 movie due out Summer 2008. Weisz is one of the top 50 female celebrities searched online and is considered one of the vital components to the enormous success of the movie’s earlier versions, The Mummy and The Mummy Returns; together the two films grossed nearly $850 million dollars.

Rachel Weisz played the love interest of the film’s lead actor, Brendan Fraiser in the previous movies, but was unable to commit to the third film due to other scheduling conflicts. Replacing such an onscreen presence and audience draw can be difficult with a well engrained and widely popular character. Director for The Mummy 3 has been the gift of the rare exception though, finding a suitable, strong and equally sexy female actress to replace Weisz – Maria Bello will take over the role.

Rather than write out the character and try to work in a new female lead role, the film’s producers and writers are rolling the dice by keeping the character, plot and script intact, and just changing the actress. Relying on the earlier films successes, the action packed installment in the Mummy Trilogy, Maria Bello is expected to fill the role while filming rolls on as scheduled.

The film is otherwise backed by its strong, returning cast members, complimented with fresh faces for a new adventure. Writers of Smallville fame, Miles Millar and Alfred Gough, have spun a script finding the O’Connells (Brendan Fraiser and Maria Bello) traipsing through China with their son, played by Luke Ford, when their family vacation morphs into a new mummy adventure with a shape-shifting Jet Li mummy and Michelle Yeoh wizard.

Replacing Oscar winning actress Rachel Weisz is a tough role to fill, and that is just Maria Bello will do and with grace, professionalism and ease. The 40-year old actress has a long, impressive and praiseworthy list of acting credits and The Mummy 3 will be a nice edition to her diverse acting career.