When a guy named Jon Hein first coined the term “Jump the Shark” he discovered that a bunch of television shows began to “suck” when one of the lead actors was replaced (for instince, Becky from Roseanne). The audiences hate this sort of thing, almost to the point that they feel insulted. So when Rachel Weisz announced that she would not be returning for The Mummy 3, I just assumed like most other people, that the story would be cut to exclude her character. Word had leaked that the script would be formed into more of a father son story. Apparently not.
Maria Bello has been cast to replace Rachel Weisz as Evelyn Carnahan O’Connell in the upcoming third film. Maria Bello’s filmography includes A History of Violence, World Trade Center, and Coyote Ugly. Do they actually believe they can replace an Academy Award winning actress from the girl who did Coyote Ugly?
The new film will focus on the O’Connells (Brendan Fraser and Bello) and their son (Luke Ford) as they journey into the forbidden tombs of China and the Himalayas, where they come face to face with a shape-shifting mummy of a former Chinese emperor (played by Jet Li) cursed by a wizard (played by Michelle Yeoh). And how bad does that plot sound?
Shooting is expected to begin in late July.
May 13th, 2007 at 11:17 pm
While I’m with you when it comes to Rachel Weisz (she’s beautiful and super-talented), I don’t think Maria Bello is an awful actress. She can be good, actually better than good, as she proved in “A History of Violence.” She was also quite good in “Auto Focus” and “Thank You for Smoking.” That said, I don’t disagree with you that the Mummy 3 sounds awful (with or without Rachel Weisz, unfortunately). I mean, who exactly was clamoring for a sequel to “The Mummy Returns?” I know I wasn’t. Not to mention that TMR came out six years ago.
May 14th, 2007 at 1:59 am
Wow, if that’s true, then I’m all of a sudden interested in Sin City 2 (I wasn’t before). Next to Cate Blanchett, Rachel Weisz is easily the most watchable actress working today. She’s talenteed and beautiful. What more can you ask for?
May 14th, 2007 at 3:27 am
That has to be the worst casting decision since George Clooney was cast as Batman. Maria Bello is a fine actress but she’s not in Rachel Weisz’s league and second, she looks nothing like the character of Evy.
This film has disaster written all over it.
May 14th, 2007 at 9:10 am
The more i hear about the Mummy 3, the more horrible it sounds.
May 15th, 2007 at 3:13 pm
Academy Award or no, Rachel Weisz is a terrible actress. Good riddance. The film will no
doubt be awful, as the first two were, but that has nothing to do with the presence of the
talented Bello.
May 17th, 2007 at 7:26 pm
Rachel Weisz is one of the most talented actresses working today and she did the right thing dropping this bomb.
Maria Bello is a good actress but not as good as Rachel and she’s a bad casting decision for this role..
May 17th, 2007 at 11:21 pm
Maria Bello is a good actress but not as good as Rachel and she’s a bad casting decision for this role..
June 1st, 2007 at 6:10 am
when i first heard that there will be the mummy 3 production, i got really excited because brendan and rachel pair will be seen all over again. i believe they have one of the most powerful chemistries, on screen and off screen. EVER! but then, tragedy of all tragedies! they’re going to recast evie’s character! son of a bitch! poof! there goes my loyalty to the mummy series. the truth is, if rachel wouldn’t reprise her role, it was better to kill her character than to put another face to evie’s role, whether the replacement is the best damn actress or the worst the cinematic universe has ever seen. rachel weisz had made the character of evie her own to the point that she is truly evelyn c o’conell. sorry the mummy 3 production crew. your movie will go straight to the dumps!
September 12th, 2007 at 7:16 pm
I think Mummy 3 will be tough to make as bad as Mummy Returns. Everyone who watched the first 2 should be in college by now and won’t watch M3, care that Rachel Weiss jumped ship or even tell the difference. Rachel Weiss is awesome and and think Maria Bello is great as well, but the script can’t give either of them the justice they deserve.
The true test will be to see if Maria is in Mummy 4.
November 11th, 2007 at 2:08 am
i really hope that it is all just one big lie and that rachel really is playing evy. the movie is going to suck if it doesn’t have her in it. i love brendan but maria bello is a terrible choice i would have prefered that they kill off the character then replace it with a someone who looks nothing like rachel. brendan and rachel have the best chemistry ever. the movie won’t be the same and i won’t be able to stomach it. this movie is not going to do well
January 20th, 2008 at 6:53 pm
I’m sadden that Rachel wont be joining the cast for mummy 3.
More sadden is the fact that they r doing mummy 3..in china.
Mummy has always been linked with Egyptian mummies, not China mummies. Besides, china mummies are different, they are more linked towards vampires than mummies, it’s the perception that Hong Kong movies hav instilled long before American movies appear in the Asian region.
When mummy 3 comes out in Malaysia, I will watch it while imagining Evy had taken plastic surgery and Rick loved her so much, he looked the other way..
*sigh..
March 11th, 2008 at 12:27 pm
i adore brendan & love rachel. I think they make the best hollywood 2some on-screen. I can never place maria in evy’s role as i think rachel is tailor-made for it. i really don’t wanna watch the film for this!
May 23rd, 2008 at 8:43 am
The academy awards is a joke…I love rachel, but Maria Bello is a great actress. Or just watch The Mummy 2, rachel sucks in that film!!, what an academy winner !!!…
June 1st, 2008 at 11:34 pm
im utterly disappointed in the fact that they recast rachel weisz “character” of evelyn…im sorry, but no matter how good of an actress mario bello may be, she could never fill the shoes of rachel in this role…i could see the pass over of arnold vosloo & oded fehr seeing as it’s an asian mummy (which is odd in itself) but to recast a main character that was originated & played in the first sequel by the beautifully talented miss weisz is a shame..no, more than a shame…its a crime…i loved the first two mummy movies but honestly this one im dreading to see…had they done it right they could have waited to film until rachels schedule cleared some or just made the movie like they were going to initially after she had to turn it down about a father-son exploring team…im sure rachel would have had no problem doing a 5 minute stint as evie saying goodbye to her son and husband while they went on their adventure which could have also included john hannah(whom plays her brother)…a male adventure for the three of them…that would have been more acceptable…it would be like replacing keanu reeves in the 3rd movie of matrix after he appeared in the first 2 as neo…it just doesn’t work!!!!
June 13th, 2008 at 7:24 pm
Mario Bello as Evy? Nope, I’m not watching it. It’s too much of an insult. Excluding her character would have been more forgivable. *Sigh* I’ve been with you through 1 & 2 but now you’ve lost The Mummy fan in me.
June 24th, 2008 at 9:08 am
We will all see the Mummy 3. WE may not all see it in the movie theater. I know i won’t see it in the theater. But I will watch it at home. I don’t pay for sequels, that have actors or actresses replaced. They should have cut out evy, and done the movie with rick, alex, and jonathan, and brought back perhaps the madji, who was rick’s good friend in the first two. (I know he has no place here, because he was the Pharoah’s protector) Jet Li will be good, and the movie will compensate most with a action/adventrue taste that will be too good to be true. Also, if your into special effects you will like this movie too. Just watching the trailers proves that. Rachel Weiss will be missed, and sorry folks Coyote Ugly was stupid, and I don’t think Mario Bello is that great. B movie stars never are. Most will say she is a good actress just based on her looks and she has no standards as of yet, to back anything up she does. Being that my age group, was not in college, and we were married and had kids when these movies came out, this third edition will be okay to watch at home, and we will watch it on our satellite dishes, cable t.v., or pay per view. Then because we want the whole triology, if it is okay to fill space on t.v. when nothing else is on, we will buy the DVD, to have it in our archives.
June 24th, 2008 at 5:05 pm
i think it will still be great…. it has Brendan Frasier in it… Jet Li.. I think Maria will do just fine (we will miss Rachel though - I liked the younger Alex too) I’m planning on seeing it…..
July 2nd, 2008 at 11:15 am
“Jumping the Shark” is one of the worst moves a director can make! I know Rachel Weisz is filming a movie called The Colossus. If the director of this movie really wanted to create a sucessful third movie..then, they should have seriously of waited for Rachel Weisz. It is just my opinion. Also..the older Alex..not really looking forward to seeing him in this movie. The younger Alex is just a little cutie pie.
July 6th, 2008 at 8:14 pm
I think Rachel Weisz is the one to blame! She is letting us all down by not doing the role. But, it has a lot of other cool people in it (Brendan Fraser and Jet Li are hot) and I plan on going to see it anyway. Besides…Maria Bello may be really good. I’m not going to let Rachel’s bad decision impede my cinema experience!