Director Rob Cohen continues to give us updates from the set of The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor and this time it is in video form as well as news on why Rachel Weisz is not in the film and how Maria Bello came to fill in her shoes. If you want to check out the video, which is an on set look at one of the film’s shoot-outs you can check it out in Flash format right here, or click on the screen shot above.
As for the Rachel Weisz news, Cohen goes on to say the following:
Rachel decided to leave the franchise many years ago, after “The Mummy 2” finished shooting. We all had hopes that she would change her mind but I never had the opportunity to meet her or talk to her…
This left us with a problem and an opportunity. After much casting, meetings, drinks, etc., I shot a day of screen tests with five major actresses and the one that blew us away was Maria Bello. She had such strong chemistry with Brendan (who generously did the screen tests with all five), that it wasn’t much of a decision once I cut the film. She had beauty and precision, humor, and an inner fire that has always propelled her in films such as “THE COOLER” and “HISTORY OF VIOLENCE”. She had already mastered the English accent and brought a freshness to the role. Also, she brought out several new shadings in Brendan. The newness really worked and fit in to my hopes that my film would be a “re-boot” to the franchise, not more of the same.
For the full report click here.
