The Mummy III

[GeneChing]

First Jet and now Michelle?

Yeoh and Li in the Mummy 3?

We already heard the rumour that Jet Li was to appear in The Mummy 3, well now the rumour expands and that Li will play the lead role as the Mummy and that Michelle Yeoh will also join the film.

Now that works as we have always heard from the start of the Mummy 3 rumours that the script was moving locations to China, so the appearance of leading Asian actors would make perfect sense, and Li can play a mean baddie.

Apparently the rumour comes from someone who attended a screening of Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story at a University in the US, apparently Rob Cohen was there and talked a little about the Mummy film. IGN caught the scooper and I caught the story through Rope of Silicon:

"...he [Cohen] confirmed that Jet Li will play the Mummy in The Mummy 3, which he is directing. He also said that the film will take place in China and Michelle Yeoh will also be in the film. The biggest bombshell was that the film's protagonist will not be Brendan Fraser, but rather his character's son, now 22 years-old. Also, Jet Li will be the head Mummy in a group of Mummies that were the Teracotta army."

IGN contacted Yeoh's agency and they said that she has not signed for the film, so take all this with the usual bucket of salt. It seems that the screening did take place and that Cohen was there for a Q&A, so perhaps this is right after all.

Back in June last year we heard that Alex was the lead, and in March last year the idea that the story had moved to China was confirmed.

So although it's rumour and we're still waiting confirmations, it seems like it is headed in the right direction. Chinese Mummy Li after all.

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.

[jethro]

I am not too interested in this, but I read in there Jet Li plays the mummy, Yeoh plays the wizard. Doesn't sound too good.

[5Animals1Path]

Couldn't possibly be worse then Scorpion King.

[The Xia]

I think it could work.
Although, this will probably the first time in a movie that a mummy does wushu. lol.
I can think of other actors that would be perfect for the role of a Chinese mummy. James Hong comes to mind.

[Shaolinlueb]

dude kelly whats her name saved the scorpian king with her sexy hot looks and body. ill go see it. i enjoyed the first 2.

[mickey]

Greetings,

Mummy III, as well as the move to film this in China, appears to be inspired by the events documented in the following thread. If only they would stay true to the facts.


http://ezine.kungfumagazine.com/foru...r+brought+life



mickey

[xcakid]

Originally Posted by Shaolinlueb

dude kelly whats her name saved the scorpian king with her sexy hot looks and body. ill go see it. i enjoyed the first 2.

That's Ms Hottie Kelly Hu.


I'd check this out. Always liked the Mummy movies. I own both of them and Scorpion king too. They always have good looking chicks in them.

[mickey]

Greetings,

Guess what?

They decided to move the movie to China one month after my thread came out. Those Hollywood guys are lurking here.


mickey

[TaichiMantis]

My family loves the Mummy series and I love anything with Michelle Yeoh and Jet Li so it looks like a good family film for us!

Also, Interesting to note is that Michelle almost got to work with Brendan Fraser in a previous movie, "The Children of Huang Shi", except that Brendan was replaced by Jonathan Rhys Meyers. "The Children of Huang Shi" is due to be released for Christmas. Should be interesting to see how "politics" influences the telling of this true story....

[GeneChing]

Forget Nostradamus. All the prophecies will be fulfilled. And you'll find those prophecies right here on KFM.

I still haven't seen Mummy II. Should I? I enjoyed Mummy I. And Kelly, I like Kelly. The Rock was really good in the Rundown.

[Shaolinlueb]

i think we all like kelly. see the mummy 2 it was fun.

[5Animals1Path]

Originally Posted by GeneChing

I still haven't seen Mummy II. Should I?

Yeah. All-in-all, it's a good movie. There's some purposefull cheese, good action, and just enough romance for this to be modern pulp. That, and the Rock CG scorpion is at once deadly and hilarious.

[mickey]

Greetings Gene,

Mummy II was alright. I did not enjoy the fight scene with the sais (gosh, was that Mummy II?). They should have used the weapons that existed at the time. Now, if sai existed in Egypt, I stand corrected.

Mummy III may very well destroy the Mummy franchise. It would be more interesting if they based the story around the pyramids that exist in China (China has been too hush hush about their pyramids) and not try to cover up the Terra Cotta Warrior incident with a movie. The whole world now knows and will not buy into this.


mickey

[GeneChing]

...but here's a blog from Rob Cohen about Jet on the set

THE JET HAS LANDED
10. 2.07 @ 11:47

Jet Li finally has joined us in Montreal and the production has palpably kicked up into a higher gear. As I shoot our "trekking through the Himalayas" sequence where our heroes are searching for Shangri-la, I am madly refining the Emperor/Rick O'Connell fight with stunt co-ordinators Ku Huen Chzu (known to everyone as Dede) and Mark Southworth. It's a real contrast in styles, Brendan's and Jet's, highly balletic, powerful Wushu vs. the brutal directness of Krav Maga plus magic and shape-shifting creatures leading to the the climax aided by Luke Ford and the clash of armies overhead. I have seven days to shoot it so this will be my last entry until China. We wrap here next Thursday; then I'm off to L.A. for less than twenty-four (obstetrician and VFX meetings with D.D. and R&H) then straight to Beijing and Tian Mo, the desert three hours north of the capitol.

I'm stoked by what's ahead, editing with Joel Negron and Kelly Matsumoto as I go and encouraged by the early shape of things are taking. We are putting the pipelines in place to create the some 700 visual effects shots: the Terracotta Army, the Yeti and much, much more (I have to leave some surprises.)

Brendan, Jet, Jet's right-hand men Jason and Vincent, and I had a warm, collegiate dinner last Saturday night and, for two guys who have to kick the **** out of each other, there was a true camaraderie. Jet spoke to us a lot about his ONE FOUNDATION (link listed on the blog) and the true greatness of him as a human being came through. When this man talks about how we can help those that need it, how we can take our resources and invest them in the poor, to "share the love" as he said over and over, you really feel the depth of his soul. I'm supporting his foundation now because his cause is all of ours: trying to do whatever we can to make this a better educated and healthier world. I hope you will check out the One Foundation and find a way to join his great effort.

My wife Barbara and I thank all of you who took the time to send us good wishes on our new pregnancy. It has made me feel very close to all of you and to re-double my efforts to make "The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor" a spectacular entertainment which will put a new mojo spin on a set of characters and a state of mind we've enjoyed in the first two. I've decided to put a few new photos on the site to give you a closer look at the stars. They all have been shining with equal light.

Bye, for now....

Rob

[Silent Assassin]

First look at Jet Li in The Mummy 3: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor.
http://www.comingsoon.net/news/movienews.php?id=38604