10 Major Movie Roles That Were Recast (And Made A LOT Worse)

5. Maria Bello - The Mummy: Curse of the Dragon Emperor

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Universal Pictures

*TOMB OF THE DRAGON EMPEROR

Stephen Sommers' The Mummy remains one of the most beloved adventure movies among fans of a certain generation, and while the sequel became pre-occupied with ropey visual effects at the expense of the fun and light-hearted nature of the first installment, the long-delayed Tomb of the Dragon Emperor made The Mummy Returns look like a modern classic by comparison.

One of the most overlooked aspects of the franchise was the sparkling chemistry between leads Brendan Fraser and Rachel Weisz, which always grounded the preposterous adventures thanks to some winning back-and-forth between the married O'Connells.

After Weisz opted not to return for Rob Cohen's Tomb of the Dragon Emperor, Maria Bello was drafted in as her replacement, and while she made the right call in not trying to replicate the performance of her predecessor, her take on Evie was about as one-note as it gets. When it comes to female leads in effects-driven blockbusters, the actress failed to bring anything even remotely interesting or memorable to the role.

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