Rachel Weisz drops out of 'Mummy 3'

HOLLYWOOD - Oscar winner Rachel Weisz has turned down a role in The Mummy 3, leaving her costar Brendan Fraser without an on-screen wife.

Weisz and Fraser played love interests Evelyn Carnahan O'Connell and Rick O'Connell in Stephen Sommers' Egyptian action movies The Mummy and The Mummy Returns.

While Fraser has signed on to star in a second sequel, Weisz is unable to commit due to a scheduling conflict.

The Fast and the Furious director Rob Cohen is set to take over for Sommers for the third movie, which is scheduled for release next year.