Rex Features

Director Rob Cohen has claimed that Rachel Weisz turned down a role in the third Mummy movie because her character was "too old".

The 37-year-old played Egyptologist Evelyn Carnahan in 1999's The Mummy and 2001 sequel The Mummy Returns , but declined to appear in upcoming sequel The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor .

Her representative said the actress did not want to leave behind two-year-old child Henry to spend five months shooting in China.

However, Cohen claims Weisz was furious that her character has an adult son in the new film, telling Heat : "I got a very angry phone call from her agent, saying she'll never play the mother of a 21-year-old. I said, 'OK, good, fine, bye.'"

Weisz has been replaced by Maria Bello in the third instalment, which is due for release in August.

> Mummy' star Bello expects more sequels