Having replaced Rachel Weisz for the third "Mummy" movie, and now, stepping in for Maggie Gyllenhaal on the film "The Private Lives of Pippa Lee", Maria Bello's probably pretty much convinced she's going to be offered everyone else's sloppy seconds from here on out. (Whatever the case, she's sure to be paid well, and who's she to argue about being offered the female lead in a blockbuster film like "The Mummy : Tomb of the Dragon Emperor"? Or, that matter, being asked to headline a movie that Maggie Gyllenhaal was supposed to star in? Both sound like good work, to me.)

Gyllenhaal ("The Dark Knight", "Donnie Darko") had hoped to complete her portion in the ensemble cast within two weeks in Connecticut, playing star Robin Wright Penn's mother in several flashback sequences. But when the new scheduling stretched out her shoot over five weeks, she chose to stay with Peter Sarsgaard and their newborn as he films "An Education" in the U.K, says The Hollywood Reporter.

The departure was amicable, given her close friendship with co-star Julianne Moore and the producers, who also made her acclaimed indie "SherryBaby." Gyllenhaal is considering other screen roles in the coming weeks.

Her loss is a gain for Bello, who happens to bear a closer resemblance to Wright Penn ("Forrest Gump"). The film centers on the title character (Wright Penn), whose life begins to unravel after her husband leaves her.