The third installment in The Mummy thriller series, which will shortly come to film in China, will not star Hong Kong actor Tony Leung (Liang Jiahui).

Leung announced back in April that he would be present at the filming, in the north-west Chinese city of Xi'an, set to begin in August, Guangzhou-based New Express reports.

The actor was to have played the husband to Michelle Yeoh's "wizard" character and would have been involved in Kung Fu action scenes.

But Leung's agent has confirmed on Tuesday that has been forced to quit the film because of a tight work schedule.

Chinese Kung Fu star Jet Li will play the part of an emperor in the film.

Reports say a team of more than forty people, from the production company Universal Pictures, recently visited Hengdian Film Studios in east China's Zhejiang Province to select exteriors. Filming is expected to commence at Hengdian in late October or early November.

(CRI.cn July 19, 2007)