Russell Crowe in Talks to Play Dr. Jekyll in Tom Cruise’s ‘Mummy’ Reboot
Tom Cruise is already deep into filming on Universal’s upcoming Mummy reboot, but the studio has added one big star to the film’s cast. Taking a cue from the Marvel Cinematic Universe, the studio is in “early talks” with Russell Crowe to make an appearance in the film as Dr. Jekyll/Mr. Hyde, setting up future appearances in the planned Monster Movie Universe.
The Mummy has been filming in London with a cast that includes Sofia Boutella (who plays the titular Mummy), Annabella Wallis and Jake Johnson, but Crowe would be a late, but important addition to the film. Crowe would star in the film as Dr. Henry Jekyll, but it’s unclear if his transformation into the monstrous Mr. Hyde would take place in this movie or in future projects. The studio went to both Tom Hardy and Javier Bardem with the role before approaching Crowe, but those talks fell through.
We’ve seen the perils of trying to launch a franchise too soon, but Universal is committed to these films as their answer to the Marvel and DC connected universes and have been working on new Frankenstein, Wolfman and Dracula films to tie into one massive project. It’s the type of plan that leaves so many questions — Are the monsters the good guys? Are they friends? Is Tom Cruise the Iron Man of this world? — that we have no answers to at this point.
Alex Kurtzman, who is also overseeing the entire franchise, is directing The Mummy based on a script by Jon Spaihts.
The Mummy is set to open in theaters on June 9, 2017.