Thanks to Marvel, shared cinematic universes have become the most profitable movie making strategy in Hollywood. Now, Universal is jump-starting a shared movie monsters universe of their own with some throwback properties.
The launching pad for Universal's efforts will be "The Mummy" reboot headlined by Tom Cruise. However, it sounds as if the film may also contain a backdoor pilot for the shared universe's first spinoff. Recently, Universal entered negotiations with Oscar winner Russell Crowe to join Cruise in "The Mummy" in advance of his own franchise-starter.
The report claims that Crowe is in talks to play both Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, one (two?) of the most famous literary characters in history. If the two sides strike a deal, Crowe would join Cruise, Sofia Boutella, Annabelle Wallis, Jake Johnson, Marwan Kenzari and Courtney B. Vance before likely headlining his own standalone film within the shared universe.
It is expected that Universal's monster movies will take place in modern times, as opposed to the ancient Egyptian and Victorian England settings many of the source material stories take place in. The spinoff would center on the dueling Jekyll/Hyde personalities in much the same way that Mark Ruffalo's Bruce Banner/Hulk struggle against one another in the "Avengers" films.
Though considered somewhat old fashioned, the original "Mummy" trilogy starring Brendan Frasier took in north of $1.2 billion at the worldwide box office combined. There is a market for these types of classic monster movies, and Universal is going to try and tap into it with legit star power in the form of Cruise and Crowe.
Specific plot details about the reboot are few and far between at this time, though it has been confirmed that Boutella will play the titular mummy while Cruise will play the Special Forces operative protagonist. Wallis is rumored to be an archeologist, and Johnson will be a member of the military who provides comic relief. We can only guess that Crowe's Dr. Jekyll will be added to the team as some type of specialist.
Directed by Alex Kurtzman, "The Mummy" reboot is scheduled for a June 9, 2017 release. The other films in Universal's shared universe include 2014's "Dracula Untold" and the upcoming "The Invisible Man" with Johnny Depp set to star.
Follow Brandon Katz at @Great_Katzby
