Russell Crowe Lines Up Dr. Jekyll-Esque Role In Universal's Monster Movie Universe

As if you don’t have enough blockbuster movie narratives to keep straight, Universal is preparing another by diving into their catalog of movie monsters and mashing them together in a singular cinematic world, because hey, why not, right? But credit to them, they’ve got some surprising star power signing on, perhaps suggesting no dollar amount is too much to spend on these movies. Johnny Depp is starring in “The Invisible Man,” Tom Cruise is leading “The Mummy,” and Russell Crowe is now getting into the mix.

READ MORE: The 100 Most Anticipated Films Of 2016

The actor is in early talks to play what’s being described “a Dr. Jekyll-type role,” and will be making his first appearance in “The Mummy.” Yep, just like Marvel and DC, Universal plans to have some of their marquee characters make cameos in each other’s movies, potentially leading to their own flicks. That’s where Crowe comes in. And with production currently underway on “The Mummy,” you can probably assume a few more characters will be announced, that will be squeezed in what Universal hopes will be a major franchise starter.

We recently saw Warner Bros. get burned in their race to establish a cinematic universe with “Batman v  Superman: Dawn Of Justice,” so it’ll be interesting to see how Universal fares by comparison. We’ll find out when “The Mummy” opens on June 9, 2017. [Variety]