Universal Pictures is busy expanding its properties into full cinematic universes, including a Fast and the Furious spinoff with Dwyane Johnson and Jason Statham, and a Universal Monsters Universe featuring the studios classic lineup of movie monsters, starting with Tom Cruise’s The Mummy this summer.
Another addition to Universal’s Monster Universe will be Frankenstein, and last summer brought the rumor that Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales star Javier Bardem was in talks for the role. Now, Bardem is confirming that he is indeed in talks to join the Universal Monsters Universe!
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Speaking with Cinema Blend, Bardem revealed that, “There are talks. And I would love to be part of it. Because it’s an iconic… speaking of an iconic character! I have the size of the head. [Laughs] That’s for sure. They’re not going to waste a lot of money in makeup, that’s for sure.“
The Latin actor had his breakout role playing a remorseless force of death in No Country for Old Men, but has played memorable villains in both the James Bond film, Skyfall, and in Pirates of the Caribbean 5. Needless to say, his dramatic chops and menacing presence make him a great pick for the Frankenstein‘s Monster role.
MORE Universal Monster Universe:
- Sofia Boutella On Playing The Villain In The Mummy
- Meet Russell Crowe’s Mr. Hyde
- How X-Men’s Apocalypse Affected The Mummy
SYNOPSIS: Tom Cruise headlines a spectacular, all-new cinematic version of the legend that has fascinated cultures all over the world since the dawn of civilization: The Mummy.
Thought safely entombed in a crypt deep beneath the unforgiving desert, an ancient queen (Sofia Boutella) whose destiny was unjustly taken from her is awakened in our current day, bringing with her malevolence grown over millennia and terrors that defy human comprehension.
From the sweeping sands of the Middle East through hidden labyrinths under modern-day London, The Mummy brings a surprising intensity and balance of wonder and thrills in an imaginative new take that ushers in a new world of gods and monsters.
The cast features Tom Cruise (Jack Reacher, Top Gun), Russell Crowe (The Nice Guys, Gladiator), and Sofia Boutella (Kingsman: The Secret Service, Star Trek Beyond), as well as Courtney B. Vance (The People Vs. O.J. Simpson), Annabelle Wallis (Annabelle, Peaky Blinders), Marwan Kenzari (Ben-Hur), and Jake Johnson (New Girl, Jurassic World).
Alex Kurtzman, the screenwriter and producer behind Star Trek Into Darkness and The Amazing Spider-Man 2, is on board to make his directorial debut, working off of a script penned by Jon Spaihts (Prometheus, Doctor Strange).
The Mummy will lumber into theaters June 9, 2017.
