Shared universes are all the rage, and studios are in the midst of locking in A-list stars for these films, sometimes for multiple pictures. Disney has Star Wars and MCU. Warner Bros has the DCEU. Paramount is starting to build their Hasbro Shared Universe. And Universal Pictures is putting their Shared Monsters Universe into motion.

Tom Cruise will be starring in the reboot of The Mummy, and it appears the film will not be short on star power as there are reports coming in saying that Russell Crowe will be joining him, and could possibly be in more films.

More on the story below.

Variety says he is in early talks to play a Dr. Jekyll-type role who will make his first appearance in The Mummy, and that his role in the film could be nothing more than just a cameo, which would lead up to his own film. There is also a chance that the character could appear in the other Universal Monster Movies.

For those that do not know, the character of Dr. Jekyll is in a constant struggle between his dual personalities of Jekyll and the evil Edward Hyde. In an attempt to suppress Hyde, he creates a serum to mask the evil. But by doing so, Jekyll, a kind and friendly person by all accounts, transforms into Mr. Hyde, a hideous, evil creature without compassion or remorse.

The character made a few appearances, under different studio banners, in the early 1920s, but was best known for his appearance in the 1953 horror comedy Abbott and Costello Meet Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.

Variety writer Justin Kroll adds that Tom Hardy, Eddie Redmayne, and Joseph Gordon-Levitt were all courted for the role, but all of those plans fell through, leaving the studio to look elsewhere. Eventually, they set their sights on Crowe.

Chris Morgan and Alex Kurtzman are tasked with overseeing the Universal Monsters Shared Universe. Other projects include The Invisible Man starring Johnny Depp; The Bride Of Frankenstein, which is being written by David Koepp; The Wolfman, which has Aaron Guzikowski (Prisoners) penning the script; or something else entirely. Noah Hawley (Fargo) is also working on a mystery monster movie that has yet to be named. The studio recently announced an Untitled project set for a February 2019 release. It is rumored that some of these characters could get a cameo appearance which would lead up to their own standalone films.

It should really be exciting to see how this Monsters Universe will expand based on the creative talent that Universal is bringing in.

In addition to Cruise, Crowe joins Jake Johnson, Annabelle Wallis, and Sofia Boutella who plays the gender-swapped title villain.

The Mummy arrives on June 9th, 2017.

[Source: Variety]