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The Mummy remake casts Russell Crowe as another monster - SciFiNow

The Mummy remake casts Russell Crowe as another monster

Russell Crowe is to join The Mummy remake as a Universal icon

Filming on Alex Kurtzman’s remake of The Mummy is already underway, with Tom Cruise toplining the first of Universal’s classic monster reboots, but another big name has just been cast.

Deadline reports that Russell Crowe is set to join Cruise, Annabelle Wallis, Jake Johnson, Courtney B Vance and Sofia Boutella in The Mummy, as “a Jekyll-like character.”

So…Dr Jekyll?

We’d obviously assume that, assuming Crowe does indeed sign on to star, he would lead a Universal Monster Movie remake of his own, especially as the studio has just staked a 2019 release date for an as-yet unnamed film in their new universe. However, Deadline says that “right now the discussion is this film.”

Crowe would definitely fit the pattern for Universal’s new monstrous leading men as they attempt to build their Marvel-style-shared-universe. There’s Cruise leading The Mummy, and Johnny Depp is set to star in the title role in The Invisible Man. They obviously want big names, and Crowe should be a great fit for the mild-mannered scientist who unleashes the darkest parts of himself.

Cruise stars as a Navy Seal named Tyler Colt in this present-day remake, who uncovers a terrifying secret in an ancient sarcophagus. Wallis (Annabelle, Peaky Blinders), plays a scientist, Vance (The People Vs OJ Simpson) plays a colonel, while Johnson (New Girl, Jurassic World) plays a member of the military in a role written for him. Boutella (Kingsman) will be bringing the fear as the titular character.

The screenplay is written by Prometheus‘ John Spaihts, while Kurtzman and Chris Morgan are responsible for guiding the new Universal Monster Movie universe through the savage waters of remake criticism and concern about trying to build a Marvel-style-shared-universe. We’re definitely interested to see it.

The Mummy will be released on 9 June 2017. Keep up with the latest genre news with the new issue of SciFiNow.