Russell Crowe in talks to develop a split personality for Mummy reboot

By Adam Poltrack Updated May 4, 2016

russel crowe mummy jekyll hyde the water diviner russell 202928

For the past 15 years, Russell Crowe has been one of Hollywood’s steadiest A-listers but in a franchise-heavy movie business, he has somehow missed out on that particular gravy train. According to ScreenCrush, however, he may jump on board yet, albeit in a somewhat unlikely fashion.

The actor is reportedly in talks to play Dr. Jekyll/Mr. Hyde in Tom Cruise’s upcoming Mummy reboot. No, we didn’t get our headlines crossed, it appears that Universal is setting up a Marvel-style monster movie universe and that Crowe could even play the good/bad doctor in several different films. While no one has signed on the dotted line just yet, there is mutual interest after talks fell through with both Tom Hardy and Javier Bardem.

Dracula, Wolfman, and Frankenstein projects are reportedly also in the works but it’s unclear at this point how the films will connect. After so many big-screen flops, it would certainly be nice to see a bit of life injected into Mary Shelley’s monster, but we’ll have to wait and see if Universal can pull this ambitious project off.

In the meantime, Alex Kurtzman is helming the Mummy reboot, which is currently filming in London with a cast that includes Sofia Boutella (Kingsman: The Secret Service), Jake Johnson (New Girl), and, of course, Tom Cruise. It’s not clear exactly how Crowe’s character(s) come into play in this film and whether he would portray the benevolent Dr. Jekyll only, the maniacal Mr. Hyde only, or both of them. Either way, he would certainly be an intriguing addition to the cast.

The Mummy is currently scheduled for a June 9, 2017, release and is a reboot of the late ‘90s/early 2000s franchise that starred Brendan Fraser.

Topics

Contributor

Adam is an A/V News Writer for Digital Trends, and is responsible for bringing you the latest advances in A/V…

Entertainment

The best animated movies on Netflix right now

A cat points a bat at another cat in Puss in Boots: The Last Wish.

While Nimona has been the big Netflix original animated film of the summer, it's far from the only addition to the lineup. Netflix is making sure that animation fans are well served in August with the first two Despicable Me movies, Bee Movie, and Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs 2. However, Netflix's biggest recent addition is one of 2022's biggest animated hits: DreamWorks' Puss in Boots: The Last Wish.

Netflix's deals with Sony Pictures Animation, DreamWorks Animation, and Universal Pictures have given it a powerhouse library of animated films. And that's before we even get into Netflix's impressive originals like The Sea Beast. To help you keep track of what's new and what you can stream right now, we've updated our list of the best animated movies on Netflix.

Entertainment

From Barbarella to Howard the Duck: the 7 cheesiest sci-fi movies ever

Howard the Duck in "Howard the Duck."

The science-fiction genre has a vast smorgasbord of cheesy films stretching way back to the early days of cinema. Such pictures are known for their weird stories, unrealistic dialogue, low-budget productions, and exaggerated acting.

While many of these films have been panned by critics and audiences alike, some of them have garnered success for being "so bad, they're good." Whether or not they have been held up by a dedicated fan base, these seven movies stand out as the cream of the cheesy sci-fi crop.
Flash Gordon (1980)

Entertainment

10 best Batman stories ever, ranked

Batman Year One cover

Bounding from rooftop to rooftop, the Dark Knight never misses his mark. He operates like a well-oiled machine tracking bad guys, beating them to a bloody pulp, and throwing them in the slammer - or Arkham Asylum should they be anyone of Gotham's notable supervillains. As the brainchild of Bob Kane and Bill Finger, an artist and writer duo, Batman has been pounding the pavement of Gotham ever since his debut in Detective Comics in 1939. He's undergone a number of changes since his original conception ultimately becoming the brooding powerhouse we know today.

Most understand the basic tenants of Batman these days. His parents were murdered before his young eyes leading him down this path of personal vindication and pursuit of justice. Batman, in most iterations, never resorts to killing -- the one crime that separates his outlaw vigilante operations from the real criminals. Of course, it wasn't always that way. In Batman's earliest days, he had no qualms about ending the lives of baddies on the streets. Even now, some stories and films like Tim Burton's gothic take on the character depict him looking on with cold and uncaring glares as criminals meet their end. Regardless, Batman is mostly a well-established hero simply seeking justice and there are countless stories of the Caped Crusader. Let's take a look at the best among them.
10. Hush