Russell Crowe could be Universal monster Dr Jekyll

In case you didn't know, the Universal monster movies are on their way back, with a new version of The Mummy starring Tom Cruise already in production.

The intention is to create a series of inter-related films like the Marvel universe but with the likes of the Wolfman, Dracula and others. More connections means more money, or at least DC and Universal will be hoping that's the case.

The latest news is that they want to start teasing the other characters right away, with Dr Jekyll set to show up in this first film, and Russell Crowe is in the running for the part. It seems that the first choice was Tom Hardy who decline, and Crowe is a fitting enough replacement.

Now the deal isn't done yet and its likely to be little more than a cameo but if Crowe does come on board we'll almost certainly be seeing him get his own standalone film in the near future.

Of course Dracula Untold was supposed to be the start of this particular shared universe, with the Charles Dance character hastily inserted late in production and intended to carry on to other films, but that didn't quite work out. Hopefully things go more smoothly for The Mummy after its release in summer 2017.