Javier Bardem Eyed for Frankenstein Role in Universal’s Monster Universe
Javier Bardem at the Cannes Film Festival premiere of “The Last Face” on May 20, 2016 (Photo: Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images)
By Justin Kroll, Variety
Having already filled its monster universe with a roster of A-list talent that includes Tom Cruise, Johnny Depp, and Russell Crowe, Universal is now eyeing another star to bring a famous character to life.
Sources tell Variety that Javier Bardem is in talks to star as Frankenstein in Universal’s cinematic universe with rebooted versions of classic monster movies. It’s currently unknown which movie Bardem would first appear in, as The Mummy, the first film in the monster universe, is about to wrap shooting.
Related: Russell Crowe in Talks to Join Tom Cruise in ‘The Mummy’ Reboot
The studio is also developing a Bride of Frankenstein pic, but sources indicate that Bardem’s Frankenstein would likely appear in another monster movie before his own project.
The studio tapped Alex Kurtzman and Chris Morgan last summer to help develop the monster universe for Universal.
Ironically, Bardem had been approached about playing the Dr. Jekyll role in The Mummy, but passed on the part, which opened the door for Crowe to step into the role.
Related: Cannes Film Review: ‘The Last Face’
Bardem was most recently seen in Sean Penn’s The Last Face and is currently filming Darren Aronofsky’s untitled film opposite Jennifer Lawrence. He also has Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales, which bows next summer.
He is repped by WME.
‘Son of Frankenstein’: Watch a clip from 1939 Universal Monster Movie:
