Javier Bardem eyeing Frankenstein role in Universal's monster universe

Oleg Nikishin/Epsilon/Getty Images

Cue the lightning strike: Javier Bardem may have found a new role to bring to life.

The Spanish actor is in talks for a Frankenstein-related role in Universal’s planned movie universe based on classic screen monsters, EW has confirmed.

Should the talks pan out, Bardem would join a star-studded franchise that also boasts Tom Cruise, who’s set to battle the title creature in The Mummy; Russell Crowe, who will play a Dr. Jekyll-like character opposite Cruise; and Johnny Depp, who’s on board to star in an Invisible Man movie.

As with Crowe’s character, Bardem would be likely to make his debut as a supporting player rather than getting a standalone film right off the bat. At the moment, it’s unclear whether Bardem would portray Dr. Frankenstein himself or Frankenstein’s famous creation. Should the occasion call for it, though, Bardem has proven quite capable of playing a chilling villain, most notably with his Oscar-winning turn as a ruthless hitman in No Country for Old Men.

Filmmakers Alex Kurtzman and Chris Morgan are overseeing Universal’s monster universe, which currently has three films on the calendar: The Mummy on June 9, 2017, and unspecified installments on April 13, 2018 and Feb. 15, 2019.

Bardem’s other projects in the works include Escobar, Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales, and an untitled Darren Aronofsky film.

Variety first reported the talks.