Javier Bardem in Talks to Play Frankenstein in Universal's Monster Movie Reboot

Universal is aiming high when it comes to casting for its monster movie cinematic universe. They've already either officially signed or approached Tom Cruise for The Mummy, Russell Crowe for Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, and Johnny Depp for The Invisible Man, and now Variety reports that the studio is eyeing Oscar-winning actor Javier Bardem for their remake of Frankenstein.

The trade reports that Bardem is "in talks to star as Frankenstein," but it's unclear if they mean he's being eyed for the role of Frankenstein's monster or the doctor himself. This casting apparently came about when Universal initially approached him about playing Dr. Jekyll, but he ended up turning down the part and Crowe stepped in to take that role. Bardem has the ability to turn on a super charming screen presence, but as he showed in No Country For Old Men, he can also easily play a sociopathic, ice-cold killer with no remorse. It'll be interesting to see which role he ends up playing here, because he's clearly capable of either one.

Variety reminds us that Universal is developing a Bride of Frankenstein movie, but their "sources indicate that Bardem's Frankenstein would likely appear in another monster movie first." The studio is modeling their monster movie cinematic universe after Marvel Studios' successful creation of their own comic-book based film universe, with Crowe's Jekyll appearing in Cruise's Mummy movie (which is reportedly almost finished shooting). I suppose there's time for Bardem to film a quick cameo in The Mummy if the ink dries on his contract, but it's unclear where we'll first see Bardem's Frankenstein (or Frankenstein's monster) pop up.

What do you think about this casting?