Russell Crowe tipped for insane remake with Tom Cruise

The Mummy is widely regarded as one of the worst films ever - can it be saved?

In keeping with what's fast becoming the year of the reboot and remake, Universal is bringing back The Mummy, and have just brought Russell Crowe on board to help.

The original Mummy trilogy began in 1999, starring Brendan Fraser, Rachel Weisz and a whole host of cringeworthy special effects. As a series, The Mummy films consistently drew negative reviews and viewer feedback.

As previously reported, Tom Cruise is set to star in the reboot and is expected to play a major part in developing the film.

Now, Variety reports Russell Crowe is in early talks to play "a Dr Jekyll-type role" and will appear in the film with Cruise.

But that's only the beginning, as Universal is aiming to develop a Marvel-type universe in which creatures from the monster movie franchise - Dracula, Frankenstein, The Wolfman and more - would take the lead.

Much the same as in the superhero world, monsters from other films are expected to appear in each other's films, eventually building up to an Avengers-style movie in which they all tie in.

Johnny Depp is set to star in The Invisible Man in a standalone feature, and other classic creatures are expected to appear in The Mummy to lay the groundwork for their own spin-offs.

The studio also has the rights to Anne Rice's Vampire Chronicles, and is linked with Jason Blum, whose production company has made films like Paranormal Activity, Sinister, The Purge and more.