Universal Pictures’ brand-new cinematic universe, the Dark Universe, is to begin this week with the release of The Mummy, the long-awaited remake of the classic monster movie which stars Tom Cruise.

Cruise and his co-stars have been doing a big promotional tour of the globe in recent weeks, as had the film’s director Alex Kurtzman, who is also part of the producing of the newly formed Universe. As well as the new reimagined film, attentions have turned to the recently-announced franchise which has already secured the services of Cruise, Russell Crowe, Sofia Boutella and now Johnny Depp and Javier Bardem, who will play The Invisible Man and Frankenstein’s Monster respectively.

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SEE ALSO: Watch our exclusive interview with Alex Kurtzman about The Mummy

But with other projects already in pre-production, such as Bride of Frankenstein (to be directed by Bill Condon), The Wolfman, Dracula, and Creature from the Black Lagoon, rumours have already begun to circulate as to which other A-listers will be tempted to play such legendary characters.

Dwayne Johnson (Baywatch) has already been linked to The Wolfman, but speaking to Fandom, producer Kurtzman shared some of the names they are hoping to lure to the series.

“I’d love to bring Michael Fassbender in, I’d love to bring Jennifer Lawrence in, I’d love to see Charlize Theron in there, Angelina Jolie…,”

“We know we’re going to do ‘Frankenstein,’ ‘Bride of Frankenstein,’ ‘Dracula,’ ‘Creature from the Black Lagoon,’ ‘Phantom of the Opera,’ ‘Hunchback of Notre Dame,’ ‘Invisible Man,’”

Check out our exclusive interviews with The Mummy stars Sofia Boutella, Annabelle Wallis, Jake Johnson and Sterling K. Brown here

The Mummy will hold the keys to the future of the series in many regards as it will need to be a big success this summer at the box office to give the producers the best chance of securing such talents to the other films lined up.

Directed by Kurtzman and written by David Koepp and Christopher McQuarrie amongst others, the film stars Tom Cruise, Sofia Boutella, Annabelle Wallis, Jake Johnson, Sterling K. Brown and Russell Crowe sand opens in cinemas on June 9th.