Universal’s Dark Universe is kicking off with Tom Cruise’s The Mummy, which is only a week away(!!!). While we know that this movie will, indeed, feature a mummy who is hunting down Tom Cruise for some reason (I mean, weren’t we all, at some point in our lives?) a few things still remain a mystery. What is Russell Crowe’s Dr. Jekyll’s role in all this? How did Cruise and his team of archaeologists stumble upon the mummy’s tomb anyway? And why does she want Tom Cruise so badly?
Many fans of Bryan Singer’s 2000 X-Men movie know that Dougray Scott was originally cast in the role of Wolverine before bowing out due to scheduling conflicts with Mission: Impossible 2. That being said, it’s Russell Crowe’s connection to the film that make for the most interesting bit of Hollywood trivia. As the story goes, Crowe was Singer’s first choice to play Wolverine, but the actor passed, suggesting instead that the filmmaker look at fellow Australian Hugh Jackman. The rest, as they say, is history.
If we’re being honest with each other, I’m not typically a big fan of behind-the-scenes videos and features. These days they all seem the same: an actor jumps in front of a blue background and lands on a blue foam pad, and everyone stands up and smiles at each other for a job well done. My one big exception is Tom Cruise movies. Cruise’s action films are a testament to doing things the hard way, so every highlight reel of the actor slamming into cars, hitting his head against walls, or getting punched in the face is a testament to a dying trade.