Casting rumors come in two major flavors. On the one hand, you have concrete news about actors meeting with executives and filmmakers to discuss their participation in upcoming productions. On the other hand, you have the echo chamber of social media, where casting rumors can materialize out of thin air and then be given credibility during an interview or social media exchange with an actor. Not all fan rumors end up at the first stage, but it is true that some social media rumors have actually ended up with the actor being offered the role.
It’s hard to know what to expect from Universal’s ambitious new monster movie franchise, which will reboot many of the studio’s iconic boogeymen in one shared universe of films. And we probably won’t have a decent idea about what the studio is up to until next summer, when The Mummy hits theaters. But thanks to Russell Crowe, we have some indication of what Alex Kurtzman is planning for his reboot, which also stars Tom Cruise and Sofia Boutella.