There’s no doubt whatsoever that many eyes rolled at the news that Universal was going to attempt to turn their classic monsters into a shared universe similar to what Marvel has been doing, beginning with a reboot of The Mummy. But when a name like Tom Cruise comes into the picture, eyebrows will no doubt raise above those previously rolled eyeballs…making for some truly silly faces others will giggle at.

It’s being reported that Cruise has entered into talks for a role in the new Mummy flick, which makes things much more interesting. Who would Cruise play? That’s unclear at the moment…but given that this is a shared universe, you can expect that it would be a multi-picture deal that would see him showing up in other movies that will follow The Mummy centering on Wolf Man, Dracula, and more.

Universal has decided to put together their very own version of the Pixar Brain Trust to work together on the planned Avengers-style shared universe reboot of their Classic Monsters.

It’s being reported that the studio has brought in Ed Solomon, Noah Hawley, and Aaron Guzikowski as part of the strategy. The trio now will join forces with the first two members of the cinematic collective, Alex Kurtzman and Chris Morgan.

Gary Shore‘s Dracula origins movie Dracula Untold, starring Luke Evans as the titular character, hits theaters on October 10, and the press has been seeing the film prior to its junket. While we wait to see what the cast and crew has to say about their experience making the film, there are already rumors swirling that the film is somehow connected to the Universal Pictures’ Classic Monsters franchise reboot they are currently building.

The film was originally separate from the Universe that the studio was building. The Mummy reboot, which is being directed by Alex Kurtzman, was actually the film that was to launch the franchise universe the same way that Iron Man did for Marvel Studios. But it seems that Universal has been getting quite a surprising response from Dracula Untold, and has decided to shift its gears. Hit the jump to read more.

Recently it was announced that Universal was going to reboot their Classic Monsters, and also bring them together similarly to what Marvel did with their superheros in The Avengers.

The ambitious plan is being developed by writers Alex Kurtzman and Chris Morgan, but now it appears at least one of the two wants to get a little more hands-on. It’s being reported that Kurtzman is in final negotiations to direct the first of the rebooted monster flicks, The Mummy, himself.

Universal Pictures wants in on the unified franchises game being perfected by the well-oiled machine that is the Marvel Cinematic Universe and attempted by Warner Brothers’ DC Comics lineup.

But instead of acquiring a new superhero/comic book property, Universal is reaching back to some classics. It’s being reported that the studio has decided to reboot their Universal Classic Monsters, the legendary line-up of monster movies including Dracula, Frankenstein, The Wolf Man, The Mummy, The Invisible Man, The Bride of Frankenstein, and The Creature From the Black Lagoon.