Javier Bardem eyed for Frankenstein role in Universal's monster universe (EXCLUSIVE)

Having already filled its monster universe with a roster of A-list talent that includes Tom Cruise and Russell Crowe, Universal is now eyeing another star to bring a famous character to life.

Sources tell Variety that Javier Bardem is in talks to star as Frankenstein in Universal's cinematic universe with rebooted versions of classic monster movies. It's currently unknown which movie Bardem would first appear in, as "The Mummy," the first film in the monster universe, is about to wrap shooting.

Universal had no comment. The studio is also developing a "Bride of Frankenstein" pic, but sources indicate that Bardem's Frankenstein would likely appear in another monster movie before his own project.

The studio tapped Alex Kurtzman and Chris Morgan last summer to help develop the monster universe for Universal.

Ironically, Bardem had been approached about playing the Dr. Jekyll role in "The Mummy," but passed on the part, which opened the door for Crowe to step into the role.

Bardem was most recently seen in Sean Penn's "The Last Face" and is currently filming Darren Aronofsky's untitled film opposite Jennifer Lawrence. He also has "Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales," which bows next summer.

He is repped by WME.