I just haven't seen a better, more iconic design than the one in the original film. It's timeless and perfect, even though it's not accurate to the novel. Still, all the elements that made the character recognizable come from the movie.
After seeing what Universal is doing with the Mummy, I bet Bardem will look like the novel's monster, which hasn't been done yet in a big studio movie. He'll have yellow translucent skin which shows the veins and muscles, long flowing black hair, and maybe the glowing eyes and black lips since it's very Jokerish and ironically, modern.
