Upgrade director Leigh Whannell has signed on to direct a reboot of Universal’s sci-fi classic The Invisible Man. Whannell will re-team with producer Jason Blum and will release the film via the Blumhouse label.
As was the case with Upgrade, Leigh Whannell will also write the script.
According to Variety, this marks a brand new strategy for rebooting Universal’s classic monster movies. In 2017 Universal Pictures heavily invested in launching an interconnected cinematic universe featuring the iconic characters. The then “Dark Universe” kicked off with Tom Cruise’s The Mummy but never gained any traction after failing to hit expectations, despite the studio having already cast A-list actors as each of the monsters.
Johnny Depp was previously attached to star in the previously planned The Invisible Man film, but has since disappeared from Whannell’s vision. Sources tell Variety that Depp may still appear in one of the other monster movies currently in development.
Universal is reportedly tabling the idea of a shared cinematic universe in favor of focusing on standalone films that will introduce the monsters to a new generation of moviegoers.
No release date is currently set for The Invisible Man.
What do you make of this news? Are you excited by the prospect of Blumhouse taking over production responsibilities for Universal’s classic monsters? Hit me up in the comments below with your thoughts!
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