Invisible Man Reboot Gets Release Date Shift

A reboot of the Invisible Man is currently shooting, with Universal Pictures confirming that it will be moving its release date forward by two weeks, now set to land in theaters on February 28, 2020. The film comes from Upgrade director Leigh Whannell and stars Elisabeth Moss, Oliver Jackson-Cohen, and Storm Reid. The new film is a reimagining of both the original H.G. Wells novel and the 1933 film. In that film, Claude Rains starred as a man who uncovered the secret to invisibility, yet never figured out how to return himself to his normal state, ultimately going insane as he pursued a life of crime.

The new film follows Cecilia (Moss), who receives the news of her abusive ex-boyfriend's suicide. She begins to re-build her life for the better. However, her sense of reality is put into question when she begins to suspect her deceased lover is not actually dead. Storm Reid will also star in the film.

The Invisible Man character is considered one of the original members of the Universal Monsters roster of horror characters from the studio, which also included Dracula, the Mummy, and Frankenstein's Monster. While the rest of these characters have regularly earned reboots and revivals, the last appearance from the character in a feature film from the studio was Abbott and Costello Meet the Invisible Man in 1951.

In 2014, Dracula Untold was set to kick off a series of reboots of iconic Universal Monster movies, though when that film wasn't a major success, the studio pivoted its plans. Instead, 2017 saw the premiere of the Tom Cruise-starring The Mummy, which was the first entry into its announced "Dark Universe" of reboots.

Sadly, The Mummy's financial and critical disappointments squashed all hope of the Dark Universe, despite having a number of stars attached to the project. At the time, Johnny Depp was confirmed to be playing the Invisible Man in the reboot, with Bride of Frankenstein meant to be the next film in the series to move forward. As that project saw a number of release date delays, it was ultimately pulled off of the studio's slate entirely.

Other than the confirmation that this new Invisible Man is an all-new take on the character that's different from the original Dark Universe plans, audiences have yet to learn when, or if, the Dark Universe franchise will ever continue.

Check out Invisible Man when it hits theaters on February 28, 2020.

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