In author H.G. Well’s Invisible Man, a scientist uncovers the secret to invisibility, yet he never discovers the ways in which to render himself visible, ultimately driving him insane and towards a life of crime. The story was adapted into a film in 1933, earning a sequel and cementing the character as one of the iconic Universal Monsters. While multiple horror films in the decades since have featured characters who can become invisible, we’ve yet to see a proper adaptation of the source material since the 1940 sequel. Upgrade writer/director Leigh Whannell will be delivering audiences an official reboot of the property, which has added The Haunting of Hill House star Oliver Jackson-Cohen as the titular character.
Videos by ComicBook.com
Deadline confirmed the casting news, with Jackson-Cohen joining the previously announced Elisabeth Moss and Storm Reid. The 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.
Given the inherent nature of the premise, we shouldn’t expect to see too much of Jackson-Cohen in a tangible form, but it’s a major opportunity for the actor, who earned massive success with his starring role in the Netflix series.
Back in 2017, Universal Studios revealed it was launching a Dark Universe of films, featuring reboots of all of their iconic Universal Monsters. The first entry in the series, The Mummy, became both a financial and critical disappointment, stagnating the franchise indefinitely. When the Dark Universe was announced, Johnny Depp was confirmed to be taking on the role of the Invisible Man, yet no plans for his debut were officially revealed. The upcoming film will be a complete departure from those early plans for the character.
Fans are curious about how this new remake will reimagine the source material, with Moss confirming that she won’t be circumventing expectations to be the titular character.
“I haven’t gotten into what I’m allowed to say, yet. I’m pretty sure I can say that I’m not ‘The Invisible Man,’” Moss confirmed with The Hollywood Reporter. “That would be weird. It’s a little bit of a different take on it. Part of the reason why I wanted to do it is I actually felt like it was a really feminist story of female empowerment and a victim kind of overcoming something. I don’t even know what I’m allowed to say about it! I’m not The Invisible Man, but there is an Invisible Man โ if that makes any sense.”
Stay tuned for details on Invisible Man, which lands in theaters on March 13, 2020.
Are you looking forward to the new film? Let us know in the comments below or hit up @TheWolfman on Twitter to talk all things horror and Star Wars!