The Invisible Man (2020)

[Himmel]

BloodyDisgusting

Universal, Blumhouse Team up To Revive Universal Monster Films



After the disastrous reboot of The Mummy, Variety reports that Universal Pictures is recalibrating the Universal Monsters franchise by handing the keys to Blumhouse, known for budget-friendly hits such as The Purge, Happy Death Day, Split, Glass, Paranormal Activity and many others

The move is part of a fresh strategy for the Universal monsters properties, bringing creative directors with distinctive visions to the classic characters, adds the site.

“Throughout cinematic history, Universal’s classic monsters have been reinvented through the prism of each new filmmaker who brought these characters to life,” said Peter Cramer, Universal’s president of production. “We are excited to take a more individualized approach for their return to screen, shepherded by creators who have stories they are passionate to tell with them

Before the plug was pulled on the “Dark Universe”, Universal had planned reboots of The Creature From the Black Lagoon, The Bride of Frankenstein, among others. It’s unclear if they’ll re-reboot Dracula, The Wolfman or even The Mummy.

[Creed]

“Upgrade” director Leigh Whannell has signed on to direct a reboot of “The Invisible Man.” The project reunites Whannell with Jason Blum, who is producing the Universal Pictures movie through his Blumhouse banner.

The move is part of a fresh strategy for Universal’s monsters properties, bringing creative directors with distinctive visions to the classic characters.

Whannell, who is co-producing, has previously worked with Blumhouse Productions on hit films including “Insidious: The Last Key” and “Upgrade.” Johnny Depp was previously attached to “The Invisible Man,” but sources say he will not appear in this film. He may be featured in another one of the monster movie projects in development, sources say.

Universal has tabled the idea of an interconnected universe and is reassessing how to keep the enduring characters relevant for a new generation. Sources tell Variety that Universal remains committed to creating compelling filmmaker-driven projects based on characters from the studio’s vast monsters legacy.

“Throughout cinematic history, Universal’s classic monsters have been reinvented through the prism of each new filmmaker who brought these characters to life,” said Peter Cramer, Universal’s president of production. “We are excited to take a more individualized approach for their return to screen, shepherded by creators who have stories they are passionate to tell with them.”

The decision comes after “The Mummy” fell short of expectations at the box office, which led to the studio taking a new look at the strategy for the remaining monster characters including Frankenstein and Dracula.

By not mandating a unified, connected universe of monster stories, the studio will be able to open up the characters to filmmakers who will be inspired to create their own unique stories. Insiders say Universal has met with a number of prominent directors for various properties, and “The Invisible Man” is one of those new films. But hiring Whannell does not necessarily mean this will be the next monster movie to go into production, as other pitches are also coming together revolving around different characters.

Several versions of “The Invisible Man” have gotten the Hollywood treatment, with the most well-known being James Whale’s 1933 original adaptation of the H.G. Wells story, starring Claude Rains and Gloria Stuart.

Upcoming titles for Universal’s new monster strategy will be rooted in horror, with no restrictions on budget, tone, or rating, and no expectation that they will exist as part of a shared universe. An insider close to the process said freeing up the characters’ origins and stories to different interpretations will help them appeal to modern audiences.

The talent previously attached to various monster roles like Depp, Javier Bardem, Tom Cruise, and Russell Crowe still have the option to appear in the movies after a filmmaker with a new vision is brought on.

As for Blum, the super-producer has already started 2019 off strong with his 11th No. 1 opening as M. Night Shyamalan’s “Glass” grossed more than $100 million globally over the four-day MLK weekend. His next release is the sequel to 2017’s “Happy Death Day,” due on Feb. 13.

Whannell is represented by Paradigm Talent Agency, manager Stacey Testro and Myman Greenspan Fox Rosenberg Mobasser Younger & Light LLP.

I like Leigh's work for Upgrade.

[InuYashaCrusade]

Is this the new monsters cinematic universe or whatever the hell they were trying for?

[Creed]

Yeah, they're starting over.

[JEDGAR1000]

Yes! This is a good sign Universal has finally realized they need to treat their horror properties as horror, not action. Leigh Whannell has a good number of horror credits under his belt (Saw, Upgrade, Insidious), so this should be promising. Hopefully he'll get to co-write it as well.

[Chaotic]

He posted on twitter, saying he's been writing this for awhile.

[Himmel]

Originally Posted by InuYashaCrusade

Is this the new monsters cinematic universe or whatever the hell they were trying for?

They have ditched that idea.

[Creed]

Mods, delete or merge thread with Himmel's.

[Foggy]

I think I posted this should have been what they were going for in the first place, not massive bloated action movies but actual small scale horror that gets the characters right. I think they do have to have a good game plan moving forward as to a real purpose for the characters to get together, but at least the risk is lower for better reward this time around.

[JEDGAR1000]

Originally Posted by Creed

Mods, delete or merge thread with Himmel's.

I think they can stay separate, one's about the Invisible Man, the other about Universal's planned Monster Universe.

[Creed]

Hmmm.

[Cremildo]

Love Leigh Whannell's work. I'm hopeful this time. Let that Mummy be but a bad, faded memory.

[CyberpunkCentral]

Oh thank f***! I love the original Invisible Man. So to see Blumhouse doing it is a relief.

[jess1581]

Good. Forget the connected universe, and just revive the universal monster brand as horror films for our modern age... not as summer action films.

[therealjondoe]

This is definitely on my radar now.

[Kaiju]

Leigh will make this one worth checking out. Upgrade surprised me.

[levcore]

I really enjoyed The Mummy 2017 but I'm all for this too.

[Bugg]

It sounds more promising than that Dark Universe thing, but I wonder if Blumhouse are beginning to spread themselves a bit thin. Seems like every horror remake or reboot these days has their name attached to it.

[hYPE]

Originally Posted by JEDGAR1000

Yes! This is a good sign Universal has finally realized they need to treat their horror properties as horror, not action. Leigh Whannell has a good number of horror credits under his belt (Saw, Upgrade, Insidious), so this should be promising. Hopefully he'll get to co-write it as well.

You are definitely right about that! This is a very good sign for Universal and all there monsters. I have nothing but faith in Leigh that he will pay homage to the original films but also create something entirely different.

Upgrade is a very good indication of what he can do with a property like this, to say I'm excited is an understatement!

On a side not, happy he is writing this, Leigh is an exceptional writer and I know this will be no paint by numbers monster film. He is going to surprise us all.

[Monterey Jack]

Bandages or GTFO.