Universal's THE INVISIBLE MAN Moves Forward With UPRADE Director Leigh Whannell

Universal Pictures is moving forward with their new film adaptation of H.G. Wells’s The Invisible Man. The studio has hired director Leigh Whannell (Insidious: Chapter 3, Upgrade) to helm the project.

The movie is set to be launching a “fresh strategy for Universal’s monsters properties, bringing creative directors with distinctive visions to the classic characters.” So, it’s not part of that whole Dark Universe thing that they tried to start with Tom Cruise’s The Mummy.

I’m actually pretty happy to hear that they are ditching that connected Dark Universe concept because I didn’t like where it was going. Hopefully Universal and the filmmakers will end up delivering some great Universal Monster films that honor the legacy of the original films.

Johnny Depp was previously attached to this project, but according to Variety, he will not appear in this film. But they also say that may be featured in another one of the monster movie projects in development. Peter Cramer, Universal’s president of production had this to say in a statement:

“Throughout cinematic history, Universal’s classic monsters have been reinvented through the prism of each new filmmaker who brought these characters to life. 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.”

Universal has already met with a number of directors for various Universal Monster film properties which will consist of The Wolfman, Frankenstein, Dracula, The Creature Form the Black Lagoon, The Bride of Frankenstein, and more.

Are you excited about this new direction that Universal is taking with their classic monster properties?