Completely ignoring my suggestion that Universal Pictures surrender their Dark Universe to Guillermo del Toro, who basically resurrected the Creature from the Black Lagoon into modern times with The Shape of Water, Variety announced today that director Leigh Whannell (Upgrade) and producer Jason Blum are rebooting The Invisible Man.
The move is yet another attempt for the studio to make its monster properties fresh by this time “bringing creative directors with distinctive visions to the classic characters.” This means tabling the interconnected Dark Universe concept and “reassessing how to keep the enduring characters relevant for a new generation.”
Universal reportedly “remains committed to creating compelling filmmaker-driven projects based on characters from the studio’s vast monsters legacy,” even though previous attempts, most recently with The Mummy, fell short of expectations at the box office.
Peter Cramer, Universal’s president of productions stated, “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.”
Variety reports: “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. 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.”
Although the talent previously attached to various monster roles like Johnny 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, sources say Depp will not appear in The Invisible Man. Of the good news shared by Variety, this is perhaps the best.
And if someone still wants a shared monster universe, all Marvel has to do is bring its Legion of Monsters to life! They seem to know a thing or two, about a thing or two…
