Will Blumhouse’s Invisible Man start a franchise?

Last Updated on July 30, 2021

Earlier today we shared your first look at Blumhouse and SAW and INSIDIOUS writer Leigh Whannell's reboot of THE INVISIBLE MAN via three stills featuring Elisabeth Moss as the film's star (check them out HERE if you missed them earlier). And now Whannell speaks a bit about future plans for the film – mainly if he expects it to kick off a franchise.

Whannell says:

I don’t know. I haven’t put any thought into a sequel. I’m a pretty superstitious filmmaker. I don’t want to jinx anything. I’ve been involved with movies that have had a lot of sequels, like the original Saw film obviously spawned a whole franchise, as did Insidious. But I can tell you with total honesty that in the case of both of those films, I never thought about a sequel. I would never want to jinx the release of a movie by thinking about what comes next.

Damn.

Well, what can you tell us, Leigh? How about going a bit more in-depth about your approach to the classic character? Sounds good to me. 

Whannell says:

The image of the Invisible Man in the floating trench coat and the floating sunglasses is one that is clearly etched into the public consciousness. I wanted to kind of get away from that and make something that was really modern, really grounded, or as grounded as you can be when you’re dealing with a film called The Invisible Man. Just something that was really tense and scary in a way The Invisible Man hasn’t been before. There are some great actors in the film, Aldis Hodge and Storm Reid from A Wrinkle in Time, these are the supporting cast, and they’re such great performers. Having said that, the script is really a one-woman show. Elisabeth Moss is the centerpiece of the film, and she’s in pretty much every scene. I feel like, if you’re going to hang an entire film on someone’s shoulders, you need an actor as good as Lizzie.

Personally, I'm loving this first look at the film as it really seems to be going the gritty "is she, or is she not crazy?" route that the synopsis (see below) teases. I love this approach and can't wait to see the final product! How about you? Let us know below!

THE HAUNTING OF HILL HOUSE star Oliver Jackson-Cohen playing the title role. The flick costars Aldis Hodge, Harriet Dyer, and Storm Reid and follows this synopsis:

What you can’t see can hurt you. Emmy winner Elisabeth Moss (Us, The Handmaid’s Tale) stars in a terrifying modern tale of obsession inspired by Universal’s classic monster character.  Trapped in a violent, controlling relationship with a wealthy and brilliant scientist, Cecilia Kass (Moss) escapes in the dead of night and disappears into hiding, aided by her sister (Harriet Dyer, NBC’s The InBetween), their childhood friend (Aldis Hodge, Straight Outta Compton) and his teenage daughter (Storm Reid, HBO’s Euphoria). But when Cecilia’s abusive ex (Oliver Jackson-Cohen, Netflix’s The Haunting of Hill House) commits suicide and leaves her a generous portion of his vast fortune, Cecilia suspects his death was a hoax. As a series of eerie coincidences turns lethal, threatening the lives of those she loves, Cecilia’s sanity begins to unravel as she desperately tries to prove that she is being hunted by someone nobody can see.

Blumhouse's THE INVISIBLE MAN is written and directed by Leigh Whannell who is also executive producing. Jason Blum produces with Kylie du Fresne for Goalpost Pictures in association with Nervous Tick, for Universal Pictures. INVISIBLE MAN is set to reach theatres on February 28, 2020.