Update: According to a report by The Hollywood Reporter, sources close to Banks' INVISIBLE WOMAN say the tone of the project is THELMA & LOUISE meets PSYCHO. Also, just for clarification purposes, the INVISIBLE WOMAN project has so far not been linked to Leigh Whannell's THE INVISIBLE MAN starring Elisabeth Moss.
Not to be deterred by unfortunate box office returns for her CHARLIE'S ANGELS reboot, Elizabeth Banks is already plotting her next move, and it just so happens to be for Universal and their classic movie monster initiative. It's been announced that Banks will direct and star in INVISIBLE WOMAN, an upcoming project based on the iconic horror figure of yesteryear.
Penning the script based off of Banks' original pitch is THE GIRL ON THE TRAIN writer Erin Cressida Wilson, who's recently been hired to pen Disney's live-action adaptation of the classic fairy tale SNOW WHITE AND THE SEVEN DWARFS. Producing the pic will be Banks and Max Handelman via their Brownstone Productions banner, which helped set up the PITCH PERFECT series as well as CHARLIE'S ANGELS. Banks directed the aforementioned female-focused action set piece, in addition to co-starring alongside Kristen Stewart, Naomi Scott, and Ella Balinska as the ass-kicking trifecta.
Banks' INVISIBLE WOMAN will serve as the second project to be set up at Universal featuring a new spin on the classic horror character. In recent times, Blumhouse and Leigh Whannell completed work on INVISIBLE MAN, with Elisabeth Moss playing the widow of an abusive husband whom she fears is still lurking about, only you can't see him. According to Deadline, Banks will be the one who turns invisible for the INVISIBLE WOMAN project, though this angle has yet to be confirmed by the powers that be.
Whoa! So we're getting two Invisible Man-related projects from the same studio? That's not going to be confusing at all!
That being said, I must admit that I'm curious about Banks' new pitch. For my money, the trailer for Whannell's INVISIBLE MAN has that movie looking awesome, and I welcome the chance to see another creative spin on the invisible premise. I say bring it on. And no, I don't care if CHARLIE'S ANGELS flopped. I still want to see that movie when it hits Blu-ray, and if we all gave up on filmmakers for one failed project, we'd be missing out on plenty of great films that happened after they'd learned from whatever mistakes were made.