Universal Pictures certainly had big plans for their Dark Universe franchise. Even before THE MUMMY was released, Universal assembled a group of actors who would have significant roles in future Dark Universe films, including Javier Bardem as Frankenstein's Monster, Johnny Depp as The Invisible Man, and Russell Crowe as Dr. Henry Jekyll/Mr. Edward Hyde, the latter of whom did appear in THE MUMMY, but it all came crashing down when the film bombed critically and commercially. However, you can't keep the Universal Monsters down for long and it was later announced that the studio would be charting a new course away from an interconnected universe and instead focus on bringing in creative directors with distinctive visions for the classic monsters. The first part of this fresh strategy will find Leigh Whannell (UPGRADE) writing and directing a reboot of THE INVISIBLE MAN for Blumhouse Productions.
Variety has reported that Elisabeth Moss is in talks with Universal to star in THE INVISIBLE MAN, but notes that the negotiations are still in the extremely early stages. As far as Johnny Depp goes, it seems that he will not be involved with the project, but sources had previously said that the actor was being considered for other Universal Monster projects. There are no details on who Elisabeth Moss will play should she officially sign on. The actress will next be seen in Jordan Peele's US on March 22nd and in the crime/comedy THE KITCHEN on August 9, 2019. She'll also be returning for the third season of The Handmaid's Tale which will debut on Hulu on June 5, 2019.
You shouldn't expect THE INVISIBLE MAN to become some big-budget blockbuster this time around, as Blumhouse founder and CEO Jason Blum has said that it will definitely be a lower budget movie. "It’s not dependent on special effects, CGI, stunts. It’s super character-driven, it’s really compelling, it’s trilling, it’s edgy, it feels new," Blum teased. "Those were all things that felt like they fit with what our company does. And it happened to be an Invisible Man story, so it checked both boxes. And we responded to it because I think Leigh is just an A+ director." Blum estimated that the budget will likely fall somewhere between $5 and $10 million. As a huge fan of the Universal Monsters, I think this is a much better approach than the Dark Universe concept. These characters don't need giant budgets or to become superheroes, and keeping the budget on a smaller scale will allow for more experimentation.
"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, when the project was first announced. "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."