Leigh Whannell’s Upgrade has a TV series sequel in the works at Blumhouse

Last Updated on August 5, 2021

When director Leigh Whannell's THE INVISIBLE MAN performed like gangbusters in theaters back in February ($121.9M), the horror reboot got many fans talking about the filmmaker's 2018 sci-fi thriller UPGRADE. The short version is that scores of cinephiles were hoping that Whannell would one day return to the world of UPGRADE, and now it appears as if that wish is about to be granted.

It's been announced that UPGRADE is getting a TV series followup, which Deadline says picks up a few years after the events of the film and broadens the universe with an evolved version of STEM and a new host – imaging a world in which the government re-purposes STEM to help curb criminal activity.

The series is co-created and executive produced by Whannell and Tim Walsh, who will also serve as showrunner for the series. Whannell, who's in high demand after shattering expectations with THE INVISIBLE MAN, will direct. The best part? A writers room is already in the process of being established for the promising project, which Blumhouse and UCP are collaborating for.

Whannell's UPGRADE is set in the near-future, when technology controls nearly all aspects of life. But when the world of Grey (Logan Marshall-Green), a self-labeled technophobe, is turned upside down, his only hope for revenge is an experimental computer chip implant.

According to our new Managing Editor, Chris Bumbray, UPGRADE is one of the best movie's you've never seen. To my own personal shame, I've yet to experience the film, which is something I'm looking to correct by the close of this coming weekend. It's been a black mark on my record for the better part of two years, but I'm just one man, and there are a lot of movies out there, okay?

Word of the UPGRADE series marks Whannell’s television debut after landing a first-look film and TV deal with Blumhouse earlier this year. Jason Blum and Brian Kavanaugh-Jones of Automatik will executive produce the series as part of a collaborative effort with Whannell and Walsh.