What you can't see can hurt you. Emmy winner Elisabeth Moss (Us, Hulu's The Handmaid's Tale) stars in The Invisible Man, 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.
Jason Blum, our current-day master of the horror genre, produces The Invisible Man for his Blumhouse Productions. The Invisible Man is written, directed and executive produced by Leigh Whannell, one of the original conceivers of the Saw franchise who most recently directed Upgrade and Insidious: Chapter 3.
The film is also produced by Kylie du Fresne (Upgrade, The Sapphires) for Goalpost Pictures. The executive producers are Whannell, Beatriz Sequeira, Charles Layton, Rosemary Blight, Ben Grant, Couper Samuelson and Jeanette Volturno. The Invisible Man is a co-production of Goalpost Pictures Australia and Blumhouse Productions, in association with Nervous Tick, for Universal Pictures.
Originally, Pirates of the Caribbean star Johnny Depp was eyed to take on the title role in this Universal Monsters reboot, when this was eyed as a higher-budget affair. Instead, Elizabeth Moss (The Handmaid's Tale, Us}) leads the way, but not as the Invisible Woman. Instead, we're seeing things from her perspective, with her boyfriend, played by Oliver Jackson-Cohen (The Haunting of Hill House, Dracula) as the titular character. Leigh Whannell (Upgrade) is in the director's chair and penned the screenplay.
The Invisible Man centers on Cecilia Kass (Elizabeth Moss), who is trapped in a controlling and abusive relationship with a distinguished, wealthy scientist. Cecilia escapes eventually escapes and disappears with the help of her sister (Harriet Dyer), their childhood friend (Aldis Hodge) and his teenage daughter (Storm Reid). However, when her abusive ex (Oliver Jackson-Cohen) commits suicide and leaves Cecilia a large some of his impressive fortune, she begins to suspect his death wasn't real. A series of eerie coincidences begin to turn deadly, forcing Cecilia's sanity to unravel, desperate to prove that she is being hunted by someone nobody else can see.
H.G. Wells originally published the story The Invisible Man in 1897. The beloved work has been adapted for the screen many times in the past, perhaps most notably in 1933. That classic flick was directed by James Whale and is considered a seminal work of the era. Other adaptations of varying quality have also come over the decades, including 2000's Hollow Man, which was directed by Paul Verhoeven and starred Kevin Bacon in the lead role. Johnny Depp's version would have existed in a universe alongside Tom Cruise's 2017 take on The Mummy, which kicked off and also ended the Dark Universe, as the movie didn't meet expectations critically or commercially.
The hope is that this movie will do well enough for the studio to explore other takes on its various monster properties. Whether or not that leads to a connected universe remains to be seen. But in an age where studios are hoping to emulate the Marvel Cinematic Universe with other franchises, it's easy to see how that might be an attractive idea. Though, the studio seems to be taking it one step at a time now, which is probably for the best. The Invisible Man is set to be released by Blumhouse and Universal Pictures on February 28, 2020. Be sure to check out the new trailer for yourself.
