The mixed box office results from previous Universal monster movie remakes like The Mummy and The Wolfman has done nothing to deter the studio from announcing plans to re-do other classic horror titles - like Bride of Frankenstein and The Invisible Man.

David S. Goyer has been attached to script the Invisible Man remake since 2007, but there's been little-to-no word about the project for almost three years now. However, it looks like things might be moving forward in the future.

Goyer has been extremely busy of late, working to some degree on the storylines for upcoming comic book movies like Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance and The Dark Knight Rises - not to mention, scripting Zack Snyder's Man of Steel. However, he offered assurances to Hero Complex that his reworking of author H.G. Wells' famous novel-turned-movie about a scientist who manages to make himself... well, invisible, and eventually descends into insanity as a result, is alive and well.

Here is what Goyer had to say, with regards to his Invisible Man:

“It’s something slowly working its way through the Universal development channels. It’s still alive... We did some pre-vis tests and things like that that they were very happy with. Now we’re going through the casting process. If they get the right lead, they’ll make it.”

So what approach is Goyer taking to the story? The answer probably won't surprise you:

“It’s a period film but it’s period like Downey’s ’Sherlock Holmes'. It’s period but it’s a reinvention of the character in the sort of way that Stephen Sommers exploded ‘The Mummy’ into a much bigger kind of mythology. That’s kind of what we’ve done with ‘The Invisible Man.’”

invisible man david goyer

Guy Ritchie's Sherlock Holmes has become the template for most upcoming re-interpretations of classic literature-turned-films - be they (very) relatively straightforward (The Three Musketeers) or more flat-out twisted spins on a famous novel (Pride and Prejudice and Zombies). However, Stephen Sommers' The Mummy is arguably the predecessor to even Holmes, seeing how it mixed old-fashoned period adventure thrills with big-budget blockbuster action and CGI spectacles, all the way back in 1999.

Whether or not that approach makes sense with The Invisible Man is a matter up for debate. The bigger issue not working in favor of his take on Invisible Man is the fact that Goyer has ALREADY directed (but not written) a movie with a non-seeable protagonist - the lackluster 2007 release, The Invisible.

Goyer's work tends to be very hit-or-miss, but he arguably does best when he's collaborating on a non-original project that features someone else in the director's chair. Since that appears to be the plan with The Invisible Man (that is, assuming Goyer isn't planning on directing the film), this project could join the list of his good creations.

We'll keep you posted on the status of The Invisible Man as more information is released.

Source: LA Times