The release date for Blumhouse’s reboot of The Invisible Man has been set. The film is currently set to star Elisabeth Moss (The Handmaid’s Tale) and Storm Reid (A Wrinkle in Time), with the former as a woman who begins to rebuild her life after the suicide of her abusive ex-boyfriend, only for subsequent events to make her question her sanity and believe that her former partner might not be truly dead.
One of the world’s most famous literary characters, The Invisible Man has been previously adapted numerous times in TV, film, comics, radio dramas and stage plays, and is part of the classic Universal Monsters stable of characters that also includes Dracula, the Wolfman and Frankenstein’s Monster. This iteration of it will be a part of the rebooted Dark Universe of shared world monster movies, which previously died as soon as it started due to the decidedly negative reception of The Mummy caused in part by the film's ham-fisted attempt to copy shared universe world-building beats from Iron Man.
According to The Wrap, Blumhouse has set the release date for its reboot of The Invisible Man as March 13, 2020, where it will take on Godzilla vs Kong, the next in the saga after the imminent King of the Monsters, for the box office. Later that month also sees the release of G.I. Joe: Ever Vigilant, a spinoff movie from the action franchise focusing on silent ninja Snake Eyes; and Disney’s live action remake of Mulan.
Written by science fiction pioneer H.G. Wells (also the author of The Time Machine, The War of the Worlds and The Island of Doctor Moreau) in 1897, The Invisible Man is a landmark piece of literature that explores what might happen when someone already greedy, arrogant and selfish is afforded the opportunity to act with impunity when nobody can witness their crimes. Most adaptations portray the character in a more sympathetic light, but it’s heavily suggested that this new one will restore the character’s callous cruelty.
The release date does seem a bit of tight fit, as the production doesn’t start filming until July and is yet to even cast its titular character, although some names are being mooted for the scientific sociopath. The focal point of the film will be Moss’ character Cecelia and the story will likely deal with topics such as gaslighting and overcoming trauma, so unlike director Leigh Whannell’s previous film Upgrade – which had a year between the commencement of principal photography and its SXSW premiere – the post-production effects requirements of the film will be somewhat minimal. Given Blumhouse’s reputation for delivering quality films swiftly and on a modest budget, the limited time frame given to produce the finished article shouldn’t be much of an obstacle in this new interpretation of The Invisible Man arriving on time.
Source: The Wrap