Aldis Hodge has joined the cast of The Invisible Man reboot. The Invisible Man was one of several classic Universal monster horror properties that, just a few years ago, was slated to be rebooted as part of a shared universe that the studio officially dubbed the Dark Universe. Of course, that was before the Tom Cruise-led reboot of The Mummy bombed with critics in 2017 and struggled to cover its nine-figure budget at the box office. As a result, Universal eventually abandoned the other Dark Universe projects it had in development at the time, including an Invisible Man remake that had Johnny Depp attached to star.

The studio is now trying a different approach, and is teaming up with low-budget horror hit-maker Blumhouse (Split, Get Out) on a less expensive Invisible Man reboot instead. With just a few weeks to go before its starts production, the project has entered the final stages of its casting process, and is actively filling out the remainder of its ensemble. Elisabeth Moss (The Handmaid's Tale) and Storm Reid (When They See Us) have signed on for leading roles in the past couple months, and it appears that another key part has now been filled.

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Deadline is reporting that Hodge has signed on for The Invisible Man, ahead of filming getting underway in Sydney, Australia next month. The actor's previous work includes performances in acclaimed films like Straight Outta Compton and Hidden Figures, in addition to the TV series Underground and, most recently, Showtime's City on a Hill. He also appeared in the comedy What Men Want earlier this year and will costar in the biopic Brian Banks this August, followed by his role in the 2019 Sundance Grand Jury Prize-winner Clemency this December.

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According to a previous report, The Invisible Man reboot revolves around a woman (Moss) who's haunted by the memory of her abusive ex-boyfriend after he commits suicides, and starts to wonder if he might not be as dead as she's been led to believe. It sounds like an intriguing update to The Invisible Man franchise that touches on timely themes about how people struggle to recover from abusive relationships, and are often haunted by their former partners (in this situation, though, quite literally). The film is being written and directed by Leigh Whanell, who succeeded in putting thoughtful, yet creepy new spins on familiar sci-fi and/or horror concepts with his efforts on Blumhouse's Insidious series (he wrote every entry), as well as last year's critical hit Upgrade (which he also directed). That alone bodes well for his reported approach to reviving The Invisible Man.

No doubt, Whannell and Blumhouse's reboot will further benefit from having a great cast that currently includes Moss, Reid, and Hodge. It doesn't sound like Hodge is playing the actual "Invisible Man" here (at least, there's nothing in Deadline's article that suggests that's the case), so for now it's safe to assume that he's playing another important role in the film. And with The Invisible Man being described as more of a low-budget, character-driven thriller, Hodge will hopefully get the chance to really flex his acting muscles here, no matter who he ends up portraying.

UPDATE: In a separate report, Collider revealed that Hodge is playing Reid's onscreen father, a cop who tries to help Moss' character, but becomes wary when she claims her ex-boyfriend is using invisibility technology to hide himself. However, The Invisible Man himself has yet to be formally cast.

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Source: Deadline, Collider

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