So long, Dark Universe, we barely knew ye. Universal is shifting gears on their legacy monster movies, starting with The Invisible Man . Diversity reports that Upgrade writer-directorLeigh Whannell has signed on to directly anInvisible Man movie for Universal, re-teaming withUpgradeand InsidiousproducerJason Blum, who will produce through his Blumhouse Productions banner.

The new strategy is a large shift for the studio, turning away from the star-studded shared universe that was the short-lived Nighttime Universe in favor of " bringing artistic directors with distinctive visions to the archetype characters." After years of evolution, Universal launched their shared Monster universe with The Mummy after casting a series of mega-stars as the iconic characters, but when theTom Cruise-ledMummy update disappointed at the box function, the studio was forced to reevaluate their arroyo to the franchise.

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Image via Universal Pictures

Per the written report, Universal has shelved the idea of an interconnected universe, just they're still high on the monster legacy and are now leaning into filmmaker-driven projects that will let directors to bring their ain unique spin to the characters without being beholden to an interconnected franchise. Variety notes "the titles will be rooted in horror, with no restrictions on budget, tone, or rating," and filmmakers are open to take some liberties with origin stories and interpretation to update the material for modern audiences.

"Throughout cinematic history, Universal's classic monsters have been reinvented through the prism of each new filmmaker who brought these characters to life," said Peter Cramer, Universal's president of production. "We are excited to take a more individualized approach for their return to screen, shepherded by creators who take stories they are passionate to tell with them."

Johnny Deppwas previously fastened to star inThe Invisible Human being, but word is he volition no longer be a part of the revamped project. All the same, he and previously attached talent have the option to return for monster projects if they chose to do then. The other would-be Nighttime Universe stars includeJavier Bardem (Frankenstein), andRussell Crowe (Jekyll and Hyde).

Whannell may exist the first filmmaker to sign on for the newly imagined monster franchise, but the report notes that Universal has met with a number of prominent directors for monster projects and those pitches are also coming together and then Whannell's hiring doesn't mean thatThe Invisible Homo will caput into production showtime.

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Epitome via Blumhouse

The Invisible Man is the adjacent in many projects Whannell and Blum have worked on together, starting with the starting timeInsidious film, which Whannell wrote and co-starred in. Whannell has stayed on board theInsidiousfranchise as a writer and actor for all four films and made his directorial debut with Insidious: Chapter 3 . Blum and Whannell teamed again for terminal year'due south excellent action/sci-fi/horror hybridUpgrade.

This is phenomenal news for fans of the classic monsters. Await, I was actually all aboard the goofy idea of making an MCU with monsters for superheroes, only The Mummy just wasn't it and always since the Night Universe fumbled at the starting line, I've been praying that Universal would squad with Blumhouse to revamp the universe. Sometimes dreams actually do come true. And coming off upward the pure please and adrenaline rush that was Upgrade, I'd be thrilled to see whatever Whannell did next, but this is a next-level exciting project for the filmmaker. From superlative to tail, this is just good news.

What exercise you guys think? Who would y'all like to come across in the pb role if Depp'due south out? (Personally, I'd love to run across Whannell re-team with Logan Marshall-Dark-green after his powerhouse functioning in Upgrade.) What other projects practice you lot hope to see out of Universal's revamped monster strategy? Audio off in the comments and for more on the saga of the Dark Universe, check out the links below.

  • Alex Kurtzman Talks "Painful" 'The Mummy' Feel; Confirms He's No Longer Involved in Dark Universe

  • Guillermo del Toro Says He Was Offered the Reins to the Nighttime UniverseUniversal's Dark Universe May Be Dead; Producers Alex Kurtzman & Chris Morgan Depart

  • 'Helpmate of Frankenstein' Heads Back to the Drawing Board equally Release Date Pulled

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Haleigh Foutch (3317 Articles Published)

Haleigh Foutch is a writer, editor, host, player, and cat enthusiast based in Los Angeles. Former Managing Editor of Collider, she is currently an editor at The Wrap. She likewise co-created The Witching Hr podcast, appeared in Shudder'due south docuseries Behind the Monsters, and has written for Rotten Tomatoes, Complex, Birth.Movies.Death., and more. You can commonly discover her sharing Buffy the Vampire Slayer memes on Instagram, rehearsing the Five Movements from The OA, and asking people about their pets.

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