After the original approach to the Dark Universe collapsed following the poor performance of The Mummy, Universal Pictures decided that future movies starring its infamous monsters would be standalone stories rather than exist as part of an interconnected narrative. As a result, while The Invisible Man was originally supposed to star Johnny Depp as the eponymous character, the project was heavily retooled, with Saw co-creator Leigh Whannell being tapped to write and direct.
Fast-forward to today, The Invisible Man is finally out and has earned a lot of positive reactions. We’ll have to wait and see how it does at the box office this weekend, but given how it’s been received, it wouldn’t be illogical to assume that sequel discussions are already taking place. Here’s what Leigh Whannell had to say about if an Invisible Man 2 could happen during his recent appearance on the ReelBlend podcast:
Maybe. I’m so superstitious about movies that I block out any thoughts of the sequel. I figure the time I’m allowed to think about sequels or any continuation of the story is after the original film’s come out and the world at large has decided what they make of it. Because I feel like there’d be nothing more deflating than planning a sequel in your mind, only for the original film to belly flop. And then all of sudden you’re like ‘Well there goes all those plans.’ So I try to block it out, squash it down, never think of it. You’ll have to ask me that one in a few month’s time.
I can’t blame Leigh Whannell for feeling superstitious. Too often there have been times where a movie lays the groundwork for a sequel, but it ends up underperforming and the studio decides not to move forward with a follow-up. This happens quite a bit on TV too, with both brand-new and veteran shows ending their seasons on cliffhangers, only for the network to cancel them.
So instead, Leigh Whannell set aside any thoughts of an Invisible Man sequel while making The Invisible Man, and it sounds like he’ll keep doing so while it’s playing on the big screen. As indicated by his last comment, someone will need to check in with him after The Invisible Man finishes its theatrical run to see what he thinks about the prospects of Invisible Man 2.
You can listen to ReelBlend’s full interview with Leigh Whannell about The Invisible Man and other topics below.
It is worth noting that while there’s no word on an Invisible Man sequel just yet, Universal does have a separate Invisible project in the works. It was reported last November that Elizabeth Banks will direct, produce and star in The Invisible Woman, which will be based on her own original story pitch. The tone of this new version of The Invisible Woman has been reportedly described as “Thelma & Louise meets American Psycho.”
The Invisible Man stars Elisabeth Moss as Cecilia Kass, who manages to escape an abusive relationship with Oliver Jackson-Cohen’s Adrian Griffin, only to inherit his fortune after he commits suicide. However, Cecilia soon suspects that not only did Adrian fake his death, but that she’s being stalked by someone nobody can see. The cast also includes Ardis Hodge, Storm Reid, Harriet Dyer and Michael Dorman, among others.
Be sure to read CinemaBlend’s review of The Invisible Man and stay tuned for any news about if a sequel will get the green light. In the meantime, browse through our 2020 release schedule to figure out what you plan to see in theaters later this year.
