Leigh Whannell will direct ‘The Invisible Man’ as Jason Blum will produce

Universal’s Dark Universe is getting a new lease on life with news that Blumhouse is set to take over with a new version of The Invisible Man.

Leigh Whannell, who helmed the horror action flick Upgrade, will direct.

Variety broke the news: Jason Blum will produce and Whannell, who wrote scripts for Saw, Dead Silence and Insidious, and made his directorial debut with Insidious: Chapter 3 before making Upgrade, will helm.

“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 have stories they are passionate to tell with them.”

The outlet noted that sources stated “Johnny Depp was previously attached to The Invisible Man, but sources say he will not appear in this film. He may be featured in another one of the monster movie projects in development.”