Is Invisible Man 2 Happening, Or Has The Franchise Potential Disappeared?
Has it really only been three years since Leigh Whannell's "The Invisible Man" came out? The "Saw" and "Insidious" writer's 2020 reboot was the first of its kind after Universal's infamous putting of the cart before the horse with the Dark Universe (although we did get a hilariously incomplete trailer featuring Tom Cruise screaming on a plane for our troubles). Abandoning the shared universe concept, Whannell's "Invisible Man" re-imagines its source material — both the original 1897 H.G. Wells novel and Universal's 1933 film adaptation — as an incredibly timely story about domestic abuse, gaslighting, and tech-powered violence. The result is a taut sci-fi horror/thriller that boasts some remarkable low-budget filmmaking (as well as one of the most shocking kills put to screen in recent memory).
Despite hitting theaters right before the global COVID-19 lockdowns, "The Invisible Man" managed to gross nearly 20 times its $7 million budget. It was exactly the sort of hit that producer Jason Blum has used as the launchpad for a successful horror franchise many a time in the past. There was just one problem. Well, two, really. The first was, you know, that whole pandemic thing, which Hollywood is still recovering from. The other and much bigger problem in a creative sense is that "The Invisible Man" is a firmly standalone film. And by that, I mean (spoiler for a three-year-old film ahead) it ends with the titular "man" dying in no uncertain terms after getting a taste of his own medicine from his much-abused girlfriend, played by Elisabeth Moss.
Contrary to its title, the upcoming "Invisible Woman" isn't a sequel centered on Moss, but a separate film entirely. Does that mean the "Invisible Man" franchise's potential has (here it comes) ... vanished?
Why hasn't The Invisible Man 2 happened yet?
Far from ending on a moment of pure triumph, the final scene in "The Invisible Man" is meant to be challenging and unsettling. The film itself could easily come to function as a villain origin story for Moss' character, as the actor has noted in past interviews. "There is obviously an ending that allows for that, but at the same time, you can't think about that. We just want people to enjoy this," she told Entertainment Tonight in February 2020. As for Whannell, his previous success with horror franchises hasn't made him any less jumpy about getting ahead of himself. As he told the outlet:
"I'm so superstitious about the success of a film. I don't want to jinx it by talking about sequels. I feel like there's movie gods looking over us and I'll anger them if I start talking about the sequel. After the movie's come out and a little bit of time has passed, maybe I'll think about that."
Since then, Whannell has kept his head down while shifting his attention to other projects, including a remake of Universal's "The Wolfman" (which he left in 2021) and a "Green Hornet" film reboot. There's also been chatter of him developing "The Invisible Man 2" on the side, but nothing more than that. Because his original movie works so well on its own, there's not a whole lot of artistic incentive for him and Moss to move forward with a sequel either — not unless they really believe they've got a killer idea locked down. And the way he keeps turning his attention elsewhere, you get the feeling this is one sandbox Whannell would be perfectly content never to return to again, unlike "Saw" and "Insidious."
Everything the Invisible Man cast and crew have said about Invisible Man 2
One factor that might work in favor of "The Invisible Man 2" is Whannell's frequent collaborator James Wan. Following last year's announcement that the director's Atomic Monster production company would be teaming up with Blumhouse going forward, they've been looking for more projects to develop. So far, that's mostly involved original films like "M3GAN" or properties that have never been adapted for the silver screen before, like "Dead by Daylight." Speaking to The Hollywood Reporter near the end of 2022, Blum also teased that Wan may "help me solve that problem" where it concerns a potential "Invisible Man" sequel, to which Wan replied, "I'd be more than happy to."
Moss echoed that sentiment about "The Invisible Man 2" when interviewed by ComicBook.com in April 2022. In her own words:
"I can't really say much, but it's definitely not — it's not necessarily in the rearview at all, but I do think that we have, with any sequel, you obviously want to make sure that you are doing the original justice. And so none of us involved have any intention of just cracking out another thing and throwing it up and just seeing what happens. We really want it to be as good, if not better, than the first one. Did I actually answer the question at all? It's not in the rearview. How's that?"
So there you have it. Nobody who was involved in making "The Invisible Man" wants to completely shut the door on a sequel, but they're also thankfully disinclined to commit to anything without a compelling reason to do so (besides, obviously, moola). Best to stay on your toes just in case, though. You just never know who or what might be lurking out of sight...