Universal's Dark Universe isn't as dead as initially believed, the studio has hired a new writer/director for The Invisible Man, and that filmmaker is Leigh Whannell.

Best known for writing/producing the first Saw, all four Insidious films, Whannell made his directorial debut with Insidious 3 and helmed last year's bonkers action movie Upgrade for producer Jason Blum. Given his long history with the horror genre, Whannell is the perfect choice to bring to re-start The Dark Universe. In another twist in the tale, Jason Blum will produce The Invisible Man throughBlumhouse Films, and this is a combination that makes The Dark Universe an exciting proposition.

Just in case you've forgotten, The Dark Universe started (and almost ended) with 2017's The Mummy starring Tom Cruise. Keen to kick-start their connected cinematic universe, The Bride of Frankenstein (starring Javier Bardem), and The Invisible Man starring Johnny Depp. Sadly, The Mummy's failed attempt to world build in one incoherent movie didn't yield a strong box office return. All the other films were put on hold; actors were released from contracts, and the Dark Universe went back to the drawing board.

I'm glad The Mummy flopped as if it didn't Universal would have continued down its forced together blockbuster shared world for its monsters. We've had that with Stephen Sommers' Mummy films, Van Helsing, The Wolfman, and Dracula Untold, what Universal's monsters need is a bit of old fashioned horror and less world building. Universal agrees as their President of Production, Peter Cramer, made a statement that confirms a more ' individualized approach'.

“Throughout cinematic history, Universal’s classic monsters have been reinvented through the prism of each new filmmaker who brought these characters to life. We are excited to take a more individualised approach for their return to screen, shepherded by creators who have stories they are passionate to tell with them.”