The Invisible Man taps Hill House's Oliver Jackson-Cohen for title role

07/12/2019

They say good actors tend to disappear into their roles. For The Haunting of Hill House star Oliver Jackson-Cohen, this is a bit more literal.

Jackson-Cohen, who starred as the troubled Luke Crain in the Netflix horror anthology, will take on the titular character of The Invisible Man for Universal and Blumhouse. Johnny Depp was once cast in the role back when the Dark Universe of movies were initially announced to branch off from Tom Cruise’s The Mummy.

In this reconfigured slate of monster movies, said to focus more on independent stories than worrying about a shared universe, The Invisible Man will begin filming this month in Sydney, Australia. The cast includes Elisabeth Moss (The Handmaid’s Tale), Aldis Hodge (City on a Hill), Harriet Dyer (The InBetween), and Storm Reid (A Wrinkle in Time).

Leigh Whannell (Upgrade) writes, directs, and executive produces the film.

“Throughout cinematic history Universal’s classic monsters have been reinvented through the prism of each new filmmaker that brings these characters to life,” Peter Cramer, Universal’s President of Production, said in a previous statement. “We are excited to take a more managed approach for their return to screen, shepherded by creators who have stories they are passionate to tell with them.”

When it comes to spooky stories, Jackson-Cohen previously starred in the Edgar Allen Poe film The Raven as John Cantrell and in NBC’s Dracula series as Jonathan Harker.

Victoria Pedretti, his on-screen sister in The Haunting of Hill House, will return to star in the follow-up season, The Haunting of Bly Manor. It’s unclear at this point if Jackson-Cohen will return.

The Invisible Man is scheduled for theaters on Friday, March 13, 2020.

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