Per a Deadline exclusive, The Haunting of Hill House star Oliver Jackson-Cohen will be playing the titular Invisible Man in the upcoming movie. The Universal/Blumhouse co-production is a remake of the 1933 film based on an H.G. Wells novel of the same name. The Friday announcement also lays to rest the frightening rumors that Johnny Depp was in talks to take the lead role.
Jackson-Cohen will play Griffin, a scientist who’s optics research leads him to the secret of invisibility, eventually using the discovery on himself. Unfortunately, like many people who find themselves with newfound power, Griffin’s intentions turn out to be malevolent. Coming from the hit 2018 Netflix show, The Haunting of Hill House, where he portrayed the drug-addled brother Luke Crain, it seems like a logical transition. The Invisible Man crew thought so too, apparently. According to Deadline, “the filmmakers were wowed by Jackson-Cohen’s turn as Luke Crain in The Haunting of Hill House.”
Before that role, Jackson-Cohen made appearances in Man in an Orange Shirt, NBC’s Dracula, What’s Your Number? with Anna Faris and Chris Evans and Fasterwith Dwayne Johnson.
With casting complete, Invisible Man is set to begin production later this month in Sydney, Australia. Jackson-Cohen joins the already announced Invisible Man crew including Elisabeth Moss, Storm Reid, Aldis Hodge, and Harriet Dyer. The film is helmed by Saw and Insidious mastermind, Leigh Whannell, who will be writing, directing and executive producing.
Invisible Man is a collaboration between Goalpost Pictures Australia and Blumhouse Productions, in association with Nervous Tick, for Universal Pictures.
