Another classic horror icon gets reinvented...

David S. Goyer, writer of the upcoming Superman reboot Man of Steel, as well as the Blade films and Nolan’s Batman films, is bringing another Universal classic horror film to modern filmgoers. Universal’s 1933 film The Invisible Man – based on the 1897 story by H.G. Wells – starred Claude Rains (Casablanca, The Wolf Man) and Gloria Stuart (Titanic, The Old Dark House) and was directed by James Whale (Frankenstein, Bride of Frankenstein). It followed the tale of a scientist that turns himself invisible, but who slowly goes mad because of it and becomes a murderer.

Goyer, however, is promising something very different, and is citing Guy Ritchie’s Sherlock Holmes as his inspiration for the remake. Says Goyer of the project, “It’s a period film, but it’s period like Downey’s Sherlock Holmes. It’s period but it’s a reinvention of the character in the sort of way that Stephen Sommers exploded The Mummy into a much bigger kind of mythology. That’s kind of what we’ve done with The Invisible Man.”

The Mummy – which was based on Universal’s 1932 film starring the inimitable Boris Karloff as the mummy himself, Imhotep – took what was essentially a reworking of Dracula and turned it into an action-packed blockbuster starring Brendan Fraser and Rachel Weisz, which in turn inspired two sequels, two spin-offs and a short-lived animated series. The film was heavy on the action and humor, much in the style of Indiana Jones. But how does Sherlock Holmes play into all of this? Goyer explains, “The Invisible Man centers on a British nephew of the original Invisible Man. Once he discovers his uncle’s formula for achieving invisibility, he is recruited by British intelligence agency MI5 during WWII.”

He has also used the term “steam punk” when describing the film, which seems to be the norm when doing period action film these days. It sounds like an interesting take on the story, and promises to be entertaining, especially with a writer like Goyer at the helm. And this isn’t the first time that Universal’s monsters have gotten makeovers in recent years. Of course, there’s the aforementioned Imhotep, and then Steven Sommers went on to add a steam punk flair to Dracula, the Wolf Man, Mr. Hyde, and Frankenstein, as well as taking the character of Abraham Van Helsing and turning him into immortal church-sponsored monster fighter Gabriel Van Helsing for his 2004 film Van Helsing. And then there was last year’s The Wolfman starring Benicio del Toro, Anthony Hopkins and Emily Blunt, which was very close in tone to the original – which starred Lon Chaney, Jr. as Larry Talbot/The Wolf Man – but added more gore and gothic overtones.

While I am normally against remakes, I am actually looking forward to seeing what David Goyer will do with the property. He is a talented writer, and the story itself should lend itself well to the style he’s going for. What say you, Shadowlocked readers? Is this a good idea? And should any other Universal monsters get a makeover?

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