Universal’s attempt to make a cinematic universe out of its old monster characters (the “Dark Universe”) was a disaster, but its post-Mummy plans are starting to look distressingly ridiculous. We’ve already got Paul Feig making a movie that sounds a lot like a self-contained Dark Universe and Elisabeth Moss starring in a new take on The Invisible Man from Blumhouse, but now Universal is also making a separate new take on The Invisible Man with Elizabeth Banks called The Invisible Woman. This comes from Entertainment Weekly, which sounds just as confused as we are, explaining that this Invisible Woman apparently came from an original idea pitched by Banks herself and will not involve Blumhouse at all.
So, let’s break it down: Universal and Blumhouse are releasing The Invisible Man, which is being directed by Leigh Whannell and stars Elisabeth Moss (Elisabeth with an S). Universal is also releasing The Invisible Woman, which is being directed by Elizabeth Banks (Elizabeth with a Z, who will also star). The two movies are unrelated, beyond the similar titles, the similar names of the stars, and the similar concept of a person becoming invisible. Basically, it’s multiple movies that are the same but totally different, which is sort of the exact opposite of a cinematic universe (where multiple different movies come together to tell the same story).
Seriously, it’s bizarre. Elizabeth and Elisabeth!