James Wan is developing a monster movie for Universal. A filmmaker, screenwriter, and producer, Wan rose to prominence as the co-creator of the Saw franchise. In addition to directing the first installment and co-writing the third, Wan served as a producer on all eight entries in the series. Continuing his mark on the horror genre, Wan directed the first two Conjuring and Insidious films. Branching out to the world of crowd-pleasing blockbusters, Wan helmed Furious 7 and Aquaman. Both movies have grossed over $1 billion at the worldwide box office. Now, following The Invisible Man’s success, both critically and commercially, Wan is venturing into the world of monsters.
Written and directed by Leigh Whannell, a frequent collaborator of Wan’s, The Invisible Man stars Elizabeth Moss as a woman who believes she’s being stalked by her abusive ex-boyfriend. Praised for the performance of Moss, as well as its modernization of a classic tale, The Invisible Man has brought in over $57 million at the box office so far against a budget of $7 million. Considering the rosy reception, Universal has been looking to move away from its plans for an interconnected monster universe into more standalone features. Projects have already been lined up by Paul Feig, Elizabeth Banks, and Dexter Fletcher.
Now, according to THR, Wan is coming on board to produce a monster movie for Universal Pictures. The story will take its cues from the studio’s classic legacy of frightening creatures, albeit through an updated lens. Specifically, the plot will revolve around a group of teens who discover that a neighbor is building a monster in his basement. It only gets worse from there, with the monster escaping. Wan will produce through his Atomic Monster banner.
Described as a horror thriller, and sounding like a blend of Frankenstein and Disturbia, the script will be penned by Robbie Thompson. Thompson has worked on Supernatural, having written pivotal entries such as the show’s 200th episode, and he is currently a writer on the Netflix series Cursed.
There is no telling, of course, if Universal’s standalone initiative will fare any better than the efforts to cultivate a Dark Universe. The key for the features from Wan and others is to authentically update familiar monsters with compelling narratives. It could be that The Invisible Man struck a specific nerve that can’t be readily duplicated, helped out by a very talented lead performer. Given Wan’s track record with horror movies though, he should be able to find the right director to help bring his project to life.
More: Every James Wan Movie Ranked, According To IMDb
Source: THR
