Oliver Jackson-Cohen
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Universal Pictures and Blumhouse have found their ‘Invisible Man’ in Oliver Jackson-Cohen, who played the sensitive-but-damaged Luke Crain on Netflix’s hit miniseries ‘The Haunting of Hill House’.  In fact, it is said that it was his performance in that series that impressed the makers of ‘The Invisible Man’.  Leigh Whannell wrote the screenplay and will direct and executive produce this update of the 1933 black and white classic, which was based on the novel of the same name by H.G. Wells.  This is step one of a planned ‘Monster Legacy’ series of films, in which low-budget horror masters Blumhouse will reinterpret Universal’s rich horror catalog for modern audiences.

Jackson-Cohen joins a cast that already includes Elisabeth Moss, Storm Reid, Aldis Hodge, and Harriet Dyer.  The picture is to begin filming this month in Australia.

‘The Invisible Man’ follows Cecilia (Moss), who receives the news of her abusive ex-boyfriend’s suicide. She begins to re-build her life for the better, but her sense of reality is put into question when she begins to suspect her deceased lover is not actually dead.

Jackson-Cohen will play this mysterious boyfriend, whose name is believed to be Adrian Griffin, who is described as “a billionaire sociopath who made his money by developing an invisibility suit for the Department of Defense.”  It isn’t quite clear how the other actors fit into the story, but it is known that Hodge is playing the father of Reid’s character.  It sounds as though perhaps Cecilia (Moss) begins dating Hodge’s character after she believes Griffin is dead.

Prior to ‘The Haunting of Hill House’, Jackson-Cohen starred in the two-part drama ‘Man in the Orange Shirt’, NBC’s ‘Wizard of Oz’-based ‘Emerald City’, and another supernatural NBC miniseries ‘Dracula’.  He also played Prince William in the miniseries ‘Will & Kate: Before Happily Ever After’.

It had previously been reported that Universal hoped to cast either Armie Hammer Or Alexander Skarsgård in ‘The Invisible Man’.  Jackson-Cohen might not be as well-known, but he does sort of have the same “look”… y’know ridiculously handsome.  Too bad he’ll be invisible through most of the film.

‘The Invisible Man’ is scheduled to open on March 13, 2020.

 

Source: Deadline