Johnny Depp to play The Invisible Man

Johnny Depp is set to play The Invisible Man in a new Universal Pictures movie.

Depp has reportedly signed up to star in the sci-fi thriller - which has been adapted from H.G. Wells' 1897 novel - as scientist Griffin who discovers a formula that means he cannot be seen by other people but results in him going insane.

The 52-year-old actor's character - who famously wears a wide-brimmed hat - eventually can only be seen by others by wrapping himself in bandages.

In the book, Griffin arrives in an English village and takes up lodgings at a local inn, only venturing out at night, but he eventually runs out of money to pay his board and is suspected of committing a burglary and ordered to leave.

Griffin flees and coerces a tramp called Thomas Marvel to become his assistant, but the pair fall out and Marvel reports him to the police, which sparks a manhunt for the invisible man.

A writer and director are yet to be appointed to the movie but Alex Kurtzman and Chris Morgan are producing the film.

Kurtzman is first working on another film for Universal, 'The Mummy', which stars Tom Cruise and is scheduled to be released on June 9, 2017.

Meanwhile, Depp can next be seen in 'Alice in Wonderland: Through the Looking Glass' in which he is reprising his role as the Mad Hatter and he will spend most of the year shooting scenes as Captain Jack Sparrow for 'Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales'.