The Universal Horror Revival Continues With ‘Wolfman’ Starring Ryan Gosling
After bumbling and stumbling withThe Mummy, Universal seems to finally be back on their feet when it comes to reviving their classic monsters. They had big success with Leigh Whannell’sInvisible Man, and already have several other monster-themed projects in the works. Now a new beastie has joined the lineup:Wolfman.Ryan Goslingis set to play the lycanthrope, and Universal is said to be closing in on a director.
Varietyhas the scoop on theWolfmanreboot, stating the project is being developed as a project for star Ryan Gosling. The studio is said to be close to finalizing a director, too, withThoroughbredsandBad EducationfilmmakerCory Finleyin the running. They also add that for a while there, Gosling was considering directing himself. This would’ve marked Gosling’s first directorial effort since his unjustly maligned 2014 directorial debutLost River. Lots of people seem to hate that movie, but I thought it was excellent, and wish Gosling would direct more. While he might get behind the camera again someday, he won’t be doing it forWolfman.
Plot details are vague, but the report says the film is “believed to be set in present times and in the vein of Jake Gyllenhaal’s thrillerNightcrawler, with an obvious supernatural twist.“Nightcrawlerfollowed a sociopath who makes a name for himself filming accidents and other horrible crimes in Los Angeles, and then selling the videos to the local news. I’m not sure how you work that into aWolfmanstory, but I’ll let the filmmakers figure that out.
Universal’s first crack at the werewolf tale was 1935’sWerewolf of London, about a botanist who is attacked by a strange creature while in Tibet. Spoiler alert: the strange creature is a werewolf, and the botanist finds himself turning into a werewolf as well once he returns home. While this was Universal’s first werewolf movie, the werewolf title they’re most known for is 1941’sThe Wolf Man, starring Lon Chaney Jr. as Larry Talbot, the son of a nobleman who returns home after his brother is killed. One night, Talbot is attacked by a werewolf, and is cursed to become a werewolf himself as a result. Universal followed that up with 1946’sShe-Wolf of London.
The studio attempted to remakeThe Wolf Manonce before, with 2010’sThe Wolf Man, directed by Joe Johnston and starring Benicio del Toro. Despite featuring some great gothic atmosphere and wonderful werewolf make-up by Rick Baker, the film was a bit of a dud and bombed at the box office. Now, Universal will take a stab at the property again.
The newWolfmanhas a script fromOrange Is the New BlackwritersLauren Schuker BlumandRebecca Angelo, and is based on an original pitch by Gosling. It’s just the latest in a growing lineup of new Universal monster movies, including Paul Feig’sDark Army, Dexter Fletcher’sRenfield, Elizabeth Banks’Invisible Woman, Matt Stawski’sThe Monster Mash, and Karyn Kusama’sDracula.
