Universal Pictures and Blumhouse Productions are going with a proven horror commodity to guide the fate of their Wolfman remake: Leigh Whannell, director of the box office smash The Invisible Man.
Whannell will direct the greatly anticipated remake of the Lon Cheney Jr.-led 1941 horror classic The Wolf Man, as well as write a treatment for the film, according to Deadline.
As previously reported here in Horror News Network, Ryan Gosling was picked to star in the remake, with the names of several potential directors being bandied about. That choice has now been made, and Whannell will try to catch horror lightning in a bottle once again with this movie.
Lauren Schuker Blum and Rebecca Angelo (Orange is the New Black) will work with Whannell’s story treatment and write the screenplay.
Ironically, it was reported that Whannell was offered this plum assignment before, but he nixed the idea. Apparently, something changed, and he’s now on board. And Jason Blum, head honcho at Blumhouse, had just two Twitter words for the future of Wolfman: “Buckle up.”
A previous attempt at a new presentation of the frightening man-into-wolf character did not turn out well. The Wolfman–starring Benicio del Toro and released in 2010–was a critical and box office disaster.
But now, with Whannell leading the charge, the outcome could be very different. Whannell–one of the co-creators of the successful Saw franchise–guided this year’s horror blockbuster The Invisible Man to a $124-million payday at the box office on a budget of just $7 million.
In front of the camera, Gosling will come to the iconic role fresh off his portrayal of astronaut Neil Armstrong in First Man. Gosling’s other recent film credits include La La Land and Blade Runner 2049.
Additional cast members have yet to be announced, and a production schedule is still up in the air, given the continuing COVID-19 crisis.
So, keep reading Horror News Network for all the details sure to come down the pike soon about the Wolfman cast and filming schedule.
