Ryan Gosling may have been “Kenough ” as Ken opposite Margot Robbie in Barbie, but it’s looking like he was shy of sufficient free time to devote to Blumhouse and Universal Pictures’ next reboot of a Monster IP — The Wolf Man.
The heartthrob has been attached to the new hairy adventure for three years, ever since The Invisible Man made serious bank at theaters. Alas, Gosling is moving aside for Christopher Abbott, a star of Poor Things, a film that is also a new spin on a Universal Monster concept. In that case, it’s a loose reworking of The Bride of Frankenstein.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Abbott steps into the role of “a man whose family is being terrorized by a lethal predator” under the direction of The Invisible Man’s more visible guiding hand, Leigh Whannell, who was tapped to direct the lycanthropic rampage in the first place.
Whannell briefly handed duties over to Gosling collaborator and Blue Valentine filmmaker Derek Cianfrance — though he would have remained aboard the project, regardless, as an executive producer and co-writer. Cianfrance bowed out completely whereas Gosling will at least receive an EP credit.
The script is co-written by Whannell, Corbett Tuck, Lauren Schuker Blum, and Rebecca Angelo (the team behind Dumb Money). All we know about the story so far is contained in that terse logline provided by THR.
It reads as derivative of Predator and Dog Soldiers, but as Whannell and Blumhouse went in a unique direction with The Invisible Man, they could surprise us with Wolf Man.
This is Universal’s second attempt at getting the moon to rise again in this film series. 2010’s The Wolfman boasted an all-star cast and Rick Baker effects, but failed to impress audiences and critics — stymieing the studio’s hopes of reviving their horror properties for another few years.
Wolf Man is fast-tracked for an October 2024 release, which could be a curse on the production. On the night of the full moon when the wolfbane blooms, we will know for sure or not.