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Wolf Man (2025 film)

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Wolf Man
Directed byLeigh Whannell
Screenplay by
  • Leigh Whannell
  • Corbett Tuck
  • Lauren Schuker Blum
  • Rebecca Angelo
Based onThe Wolf Man
by Curt Siodmak
Produced byJason Blum
Starring
CinematographyStefan Duscio
Production
companies
Distributed byUniversal Pictures
Release date
  • January 17, 2025 (2025-01-17)
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

Wolf Man is an upcoming American supernatural horror film directed by Leigh Whannell from a screenplay by the writing teams of Whannell and Corbett Tuck, and Lauren Schuker Blum and Rebecca Angelo. It is a reboot of the 1941 film The Wolf Man. The film stars Christopher Abbott and Julia Garner. Jason Blum serves as a producer through his Blumhouse Productions banner, alongside Motel Movies.

The film is set to be released by Universal Pictures on January 17, 2025.

Premise

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A man seeks to protect himself and his family from a dangerous werewolf at night during a full moon.[1]

Cast

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Production

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In July 2014, Universal Pictures announced its plan to reboot its "Classic Monsters" franchise, a series of horror films produced from the 1930s to the 1950s, and its properties as part of a shared universe dubbed the Dark Universe.[2][3] In November 2014, Aaron Guzikowski was confirmed to be writing the reboot of Universal's The Wolf Man (1941), featuring the character of the same name.[4][5] In June 2016, Deadline Hollywood reported on rumors that Universal wanted to cast Dwayne Johnson in the title role.[6] By October, development on the film began moving forward, and David Callaham was hired to rewrite the screenplay.[7] In 2017, The Mummy was released as the first film in the Dark Universe; its launch was both a critical and commercial failure, and resulted in Universal deciding to shift its focus on individual storytelling and move away from the shared universe concept with the cancelation of The Wolf Man and other films in development.[8]

Reporter Justin Kroll said the critical and commercial success of Leigh Whannell's The Invisible Man for Universal "scrap[ped] the universe concept" and loosened restrictions for the talent in front and behind the camera, allowing them to decide how they wanted to execute their films in terms of budget and MPAA rating and invite "big name talent" to pitch their ideas.[9] By early 2020, Universal had been hearing project ideas for a year and a half from filmmakers seeking to develop other characters in the franchise. These meetings included Ryan Gosling's pitch to remake The Wolf Man and star in it, with Lauren Schuker Blum and Rebecca Angelo writing a screenplay described as tonally similar to Nightcrawler (2014). Several filmmakers were considered to direct, including Cory Finley, whose film Thoroughbreds (2017) was reportedly well liked by Universal,[9] and Whannell, who was advised by The Invisible Man producer Jason Blum to reconsider after initially declining. (In February 2020, Whanell had mentioned his interest in making a werewolf film during a press interview for The Invisible Man.)[10] In July, Whannell entered negotiations to write a film treatment and direct.[11] After Whannell left the project due to scheduling conflicts, Derek Cianfrance entered negotiations to write and direct in October 2021, having previously directed Gosling in Blue Valentine (2010) and The Place Beyond the Pines (2012).[12]

In December 2023, Cianfrance and Gosling were reported to have exited the project, with Whannell taking over the directing duties, along with the screenplay alongside Corbett Tuck, Schuker Blum, and Angelo. Gosling, who retained an executive producer credit, was replaced by Christopher Abbott in the lead role.[1] In 2024, Julia Garner, Sam Jaeger, and Matilda Firth joined the cast.[13][14][15] Principal photography began on March 17, 2024, in Mangaroa, Upper Hutt, New Zealand, with Stefan Duscio as cinematographer.[16][17]

Release

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Wolf Man is scheduled to be released in the United States on January 17, 2025.[18] It was previously scheduled to be released on October 25, 2024.[1]

References

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  1. ^ a b c Kit, Borys (December 13, 2023). "Christopher Abbott Replacing Ryan Gosling to Star in Wolf Man for Blumhouse, Universal (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on December 13, 2023. Retrieved December 13, 2023.
  2. ^ Hoberman, J. (October 24, 2014). "Invasion of the Horror Franchises". The New York Times. Archived from the original on October 28, 2021. Retrieved October 28, 2021.
  3. ^ Fleming, Mike Jr. (July 16, 2014). "Universal Taps Alex Kurtzman, Chris Morgan To Relaunch Classic Movie Monster Franchises". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on October 28, 2021. Retrieved October 28, 2021.
  4. ^ Fleming, Mike Jr. (November 12, 2014). "Will Justin Lin Rev Fast & Furious Finale?". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on October 28, 2021. Retrieved October 28, 2021.
  5. ^ Fleming, Mike Jr. (November 12, 2014). "Sony Confirms Dark Matter; Universal Confirms Aaron Guzikowski To Write Wolfman". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on October 26, 2021. Retrieved October 28, 2021.
  6. ^ Fleming, Mike Jr. (June 22, 2016). "Dwayne Johnson Sets Jay Longino Graphic Novel Son Of Shaolin At Sony". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on October 28, 2021. Retrieved October 28, 2021.
  7. ^ Ford, Rebecca (October 13, 2016). "Universal Taps The Expendables Writer to Pen The Wolf Man (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on October 28, 2021. Retrieved October 28, 2021.
  8. ^ Kit, Borys; Couch, Aaron (November 8, 2017). "Universal's Monsterverse in Peril as Top Producers Exit (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on October 28, 2021. Retrieved October 28, 2021.
  9. ^ a b Kroll, Justin (May 29, 2020). "Ryan Gosling's Wolfman Gears Up at Universal as Director Decision Nears (Exclusive)". Variety. Archived from the original on October 26, 2021. Retrieved October 27, 2021.
  10. ^ O'Connor, Anthony (February 22, 2020). "Leigh Whannell: The Invisible Man interview". FilmInk. Retrieved July 20, 2024. Event occurs at 8:05.
  11. ^ Fleming, Mike Jr. (July 8, 2021). "Ryan Gosling's Wolfman Howling At Universal As Director Leigh Whannell & Blumhouse Join The Pack". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on October 26, 2021. Retrieved October 27, 2021.
  12. ^ Kroll, Justin (October 26, 2021). "Ryan Gosling And Universal's Wolfman Sets Derek Cianfrance As Director". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on October 26, 2021. Retrieved October 27, 2021.
  13. ^ D'Alessandro, Anthony (January 5, 2024). "Julia Garner To Star In Blumhouse & Universal's Wolf Man". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved January 5, 2024.
  14. ^ D'Alessandro, Anthony (March 27, 2024). "Blumhouse's Wolf Man Adds The Handmaid's Tale's Sam Jaeger". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved March 27, 2024.
  15. ^ D'Alessandro, Anthony (April 18, 2024). "Blumhouse & Universal's Wolf Man Adds Matilda Firth". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved April 18, 2024.
  16. ^ D'Alessandro, Anthony (March 27, 2024). "Blumhouse's Wolf Man Adds The Handmaid's Tale's Sam Jaeger". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved March 27, 2024.
  17. ^ Jason Blum [@jason_blum] (March 17, 2024). "Day one on the set of Wolf Man. Director Leigh Whannell pictured here. LFG!!! 📸: Nicola Dove/Universal Pictures and @blumhouse" (Tweet). Archived from the original on March 18, 2024. Retrieved March 18, 2024 – via Twitter.
  18. ^ D'Alessandro, Anthony (March 29, 2024). "Blumhouse's Wolf Man Runs From Fall To MLK Weekend 2025; The Woman In The Yard Unset For Now". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved March 29, 2024.
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