Ryan Gosling Is Universal’s New Wolfman
Hey girl, I’m a werewolf now.
Yes, that’s right: Ryan Gosling is the new, extremely hairy face of The Wolfman franchise. The venerable series franchise, long a cornerstone of the Universal Monsters brand, will be rebooted with Gosling in the leading role. He also reportedly pitched the idea for this new take, which will be a modern version of the character. (The most recent Wolfman prior to this one, which starred Benicio Del Toro as the title character, was a period piece.)
When this project was first rumored, Leigh Whannell — who already had great creative and financial success revamping an old Universal monster with The Invisible Man last year — was involved as director. Now, according to Deadline, Derek Cianfrance will direct the project. He and Gosling previously partnered on films like Blue Valentine and The Place Beyond the Pines.
As for the premise, here’s what they have to say...
It’s unknown what the new take on Wolfman will look like, though it is believed to be a modern take and not a period piece like the one starring Benicio del Toro. Gosling pitched the idea and the take fell in line with the studio’s new vision for its monster movies. Universal had originally planned on creating an interconnected universe with its vast catalog of monster IP. However, the studio reassessed after The Mummy with Tom Cruise misfired, and decided to move forward with filmmaker-driven projects based on the monsters’ legacies, focusing on what made the characters endure over time.
Truth be told, Leigh Whannell’s ˆWolfman does sound more interesting than Cianfrance’s. But Gosling is clearly invested in his take on the material. Let’s see what he does with it. (At press time, ScreenCrush was unable to verify whether or not this version of the Wolfman has nards.)