Ryan Gosling is set to headline a reboot of Wolfman, as part of Universal’s broader plan to re-imagine its monster universe with new versions of its classic cinematic creatures.
As reported by Variety, Universal executives have already made the decision to cast Ryan Gosling as the star of Wolfman, but a director is yet to be named by the film studio.
When released, the latest version would be the fourth from Universal, with 1935’s Werewolf of London as the first, then followed by 1941’s The Wolf Man starring Lon Chaney Jr, and more recently, 2010’s The Wolfman with Oscar winner Benicio del Toro.
Injecting new life to classic monster tales
Universal has a treasure trove of beloved monsters and creatures from classic movies that could still attract new generations of moviegoers.
Some of the most popular characters include Count Dracula, the Frankenstein monster, the Mummy, and the Creature from the Black Lagoon, just to name a few.
Of course, the trick is in how to reboot these iconic tales in the present, while injecting some freshness and cleverness into the proceedings.
Many movie critics agree that Universal actually did a pretty good job with The Invisible Man released earlier this year.
Starring Elisabeth Moss of The Handmaid’s Tale fame, the film effectively re-imagined H. G. Wells’s 1897 novel into a modern-day stalker story.
Released last February, the thriller has since earned more than US$126 million[AU$189 milllion] worldwide, against a budget of only $7 million.
Obviously, Universal is looking to replicate The Invisible Man’s success. Not that it hasn’t tried before in recent years. 2017’s The Mummy was supposed to relaunch the studio’s monster universe, but the Tom Cruise film was a box office flop.
Will Wolfman fare better?
The ingredients for success are certainly there. Gosling is an actor that can effectively translate dramatic turns into blockbuster hits.
Recent movies like La La Land and First Man are proof that the Canadian actor can both please mainstream audiences and movie critics alike.
In Wolfman, he will face that challenge again, and many will no doubt want to see if the actor can pull it off.
What to expect from the latest version
Per Variety, Gosling’s Wolfman will likely be set in the present times, but still should explore the beast-within-the-man themes prevalent in the three previous versions.
The screenplay will reportedly be written by Lauren Schuker Blum and Rebecca Angelo, both of whom handled scriptwriting duties for the hit Netflix prison dramedy Orange is the New Black.
As mentioned earlier, no director has been chosen yet, but as noted by Variety, Cory Finley is said to be in the running for the job.
Finley recently directed Thoroughbreds (2017) and Bad Education (2019), two dark comedies that have met plenty of critical acclaims.
Featured image courtesy of Viergacht/Pixabay