Following the collapse of the Dark Universe, i.e. the shared continuity that would have had the Universal Monsters mingling in the same continuity launched by 2017’s The Mummy, the film studio has reverted to a standalone approach with adapting these classic characters. This included Blumhouse handling 2020’s The Invisible Man, which CinemaBlend stamped with 4.5 out of 5 stars, and the production company has also been set to put its stamp on the Wolfman for years now. Well, that movie is finally moving forward, but rather than starring Ryan Gosling as was originally planned, a new actor has been brought in to play the lead.
Christopher Abbott, who’s most recently been seen starring opposite Emma Stone and Mark Ruffalo in the 2023 movie release Poor Things, will star in the officially-titled Wolf Man, which will be directed by Leigh Whannell, the same filmmaker behind The Invisible Man. Abbott’s other major credits include Girls, Catch-22, The Crowded Room, First Man and The Forgiven, and Wolf Man is now one of two movies on the 2024 release schedule he’ll star in, as he’s also playing The Foreigner in Kraven the Hunter.
It is important to note, though, that Abbott will not be playing Wolf Man’s title character. Rather, Blumhouse revealed that the actor is instead playing “a man whose family is being terrorized by a lethal predator.” Abbott is the only actor who was mentioned in Blumhouse’s official announcement about Wolf Man, but behind the scenes, along with directing, Whannell penned the script with Corbett Tuck, and Lauren Schuker Blum and Rebecca Angelo are also listed as writers. Gosling will also remain involved on the project as an executive producer alongside Whannell, Ken Kao, Bea Sequeira and Mel Turner.
More to come…