Universal has given fans their first look at Leigh Whannell’s upcoming Wolf Man, but not through an officially released publicity photo, a poster, or a trailer, but instead, as a character to meet at Universal Studios Halloween Horror Nights. Following the box office and critical disaster of The Mummy, meant to be the first film in Universal’s “Dark Universe” franchise, the studio approached Blumhouse Pictures to revive The Invisible Man with director Leigh Whannell at the helm. The movie was a hit, and now Universal Pictures is hoping to have similar success as Whannell and Blumhouse are rebooting The Wolfman, now titled Wolf Man, with Christopher Abbott in the lead role.
Wolf Man has certainly gotten off to a rough start, as the first look at the creature has generated less enthusiastic responses than the studio likely hoped for. X user HHNSpeculationMatt posted a video from his visit to Universal Studios Halloween Horror Nights in Orlando, Florida, that showcases the first look at the design for the new Wolf Man. It’s a drastic departure from the classic 1941 design in The Wolfman, which was recreated in the 2010 remake. It also does not resemble the more wolf-like designs in Universal’s own Van Helsing or American Werewolf in London.
Reactions to the design have been incredibly divisive. Reyna Cervantes, co-host of the horror podcast Rotten FM and who has written for Fangoria and Bloody Disgusting, said, “Oh yeah, that’s definitely a January release.”ScarahScrewdriveR-Sawyer said “This would be what Blumhouse thinks a werewolf should look like lol.” Browse Horror said, “I see people in Walmart that look more like Wolfman than this.” Many of the commenters are disappointed with the fact that the creature doesn’t seem to resemble a wolf.
While it was difficult to find many people who are on board with the change, some have pointed out that it isn’t fair to judge a movie or a design based on a rubber mask meant for a theme park performer. Richard Newby, writer for The Hollywood Reporter and Fangoria, said “Folks losing their s–t over something that’s out of context, not screen accurate, and shot in broad daylight on an iPhone is wild.” Screenwriter Zack Stentz has faith in director Leigh Whannell, saying, “Sure Leigh Whannell made a wonderfully smart and classy Invisible Man movie, but there’s a dude at Universal Studios wearing a silly costume, so let’s pre-emptively s–t on his Wolf Man movie.”
Where is the Wolf, Man?
This reboot of Wolf Man has had an exciting road to the big screen. The 2010 remake, The Wolfman, was the result of a troubled production that was delayed for nearly two years as significant changes behind the scenes resulted in an inflated budget that made the movie a box office bomb. As one of the iconic Universal Monsters, it was only natural for the studio to try and revive the franchise once again. During the brief Dark Universe era, Universal originally wanted Dwayne Johnson to play the Wolfman. At one point, Ryan Gosling was set to follow up his Academy Award-nominated performance as Ken from Barbie in Wolf Man with his Blue Valentine director Derek Cianfrance at the helm, suggesting a very different type of horror movie. Yet those plans were scrapped at the last minute, with Whannell taking over as director and Christopher Abbott replacing Gosling in the lead role.
Whannell drastically reimagined The Invisible Man, changing the character from a scientist who becomes invisible by ingesting a potion, to an abusive spouse who uses a high-tech suit to make himself invisible, and that worked out so well that he has earned the benefit of the doubt for Wolf Man. The movie could be good, but the design choice is perplexing. While vampire, zombie, and ghost movies are a dime a dozen, werewolf movies have become rarer. The Wolfman is synonymous with the werewolf in the minds of so many people, so the idea that the creature lacks the design elements of a wolf – from a snout to digitigrade legs or even eschewing Jack Pierce’s iconic design for 1941’s The Wolf Man – can’t help but feel a little disappointing. If not for the name Wolf Man, most people might see this design and not think it is a werewolf, but assume it is a goblin, troll, or vampire. While the design choice is disappointing, hopefully it looks better in the final movie, and at the end of the day, what matters is that the movie itself is good.
Wolf Man
opens in theaters on January 17, 2025.