Ryan Gosling Wolfman Reboot Lands New Director

Last summer came the news that fresh off the success of the reboot of The Invisible Man, Blumhouse was developing a new take on The Wolfman with Ryan Gosling starring and Leigh Whannell directing. Now comes word that Whannell, who developed and found great success with 2020’s Invisible Man, has departed the project and that Gosling has enlisted a frequent collaborator to step in instead with Derek Cianfrance now set to write and direct. This film would mark the third collaboration between Gosling and Cianfrance, who previously worked together on huge bummer dramas, The Place Beyond the Pines and Blue Valentine. 

“Horror movies were my first love – my entry into what cinema was capable of narratively, psychologically and aesthetically,” Cianfrance said in a statement to Deadline. “Coupled with the opportunity to collaborate with Ryan again, this is truly a dream come true. I’m thrilled and inspired to work with the good folks at Blumhouse and Universal to bring this monster back to life in our collective unconscious.” Should the tone Gosling and Cianfrance’s previous movies influence this new Wolfman, get ready for a bad time!

It was previously reported that this reboot of the property that began with the 1941 film starring Lon Chaney Jr. would be set in the modern day and not be a period piece (ala the 2010 The Wolfman movie). Lauren Schuker Blum and Rebecca Angelo of Orange is the New Black previously penned the script which reportedly took its cues from the Jake Gyllenhaal starring thriller Nightcrawler. Whannell reportedly departed the project after a scheduling conflict. That said, there’s perhaps potential for him to take on a different monster as Jason Blum has recently confirmed they’re working on even more.

“We have two or three we’re developing. They’re not yet announced, so I can’t talk about them,” Blum told Collider during a recent interview. “But the status with Universal monsters is no different than it’s ever been. Universal is in charge of the Universal monsters. But we’ve come up with a few ideas that they’ve like for a few of their other ones. And hopefully, we’ll turn those into movies.”

Universal Pictures’ last reboot of The Wolfman came in 2010 with Benicio del Toro in the titular role. When the studio’s “Dark Universe” was being put together years later another version was considered with rumors pointing toward Dwayne Johnson as being attached to play the monster.