Wolf Man Reboot Gets Official Rating, Building More Excitement in Fans

The upcoming Wolf Man from director Leigh Whannell has earned an official R rating, which marks a promising update for the project. The film scored its rating for “bloody violent content and grisly images,” which seemingly confirms that Whannell won’t be pulling his punches when it comes to intense subject matter. While his The Invisible Man was a hit with both audiences and critics, the nature of the premise leaned more into psychological torment than brutal encounters, but this rating would imply Whannell is honoring the more monstrous components of the character for this new take on the material. Wolf Man is currently set to hit theaters on January 17, 2025.

Wolf Man was previously described, “What if someone you loved became something else? From Blumhouse and visionary writer-director Leigh Whannell, the creators of the chilling modern monster tale The Invisible Man, comes a terrifying new lupine nightmare: Wolf Man. Golden Globe nominee Christopher Abbott (Poor Things, It Comes at Night) stars as Blake, a San Francisco husband and father, who inherits his remote childhood home in rural Oregon after his own father vanishes and is presumed dead. With his marriage to his high-powered wife, Charlotte (Emmy winner Julia Garner; Ozark, Inventing Anna), fraying, Blake persuades Charlotte to take a break from the city and visit the property with their young daughter, Ginger (Matlida Firth; Hullraisers, Coma).

“But as the family approaches the farmhouse in the dead of night, they’re attacked by an unseen animal and, in a desperate escape, barricade themselves inside the home as the creature prowls the perimeter. As the night stretches on, however, Blake begins to behave strangely, transforming into something unrecognizable, and Charlotte will be forced to decide whether the terror within their house is more lethal than the danger without. The film co-stars Sam Jaeger (The Handmaid’s Tale), Ben Prendergast (The Sojourn Audio Drama), and Benedict Hardie (The Invisible Man).”

Horror fans are wary of virtually every reboot or remake of a beloved property, so there’s been some apprehension about this new Wolf Man ever since it was teased back in 2020. At the time, Whannell was announced to be developing the project and Ryan Gosling was set to star, but over the years, Whannell dropped out, then Gosling dropped out, then Whannell returned. At this point, it’s entirely unclear if this new take on the material aligns with Whannell’s original vision for the project or if the movie’s various evolutions have altered the approach dramatically.

The last attempt to revive the titular character came in 2010’s The Wolfman, which starred Guillermo del Toro, Emily Blunt, and Anthony Hopkins. Directed by Joe Johnston, the movie did honor some of the core elements of the original 1941 movie and also delivered some gruesome special effects, though it also relied heavily on CGI to bring sequences to life, with fans ultimately unimpressed by the adventure.

In 2017, Universal Pictures announced it would be launching a “Dark Universe” of reboots focusing on the Universal Monsters, which kicked off with The Mummy. While there were plans in place to follow that Tom Cruise-starring project with new takes on The Invisible Man, Frankenstein’s Monster, Bride of Frankenstein, and Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, the film’s poor critical performance saw that franchise stagnate and ultimately fizzle out completely.

While The Invisible Man helped show audiences that, with the right take on a property, it was entirely possible to put a fresh spin on an iconic character, fans still had their doubts about what this would mean for Wolf Man. After years of reports about the movie, last month at Universal Orlando Resort’s Halloween Horror Nights, a photo opp debuted which initially featured an ominous backdrop of a remote cabin. Shortly after its official opening, a video was posted of a costumed character at the Wolf Man backdrop, which many fans assumed was the new version of the beast. Given that the figure looked less like a werewolf and more like an old hermit, fans on social media were not impressed. The character never appeared at the event again and, when a teaser for the movie was released shortly after, viewers were denied any significant glimpses at the monster.

Despite all the doubts fans might have about the new Wolf Man, knowing it will be fully embracing the horrors of a monster will likely build some good will towards the project.

Wolf Man is set to land in theaters on January 17, 2025.

Are you looking forward to the new movie? Contact Patrick Cavanaugh directly on Twitter or on Instagram to talk all things Star Wars and horror!