The Batman Composer to Direct Marvel's Werewolf By Night Halloween Special

By Timothy Adams

Oscar-winning composer Michael Giacchino (The Batman) is stepping into the directorial chair for Marvel's Halloween special centered on Werewolf by Night. The one-hour special stars Gael Garcia Bernal and Laura Donnelly, with reports listing Gael Garcia Bernal as portraying the werewolf protagonist, and Laura Donnelly playing Vampire by Night. While Werewolf by Night is set to be the main character of the project, there's a belief that its final title will go by a different name than the Marvel comic that originally debuted in the '70s. Jack Russell was the first character to become Werewolf by Night, with the publisher introducing newer heroes over the years.

One of the most recent additions to the Werewolf by Night mythos was a Native American named Jake Gomez. The 2020 relaunch of Werewolf by Night came from creators Taboo of The Black Eyed Peas, Benjamin Jackendoff, and Scot Eaton.

Giacchino has composed music for some of the Hollywood's biggest franchises aside from The Batman. Director Matt Reeves heavily promoted the soundtrack from the movie featuring Giacchino's tunes. The composer was already heavily rumored to be directing Werewolf by Night, after Variety did a lengthy piece on Giacchino's score for The Batman. The composer himself wasn't able to be a part of the piece because he, as the trade put it, was "off directing a television project for Marvel."

Pixar gave Giacchino his first big break in 2004's The Incredibles, which he then went on to work on other Pixar projects like Ratatouille, Up, Cars 2, Inside Out, Incredible 2, and Coco. His next Pixar movie is this summer's Lightyear, starring Chris Evans as the voice of the popular Toy Story character.

Marvel works from Giacchino include Tom Holland's Spider-Man trilogy for Sony/Marvel, as well as the upcoming Thor: Love and Thunder.

"I love working with Michael Giacchino, he's one of my favorite people," The Batman director Matt Reeves said in a press release accompanying the film's soundtrack reveal. "So, when I got The Batman, I went to him knowing he has the same kind of love and connection to Batman that I do. He told me he wanted to do what we'd never been able to — to record before I ever shot a frame. He said, 'I want us to record a suite, as if it was the unknown Beethoven Sonata of Batman that was found, and we use that to score the entire movie.' I was excited about it, so he started writing while I was still writing, and he would send me little sample recordings of pieces he was doing on the piano." 

What do you think of Michael Giacchino directing Werewolf by Night? Let us know your thoughts in the comments!

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