Ryan Gosling’s Wolfman Reboot Snags Invisible Man Director Leigh Whannell

Earlier this year, filmmaker Leigh Whannell pulled off the difficult task of reviving The Invisible Man with his project earning both financial and critical success, with Blumhouse Productions hoping to recreate that magic by recruiting the filmmaker to helm the Ryan Gosling-starring The Wolfman reboot. Given the success of not just Invisible Man, but Whannell’s previous accomplishments with Upgrade and writing work on the Insidious and Saw franchises, the collaboration between the studio and Whannell, in addition to the untapped potential of the premise, will likely lead to the upcoming endeavor finding a way to reinvigorate one of the most iconic monsters in movie history.

Deadline initially reported the news, with producer Jason Blum going on to retweet the message while telling fans, “Buckle up.” Whannell is slated to be writing a treatment for the film, while Lauren Schuker Blum and Rebecca Angelo are tapped to write the script.

Previous reports claimed that the new film wouldn’t be a traditional remake of the original 1941 The Wolf Man, with sources claiming the film would draw inspiration from films like Network and Nightcrawler.

The original film starred Lon Chaney Jr. as Larry Talbot, a man returning to his home following the death of his brother. During his visit, he is attacked by a wolf, cursing him as a werewolf, who “may become a wolf when the wolfbane blooms and the autumn moon is bright.” Over time, the myth of the werewolf embraced the notion that a man would transform into the monstrous creature on a monthly full moon cycle.

In 2010, Benicio del Toro starred in a remake of the original film, directed by Joe Johnston.

Characters like The Wolfman and The Invisible Man are some of Universal Studios’ most iconic properties, alongside characters like Dracula, Frankenstein’s Monster, and The Mummy, all of which have earned various reboots and loose reimaginings over the years. In 2017, Universal announced the Dark Universe initiative, which was set to be a cinematic universe of reboots of all of their famous monsters.

The first official entry, The Mummy, failed to impress audiences or critics, ultimately stagnating the franchise entirely. This year’s Invisible Man was an entirely original concept and didn’t offer any connections to a larger cinematic universe, a formula this new Wolfman will likely follow.

Stay tuned for details on the new The Wolfman.

Are you excited by this news? Let us know in the comments below or contact Patrick Cavanaugh directly on Twitter to talk all things horror and Star Wars!