Wolf Man - Price Prediction

In the cinematic adaptation hitting theaters this weekend, titled “Wolf Man,” the storyline deviates significantly from the 1941 original, “The Wolf Man.” Unlike Lon Chaney Jr.’s character who transforms into a werewolf due to a supernatural curse, Leigh Whannell’s version revolves around a disease similar to rabies, which Blake Lovell (Christopher Abbott) contracts from an inhuman forest dweller that lurks in the woods near his rural Oregon childhood home. Accompanied by his wife Charlotte (Julia Garner) and daughter Ginger (Matilda Firth), Blake finds himself embroiled in a chilling encounter with this mysterious creature.

Just as the central character in the film undergoes a complete transformation over its 1 hour and 43-minute span, it’s possible that Wolf Man could have been a different kind of movie altogether. Eagle-eyed viewers who stick around for the end credits might spot two names that stand out: Jason Blum p.g.a – he’s the founder and producer behind numerous horror films like M3GAN, The Black Phone, The Exorcist: Believer, and various franchises including Insidious, The Purge, Halloween – and Ryan Gosling, a name not usually linked with the genre of monster movies.

As a film enthusiast, I’d like to clarify the difference between the Producers Guild of America (PGA) credit and the Produced By credit. The PGA, or the Producers Mark, signifies those who played the leading role in the decision-making process on a particular movie. On the other hand, the Produced By credit is given to individuals who are primarily responsible for the creation and oversight of a film, encompassing stages like development, pre-production, production, post-production, and marketing.

The actor famous for playing roles in ‘Barbie’ and ‘Fall Guy’ has been cast to star in the upcoming ‘Wolfman’ film, which Ryan Gosling presented to Universal following the successful reboot of their classic monster, ‘The Invisible Man’, in 2020. Writers Lauren Schuker Blum and Rebecca Angelo from ‘Orange Is the New Black’ and ‘Dumb Money’ were tasked with scriptwriting based on Gosling’s initial idea. This pitch was described as a contemporary take, similar to the Jake Gyllenhaal-led thriller ‘Nightcrawler’, but with an added supernatural element.

Leonard Whannell, known for co-creating and co-writing the SAW series alongside horror maestro James Wan, then went on to write and direct films like Insidious 3 (2010), Upgrade (2018), and The Invisible Man (2020) under Blumhouse Productions, was selected for the director role later that year. According to Deadline, Whannell was also tasked with writing the outline for a script penned by Angelo and Schuker Blum, which was being tailored as a leading role for Gosling, produced by Blum.

Initially, the filmmaker was hesitant when given the opportunity to work on “Wolfman” under his contract with Universal-based Blumhouse. However, he later collaborated with his wife, actress Corbett Tuck, in writing the current version of the script. Their script employed Blake’s affliction as a symbol for illness. During the 2020 lockdowns due to COVID-19, Whannell and Tuck wrote “Wolfman,” incorporating themes of solitude and parenthood into their work. They drew inspiration from a close friend’s struggle with ALS (Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis), a condition that left her unable to move or speak, which is mirrored in the film by Blake’s gradual transformation that hinders his ability to communicate with his wife and daughter.

In 2021, Whannell left the project due to scheduling issues. Gosling then hired Derek Cianfrance, who directed ‘Blue Valentine’ and ‘The Place Beyond the Pines’, to replace him. Cianfrance was the most recent director to be involved with a project that had been in development since 2014. Originally, Gosling’s ‘Wolfman’ was planned as part of Universal’s Dark Universe, an interconnected movie universe which never took off following the underperformance of Alex Kurtzman’s remake of ‘The Mummy’ featuring Tom Cruise in 2017.

In 2010, the studio brought Aaron Guzikowski (known for “Prisoners”) on board to pen the new version of “The Wolfman”, which was a remake and reboot of the 1941 film starring Benicio del Toro as Lawrence Talbot. However, four years later, the studio seemed to have a change of direction for its “Wolf Man” reboot within the Dark Universe led by producers Kurtzman (of “Star Trek”) and Chris Morgan (of “Fast & Furious”): Dave Callaham, known for action-packed films like “Doom” (2005), “The Expendables” (2010), “Mortal Kombat” (2021), and “Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings”, was hired to rework Guzikowski’s script. Rumors also circulated that the studio wanted Dwayne Johnson to play the Wolf Man in this more action-oriented, Marvel-style Dark Universe, indicating a departure from the tragic body horror it eventually became.

Universal eventually ceased development on their interconnected Monster universe, including roles for Javier Bardem as the Frankenstein monster and Johnny Depp in The Invisible Man. By 2023, Gosling and Cianfrance had left Wolf Man, with Gosling still serving as a producer. Abbott took over from Gosling, and Whannell returned to the project, originally slated for October 25, 2024, but later moved to January 17, 2025. Whannell now serves as an executive producer alongside Beatriz Sequeira (The Invisible Man), Mel Turner (Sweet Tooth), and Ken Kao, a producer from Gosling’s The Nice Guys.

At first, Whannell collaborated with Ryan Gosling, but there were scheduling conflicts that arose. So, he decided to shift his focus to another project. However, to his delight, the project returned, allowing him to resume working on the script he had previously written without interruption.

Whannell went on to say, “Regrettably, Ryan had to drop out due to his busy schedule, but the journey to making this film was more convoluted than my usual path. For projects like ‘Upgrade’ and ‘The Invisible Man,’ it was a straightforward process: write the script, find funding, assemble the cast, shoot the movie. This time, however, the process was far from linear, and I’m thrilled that I had the opportunity to bring this film to life.”

Now showing in theaters is ‘The Wolf Man’.

2025-01-20 07:09

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