Director Leigh Whannell gave the Universal Monsters classic a glimpse into modern life in 2020 with his exciting new version of “The Invisible Man.” Following this success, Universal Pictures and Blumhouse set about reinventing another monster in the form of Wolfman. Oscar nominee Ryan Gosling (“Barbie”) was originally set to star in “Wolf Man,” in which director Cory Finley (“Bad Education”) flirted with the director’s chair before Derek Cianfrance (“Blue Valentine”) does not join him. Things changed a lot along the way, with Whannell eventually settling into the director’s chair. But why did Gosling give up?
Gosling is still credited on “Wolf Man” as producer, for what that’s worth. However, it does not appear on the screen. Instead, Christopher Abbott (“Kraven the Hunter,” “Poor Things”) plays Blake, the hapless man who becomes a werewolf. In a recent interview with CinemaBlend timed for the film’s release, Whannell explained that the film didn’t change much once Abbott took over. As for why there was a vacancy to fill in the first place? It came down to scheduling issues.
“It’s pretty much the same thing. It was really, you know… when I was working with Ryan, it was the same story that you see now. It was the isolation, the same characters It’s just that a lot of time has passed. There were these strikes and all of a sudden, Ryan’s schedule changed. Let’s have Christopher Abbott. He’s so great in this role that I couldn’t have done it. to do. hoped.”
The 2023 SAG and WGA strikes have upended Hollywood for months. This created many scheduling conflicts for various projects. Gosling also had commitments on Phil Lord and Chris Miller’s sci-fi film “Project Hail Mary,” which is scheduled to hit theaters later this year. Unfortunately, this prevented him from putting his stamp on this classic beast.
The actor changed, but the main character remained in Wolf Man
Whannell’s “Wolf Man” updates traditional werewolf mythology for a new generation. This proved somewhat divisive at first, largely thanks, shall we say, to unique creature design. Would things have been different with Gosling in the lead role? It’s hard to say. But in the same interview, Whannell explained that Blake’s characterization has remained largely the same, even though the actor has changed:
“It’s interesting. The core of what I was working on with Ryan remained throughout the project. Sure, we were tweaking it a bit, and Chris had his own ideas, but the core was the same.”
I tried to broach this subject with Gosling during an interview for “The Fall Guy” last year. While chatting with the actor and his co-star Emily Blunt, I brought up “Wolf Man” and Blunt, after starring in the big-budget 2010 flop “The Wolfman,” playfully derailed the issue by asking, “Why are you trying to sink?” my “Wolfman” with your “Wolf Man?” “” Gosling then politely said, “Next question, please.” » Despite all my efforts, I couldn’t get to the bottom of things.
Regardless, it’s likely that Gosling’s interest in the project contributed to its launch at Universal in the first place. It’s worth wondering if this would have been achieved without him in the beginning. Ultimately, it became a star vehicle for Abbott, who now has the opportunity to showcase his talents in a major studio horror film.
The film also stars Julia Garner (“Ozark”) and Matlida Firth (“Hullraisers”), with a screenplay by Whannell and Corbett Tuck. In addition to Gosling, Blumhouse executive Jason Blum produced the film, with Whannell, Beatriz Sequeira, Mel Turner and Ken Kao serving as executive producers.
“Wolf Man” is currently in theaters.
