The script for Blumhouse Pictures remake of The Wolfman starring Ryan Gosling is still in development says producer Jason Blum. The Wolfman is one of the most iconic of the Universal Monsters, having first appeared in the 1941 film starring Lon Channey Jr. In 2010, a remake starring Benenco Tel Toro in the title role opened in theaters after a very troubled production to negative reviews and was a box-office bomb.
After Universal attempted to relaunch their monster’s property with the critical and box-office failure of 2017’s The Mummy, they scrapped their plans for their cinematic universe called the Dark Universe. The studio decided to do stand-alone horror stories, the first being 2020’s The Invisible Man, which was a box office and critical success. Hot off the success the studio reteamed The Invisible Man director Leigh Whannell and producer Jason Blum to do another monster property, The Wolfman, which had already secured actor Ryan Gosling for the lead role.
In an interview with Collider, producer Jason Blum confirmed they are still developing a script for The Wolfman. The successful horror producer says they are waiting on the script to be just right for star Ryan Gosling, one that the actor feels comfortable with. Ryan Gosling is very involved with The Wolfman as the film was green-lit from his pitch to Universal Pictures. Blum said:
“Wolfman, we are also working on the script, got to get the script, right. In that case, it’s Ryan Gosling…But working on trying to get a script that he feels good about and comfortable about and excited about.”
The Wolfman is one of many projects based on the Universal Monsters the studio has planned. Eternals director Chloé Zhao is developing a sci-fi western Dracula movie at the studio, while a separate Dracula project from Walking Dead creator Robert Kirkman based on the side character Reinfeld is in development. Elizabeth Banks is set to direct The Invisible Woman, which has no connection to the already released Invisible Man. James Wan is working on a new version of Frankenstein. Meanwhile, Toy Story 4 Josh Cooley director has the live-action/animated hybrid Little Monsters which will be aimed at a younger audience.
Gosling’s involvement with The Wolfman was a surprise to many, as the actor has tended to avoid big franchise IP-driven films in favor of character-centric stories like First Man or original properties like Drive and La La Land. Gosling has been considered for a number of high-profile films including The Lone Ranger, 2017’s Beauty and the Beast, The Joker in Suicide Squad, and the Sinister Six film Sony was developing. Gosling did star in the lead role of Blade Runner 2049, a sequel to a highly influential film and Gosling himself has never expressed any disinterest in franchise films. Given he pitched The Wolfman to Universal, it appears he is very passionate about this particular project.
