Universal’s New Wolf Man Is More of a Man Wolf, and Even That’s Pushing It

The title monster from Leigh Whannell’s upcoming Wolf Man remake has seemingly made his debut at Universal Studios’ annual haunt event Halloween Horror Nights, and well, here he is, everybody:

The Wolf Man from the upcoming Blumhouse film has made his HHN debut! #HHN33 #HHN pic.twitter.com/ifIkz7giFJ

— HHNSpeculationMatt (@SpeculationMatt) September 4, 2024

Of course, the actor performing the character above is wearing what’s essentially a Halloween mask—the actual movie will presumably offer something a little more cinematic—but this is apparently our first look at Larry Talbot 2025.  Resembling a modestly more robust Cryptkeeper, or perhaps a flesh-colored orc from The Lord of the Rings, the rubbery “wolf man” looks more like a recurring character on The Kids in the Hall than Rick Baker’s work on The Howling or An American Werewolf in London. The tattered cargo pants aren’t helping matters much, either.

If Whannell, Blumhouse, and Universal are looking for some sort of verisimilitude in their werewolf design, I’m not sure this is the right way to go. Whether the creature is meant to be the result of an ancestral curse or the victim of a mutative disease that jumped from wolf to man, deciding to  strip away the traditional lupine features associated with the monster except the pointy ears was… a choice. The final result looks more gnomelike than an uncanny fusion of dog and human.

In 2020, Whannell enjoyed tremendous success with his new take on The Invisible Man, but his Wolf Man has already faced a few hurdles. It was announced last December that Christopher Abbot would be taking over the lead role from Ryan Gosling, who had already spent three years attached to the project. Prior to that, Whannell stepped away from directing the film, with frequent Gosling collaborator, Derek Cianfrance (Place Beyond the Pines, Blue Valentine) coming aboard instead. When Cianfrance ultimately left the project, Whannell once again reclaimed directorial duties.

Of course, its also entirely possible the werewolf on display at HHN is not Abbot-as-Larry Talbot, but instead the (partially transformed?) one who bites him, or even just a werewolf minion. So far, the only synopsis released for Whannell’s remake says it concerns “A man [who] must protect himself and his family when they are being stalked, terrorized, and haunted by a deadly werewolf at night during a full moon.” A previous photo op at Universal also seemed to confirm the family live on a farm. Perhaps this is some sort of rival farmhand-turned-werewolf, who, come the full moon, transforms into a livestock-mutilating revenant, setting the course of the film in action? Whatever the case may be, he still looks like a gnome.

We’ll find out more when The Wolf Man arrives January 17, 2025.

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