Universal Will Resurrect 'The Wolfman'

When it comes to classic movie monsters there are few studios with a history to match Universal. In the days of black and white the studio was home to such iconic monsters as Frankenstein, Dracula, the Mummy, and the Creature from the Black Lagoon. Many of their famous monsters are based on existing material and have since gone into the public domain and an innumerable number of films. Universal tried to revive one of their few original creations with last year's "The Wolfman," however the film met with mixed reviews and mediocre box office returns. Now MovieHole has reported that Universal won't make a sequel to that film but they will attempt a new stand alone feature to be directed by Louis Morneau.

"The Wolfman" had starred Benicio Del Toro as a man bitten by a werewolf and transformed into the titular monster when the moon is full. The other notable stars of the film were Anthony Hopkins as the father of Del Toro's character and Hugo Weaving as a Scotland Yard inspector hunting the monster down. Though Universal had briefly toyed with the notion of doing a more straight forward sequel that idea appears to have been abandoned. This will mean a new story and new cast from the ground up. However it would seem that they still wish to have some kind of link to the 1941 original, though how that will be done isn't clear at this point.

Louis Morneau taking over as the director may be an indicator of where this franchise is headed. Morneau's resume is made up of horror movies of the direct to DVD caliber, including "Joy Ride 2: Dead Ahead" and "Bats." This may be the studio giving Morneau a chance to work on something higher profile. More likely it's an indication that the studio wants this next film to be more down and dirty as opposed to the glossy presentation of the last movie. 2010's "The Wolfman" was directed by Joe Johnston. Johnston's resume is a bit more high brow with films such as "The Rocketeer" and the upcoming "Captain America: The First Avenger." Johnston was actually brought in to direct "The Wolfman" when the original director, Mark Romanek, left the project over disagreements with the studio.

Screenwriter Michael Tabb is currently working on the script for Universal, and a title of "Werewolf" has been announced as well. Universal seems to be very torn about this franchise. They clearly wish to distance the new project from the 2010 flop but yet still seem to want to create strong links to the 1941 original. It's odd that they would cling to this franchise so tightly given that it's only known amongst mainstream audiences for its title and make-up. With the make-up doubtlessly being updated and the title now changed it is strange that Universal is saying they want to link the new film to the original. Whether that means making another period piece or instead setting something in the modern day with easter egg type nods to the original is yet unclear.

Heading to the movies? Get an instant mobile coupon to use at select theaters for free popcorn!