Universal Pictures has been desperately trying to turn its iconic Monsters characters into a cinematic universe. However, their first attempt to launch the “Dark Universe,” with Tom Cruise‘s “The Mummy,” was a massive failure.
In 2020, help came in the form of Leigh Whannell‘s “The Invisible Man,” spearheaded by Blumhouse Pictures. Unlike “The Mummy,” Whannell’s ‘Invisible Man’ felt like a horror indie. It also introduced a possible winning formula for the rest of Universal’s “Monsterverse.”
Whannell was later announced as the director of Universal’s “Wolfman,” starring Ryan Gosling. However, Whannell was then soon replaced by director Derek Cianfrance, who would reunite with Gosling after their collaborations on dramas “Blue Valentine” and “A Place Beyond The Pines.” Whannell, reportedly, exited over scheduling issues.
Well, what a different a pandemic and an actors strike can make. Schedules have been hit hard during this tumultuous time in the industry, and it seems as though this has led to Whannell’s “scheduling issues” potentially no longer being an issue?
A listing on Production Weekly now claims that Whannell is back in the director’s chair for “Wolfman” with Cianfrance’s screenplay still being used as the shooting script. So we’ll be getting a Whannell/Cianfrance partnership, or so Production Weekly claims. File this one under “rumor.”
This could potentially be great news, especially if you are a fan of Whannell’s output, for which I definitely am. His 2018 sci-fi mindbender “Upgrade” and 2020’s “The Invisible Man” were Verhoeven-esque in their darkly satirical approaches to genre cinema.
Of note, Universal’s plans for their ‘Monsterverse’ includes other horror projects in various development stages, including Chloe Zhao’s “Dracula.”