Two years ago we learned that Ryan Gosling would star as the titular Wolfman in Universal's next big monster flick and just last fall it was revealed that Derek Cianfrance had been brought on to direct and write the project. This is not the first time that Gosling and Cianfrance have collaborated on a film, as the duo worked together on both Blue Valentine and The Place Beyond the Pines. During an interview with Collider's own Steve Weintraub for the Russo Brother's action-thriller The Gray Man, Gosling shared his excitement about re-teaming with him on Wolfman:
I just would do anything with Derek, but the idea of doing something like that just seems really exciting. It's new for both of us, but in some way, I feel like it's kind of the movie we've made already a few times, but in literal form. We've always kind of made the metaphorical version of it, and it's sort of like the opportunity to really, to just make the literal version of what we've been hacking away at.
Universal's first Wolf Man was portrayed by the legendary Lon Chaney Jr. who starred in five films across the 1940s as Larry Talbot, the man who is transformed into a werewolf. Gosling's casting seems to be a bit of wish-fulfillment for the actor, who shared with Collider that he had always loved the character, saying, "He's just an all-time character, [he has] just has always been on a bucket list for me."
Since the Wolfman was announced, there have been a number of directors and writers attached to the project, including Cory Finley and Leigh Whannell, but ultimately Cianfrance is the perfect choice for the project. Not only does he have a pre-existing directorial relationship with Gosling, which will certainly help to lay the groundwork for the project, but he has a proven track record of delivering fantastic films, including producing the Academy Award-nominated The Sound of Metal.
Very little is currently known about the plot of Cianfrance's take on the Wolfman. After the hit-and-miss of Universal's The Mummy, the studio pivoted on their plans for an interconnected cinematic universe, paving the way for a lot more creative freedom for its outlined slate of monster movies. It's possible that Cianfrance's script will be a modern retelling of the Wolf Man, much like the Benicio Del Toro-led The Wolfman that premiered over a decade ago.
The Gray Man is in theaters on July 15 and streaming on Netflix on July 22. Check out our discussion about Wolfman below.