Wolf Man director Leigh Whannell teased a key difference about the titular monster because of the use of "100% practical"effects. The next Wolf Man reboot focuses on a family who take shelter in a farmhouse during a full moon after being attacked by a mysterious creature while on the road. As the couple and their daughter recover from the incident, the father, Blake (Christopher Abbott), begins to change, slowly transforming into the titular monster. The reboot was written by Whannell and Corbett Tuck, while it was produced by Jason Blum and Ryan Gosling.
Talking about the film with SFX Magazine (through Game Radar), Whannell revealed Wolf ManThe film's titular monster will look different from previous incarnations because of the "100% practical"effects. The director confirmed that the design will be different from the classic werewolf look, but also revealed the version promoted at Universal Studios' Halloween Horror Nights also doesn't look like the final version of the film. Check out what Whannell had to say about the Wolf Man's design below:
I think you have to bring a new approach. Maybe there are some people who won't like it because they love the traditional wolf too much, but that was the approach I wanted. [The Wolf Man is] 100% practical, just makeup - no CGI elements.
Things slipped through the cracks and it was like, 'Oh, they're doing a promotion for Wolf Man at a theme park, but it doesn't feel right. We shouldn't disclose this to the world, because people will think that our wolf is like that. My only response is to say, 'Look, this doesn't represent what we're doing.' All I can do is wait for the movie to come out. So I hope people think, 'Oh, I see what they were doing.'
What Practical Effects Mean for Whannell's Take on Werewolf
He won't exactly look like a typical werewolf
Wolf ManThe body horror inspiration has been teased by Whannell before, the director has compared the film to The fly. This is not just in terms of Blake's transformation, but also the tragedy of him becoming a monster, with nothing his wife, Charlotte (Julia Garner), or daughter, Ginger (Matilda Firth), can do to save him. However, it looks like he won't have the same furry appearance as Lon Chaney Jr.'s version in the 1941 originalthe reliance on realism in its practical effects marks a fundamental difference from its source material.
The film's trailer already hinted at a more monstrous form, with Blake slowly becoming more animalistic throughout the film. Wolf ManThe cast's isolation on a farm will make the transformation even scarier, as the family is forced to watch as he transforms into a monster. Since Whannell's interesting new approach The Invisible Man became a critical and box office success in 2020your changes will likely benefit the story being told. The fact that the promotional Wolf Man is different also means that some big surprises could be in store when the film is released.
Our Take on Wolf Man's Different Look and Practical Effects
The monster's new look will benefit the film
Since this new version of the classic werewolf story will focus on horror and family tragedy, it makes sense that a different design would be shown to reflect this fundamental change in the story. Given how terrible Blake's change will be, there could be different designs throughout the film, just like The flywhich signals the deterioration of your physical state. With many surprises that the film may still have, it should be interesting to see the full film Wolf Man design when the film hits theaters.
Wolf Man hits theaters on January 17, 2025.
Source: SFX Magazine (via Game Radar)