The Wolfman (film)
| The Wolf Man | |
|---|---|
| File:BenicioWolfman.jpg Promotional image of The Wolf Man | |
| Directed by | Joe Johnston |
| Written by | David Self Andrew Kevin Walker |
| Produced by | Scott Stuber Rick Yorn Mary Parent Benicio del Toro |
| Starring | Benicio del Toro Anthony Hopkins Emily Blunt Hugo Weaving |
| Distributed by | Universal Studios |
Release date | April 3 2009 |
| Countries | United States United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
| Budget | US$85 million |
The Wolf Man is a 2009 horror film that is a remake of the 1941 Universal Studios classic The Wolf Man. The remake is directed by Joe Johnston and stars Benicio del Toro. The Wolf Man is slated for release on April 3 2009.
Premise
Set in the late 1880s, the film keeps the plotline of the original, with Lawrence Talbot meeting his father following the death of his brother. The film details events during Lawrence's past that led to his estrangement from his father (which includes Gwen), and the setting is expanded from Blackmore (now identified as the village from the original) to London.[1]
Cast
- Benicio del Toro as Lawrence Talbot, a man who is bitten by a werewolf.
- Anthony Hopkins as Sir John Talbot, Lawrence's father.[2]
- Emily Blunt as Gwen Conliffe, whom Talbot falls in love with.[3]
- Hugo Weaving as Detective Aberline, who investigates murders by the transformed Talbot.[4]
- Geraldine Chaplin as an old Gypsy (presumably Maleva) [5] [6]
Production
In March 2006, Universal Studios announced the remake of The Wolf Man with actor Benicio del Toro (a fan of the original film and collector of Wolf Man memorabilia)[1] in the lead role.[7] Screenwriter Andrew Kevin Walker was attached to the screenplay, developing the original film's story to include additional characters as well as plot points that would take advantage of modern visual effects. In February 2007, director Mark Romanek was attached to helm The Wolf Man.[8] The film was scheduled for a November 12 2008 release, before being pushed back to early 2009 in September 2007.[9]
In January 2008, Romanek left the project because of "creative differences".[10] Brett Ratner emerged as a frontrunner to replace Romanek, but the studio also met with Frank Darabont, James Mangold and Joe Johnston. They were also interested in Bill Condon, and Martin Campbell was interested.[11] Johnston was hired to direct on February 3 2008, and the film's shooting schedule and budget remained as intended.[12] Johnston hired David Self to rewrite the script.[4] The film will cost US$85 million to make, and shooting will be conducted in the United Kingdom. Shooting began in March 2008.[10]
Rick Baker is creating the make-up for The Wolf Man. When he heard Universal was remaking the film, he eagerly pursued it, as both The Wolf Man and Frankenstein inspired him to become a make-up artist as a child. He acknowledged transforming Del Toro was difficult because he is a hairy man: "Going from Benicio to Benicio as the Wolf Man isn't a really extreme difference. Like when I did An American Werewolf in London, we went from this naked man to a four-legged hound from hell, and we had a lot of room to go from the transformation and do a lot of really extreme things. Here we have Benicio Del Toro, who's practically the Wolf Man already, to Benicio Del Toro with more hair and bigger teeth." The make-up takes three hours to apply, and one hour to remove. New pieces of latex prosthetic makeup and loose hair is applied to Del Toro's face each day, while several dentures and wigs were created in case some were damaged.[13]
Release
Originally scheduled for February 13 2009, a Friday the 13th, The Wolf Man was pushed back to April 3 2009.[14]
References
- ^ a b Olly Richards (2008-03-21). "Producer Talks Wolfman". Empire. Retrieved 2008-03-21.
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ "Anthony Hopkins Wants to Growl as Wolfman's Dad". Rotten Tomatoes. 2007-04-15. Retrieved 2007-05-16.
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ Olly Richards (2008-01-21). "Emily Blunt Joins Wolf Man". Empire. Retrieved 2008-01-21.
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ a b Diane Garrett (2008-02-21). "Hugo Weaving to pursue 'Wolfman'". Variety. Retrieved 2008-02-22.
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ "Chaplin pide a los productores valientes que amen el cine y flipa con el Festival de Las Palmas". [2008-02-29.
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ "FULL 'The Wolfman' Cast Revealed!!". [2008-04-10.
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ "Del Toro bites into 'Wolf Man'". Variety. 2006-03-14. Retrieved 2008-03-21.
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ Borys Kit (2007-02-08). "Romanek stalks Del Toro 'Wolfman'". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2007-02-08.
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ Pamela McClintock (2007-09-19). "'Monsters' makes room for 'Avatar'". Variety. Retrieved 2007-10-05.
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|date=(help); Unknown parameter|coauthors=ignored (|author=suggested) (help) - ^ a b Michael Fleming (2008-01-29). "Romanek drops out of 'Wolf Man'". Variety. Retrieved 2008-01-30.
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ Borys Kit (2008-02-01). "Ratner among 'Wolf' men". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2008-02-01.
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ Michael Fleming (2008-02-04). "Johnston to direct 'Wolfman'". Variety. Retrieved 2008-02-04.
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ Lindsay Soll (2008-03-19). "First Look: Benicio Del Toro as the Wolfman". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 2008-03-19.
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ "Valkyrie Moved Back to 2009". ComingSoon.net. 2008-04-07. Retrieved 2008-04-07.
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|date=(help)
External links
- The Wolf Man at IMDb
- October 8, 2007 script review by IESB.net
- August 4, 2006 script review from LatinoReview.com