Director Derek Cianfrance has an established relationship with Ryan Gosling, who is set to star as Larry Talbot in the new Blumhouse-produced remake of THE WOLFMAN. Cianfrance and Gosling worked together on THE PLACE BEYOND THE PINES and BLUE VALENTINE. I confess that I have not seen either film, so I cannot say whether or not this bodes well or ill for the forthcoming feature, though typically when actors and directors have longstanding professional relationships the results are positive. (Tim Burton and Johnny Dep being an occasional exception.) Said Mr. Cianfrance: “Horror movies were my first love–my entry into what cinema was capable of narratively, psychologically and aesthetically. Coupled with the opportunity to collaborate with Ryan again, this is truly a dream come true. I’m thrilled and inspired to work with the good folks at Blumhouse and Universal to bring this monster back to life in our collective unconscious”. Sounds like he’s a fanboy. That also is promising.
This new version of the Universal classic is supposed to be set in the present day and will not be a retread of the 1941 original. Since they’ve already done that with the Benecio Del Toro version, I’m glad. No attempt to do a frame-for-frame remake could hold up against comparison to the original. A new take ought to be just that, new and fresh.
