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Vampires seem to be the creature of the moment, so it's anyone's guess how The Wolfman (2010) -- even if it's a masterpiece -- will do when it arrives in theaters on February 12. The film is Universal Pictures' big-budget re-entry into the monster sweepstakes. Yes, they've had horror hits over the years, and yes, they had flat-out blockbusters with the Jurassic Park adventures, but The Wolfman is the studio's attempt to reclaim its place in history as the home of classic monster movies, as it was they who released The Wolf Man (1941), Frankenstein (1931), Dracula (1931), and more, as well as assorted spin-offs of varying quality. There are rumors aplenty surrounding The Wolfman -- whispers about reshoots and frantic last-minute edits and bad word of mouth -- and there's probably some germ of truth in each and every one of them. Isn't there always? But they won't matter much if the film ultimately delivers.
So let's bite into the meat of the thing, shall we? The Wolfman is set in Victorian-era England and stars Benicio Del Toro -- who's also wearing a producer hat here -- as Lawrence Talbot. Years earlier, he left his small village, supposedly for good, freaked out by his mother's death and the non-reaction of his father, John (Anthony Hopkins). However, when his brother vanishes inexplicably, Lawrence comes home. His father is still a cold, strange man, but at least Lawrence gets to know -- all too well -- the lovely young Gwen (Emily Blunt), who was soon to marry his brother. While out in the woods searching for his brother, Lawrence is attacked by the same creature that's been mauling some locals, and in no time Lawrence is transformed into one of those vicious beasts that howl at the moon.
Unlike previous iterations of the story, The Wolfman reportedly puts the emphasis on the relationships, particularly Lawrence and John, as well as Lawrence and Gwen. And certainly, it's hard to imagine casting better actors than Del Toro, Hopkins and Blunt. Then, add into the mix Hugo Weaving, who co-stars as Aberline, the Scotland Yard inspector on the case of Lawrence's missing brother, and you've got the makings of something potentially special. The screenplay is attributed to Andrew Kevin Walker, whose credits include Seven (1995) and Sleepy Hollow (1999), and David Self, who counts among his work The Haunting (1999), Thirteen Days (2000), and The Road to Perdition (2002); and the always-unique Danny Elfman composed the score (another element that's been subject to rumor, with the studio supposedly replacing Elfman's score with one by Paul Haslinger, then ultimately returning to Elfman's).
Another key figure is renowned makeup effects guru Rick Baker, who designed the creatures and oversaw the development of the prosthetics, though -- much to the chagrin of many horror flick aficionados out there -- most of the transformations were realized using computer-generated imagery. And in the director's chair is Joe Johnston, a former visual effects pro who went on to helm The Rocketeer (1991), Jumanji (1995), October Sky (1999), Jurassic Park III (2001), and Hidalgo (2004). Johnston actually assumed the reins of The Wolfman (2010) from Mark Romanek, who, thanks to good old "creative difference," departed the project deep into pre-production.
So, really, as we said earlier, it's anyone's guess at the moment how The Wolfman will come together. Is it an inpenetrable mess? Is it sexy, scary, violent, and brilliant? Is it something in between? We'll all find out on February 12.
