Okay, now I’m concerned. According to numerous sources, including the official web site, Universal has bumped the release date of The Wolfman again, this time pushing it all the way back to February 12, 2010. That’s a three month move from its previous release date of November 6 2009, and nearly 10 months off its original release date of April 9, 2009. Producer Scott Stuber says it’s strictly a marketing decision, but couple these delays with the hints of a werewolf re-design and the film’s conspicuous absense from the San Diego Comic Con and you’ve got signs of a troubled production. Not all of the new is bad, though. Word is that the first official trailer for The Wolfman will debut August 21st, with the release of Quentin Tarintino’s Inglourious Basterds.
Category: Film, Television & Music
Believe it or not, there are werewolf movies other than “An American Werewolf in London”.
Tim Burton Confirms Next Project: “Dark Shadows”
Last week at the San Diego Comic Con, Tim Burton confirmed that once he’s finished with his Alice in Wonderland remake, his next project will be an adaptation of the gothic TV series Dark Shadows, featuring werewolves, vampires and zobmies. This is a nice follow-up to last year’s quasi-rumour on the subject. Bring on the new Quentin Collins!
Nick Dudman Talks About Harry Potter Werewolf Makeup
Make-Up Artist Magazine and the Los Angeles Times have both posted short interviews with Nick Dudman, the head makeup effects designer for the Harry Potter films. In each interview, Dudman talks about the efforts behind developing and applying the prosthetics for werewolf character Fenrir Greyback (played by Dave Legeno). There’s not much in the way of photos, but still worth a read!
House of the Wolf Man
Late last week, Nuke The Fridge got the scoop on Eben McGarr‘s retro-fantastic indie film House of the Wolf Man, starring (among others) Ron Chaney, the grandson of the original Wolf Man, Lon Chaney, Jr.
“Dr. Bela Reinhardt (Chaney) has invited five people to his castle to see which of them will inherit his estate. He has arranged for a competition of sorts, the victor shall be determined through process of… elimination,” McGarr tells Bloody-Disgusting. “The film was shot in black and white, 1:33 aspect ratio and is a good old fashioned monster movie that you could bring your kids to.”
If you missed Chaney and McGarr at the San Diego Comic Con (apparently they were there, but schedule details are sketchy), Bloody-Disgusting has the convention trailer, and you’ll find more amazing (and super-hi-res) photos like the one above here. NukeTheFridge.com also has some great shots of the monsters.
I don’t know about you, but seeing these photos and watching the trailer made me grin ear-to-ear. Thanks to NukeTheFridge.com, ArcLight and Bloody-Disgusting for the info.
Den of Geek: A look back at An American Werewolf in London
The classic werewolf film An American Werewolf in London has been getting a lot of press lately, what with the Blu-ray edition on the way this September, and Dimension Films getting ready to shoot a remake. Today, Den of Geek is taking a look back at AWIL in the form of an article about the film’s groundbreaking status when it was released in the 80’s, and its status today as (some would say) the Holy Grail of werewolf films. Supplemented with some great still-frames and some interesting trivia, it’s well worth a read.
Harry Palms
ArmchairAccomplice sent me a link to “Harry Palms”, an episode of The Receptionist by Travis Betz. The link was accompanied by a note that read “low tech werewolf musical hits youtube, the less I say the better.” I watched. I bit my fist. I went to Travis’s web site and confirmed my suspicions: Travis Betz is a demented genius. And now, I share the video with you.
French Lycanthropic Hip-Hop
Although I can’t tell exactly what DIALOKOLECTIV is rapping about here, it appears to be something bristly, snarly, lycanthropic and cool. And while that’ll be my Abercrombie & Fitch logic for the day, I promise to make up for it with a new feature / review that I have in the works.
“Wolf Man” Creature Redesign, Wolf Man Vs. Werewolf + “Upcoming” Trailer
Back in May, word was going around that stuntman / second unit director Vic Armstrong was coordinating some additional beastly fight scenes for The Wolf Man. Now Mail Online’s Baz Bamigboye reports that the reason behind the additional filming may have been to introduce a new design for the titular lycanthrope. “The Wolf was on its heels and it looked daft,” says one Wolfman actor. A Universal rep had this to say (warning: PR speak in full effect): “The full articulation of the transformational lead character will be realised when the film is completed and we are excited to share his incredible look with the world in the upcoming trailer.” Bamigboye also mentions that the scenes involve a “confrontation between the Wolf Man and the Werewolf”– a choice of words with some exciting and curious implications.
So what we can take from all this is
- The Wolf Man’s design may be changing, possibly going from a two-legged creature to four legs. Whether Rick Baker was consulted remains to be seen (let’s hope he was).
- Apparently the film involves a Wolf Man and a Werewolf. The differences between the two remain unclear.
- An official trailer for The Wolf Man is “upcoming”. Considering the film’s November release, maybe in another month or two?
Shakira’s “She-Wolf” Name-Drops Lycanthropy, Still Sounds Terrible
Shakira has a new single called “She-Wolf”. Ugh. Just ugh.
Official Michael Jackson “This Is It” Tour T-Shirt Designs Include Thriller Werewolf
Before he passed away, Michael Jackson was getting ready for “This Is It”, a 50-show residency at London’s O2 Arena. Now that Michael’s gone, refunds are being issued for tickets, but the official Michael Jackson tour web shop is still selling This Is It merchandise, including this “Cartoon Thriller video Michael Jackson Werewolf shirt“. Questions of taste and decorum aside, I want this shirt.