Two Werewolf Novel Series to Transform from Page to Screen

I wanted let you know about two book series that involve werewolves and which might be making the transition to television or film– one for young adults, and one for mature adults.

The first item comes from a Publishers Weekly post about books being shopped around for translation to film. Wolven is a ‘planned trilogy’ by author Di Toft, the first book of which is set to be released later this year by The Chicken House (a U.K.-based subsidiary of Scholastic). Wolvens are described as being “werewolves in reverse” (a popular topic lately!), and the trilogy revolves around a boy and his wolven friend “out to save the world from a gang trying to turn shape-shifting creatures into weapons”. According to the PW article, there’s already a lot of interest in the manuscript from various producers and financiers.

The second series is one that’s probably already occupying the shelves of many Werewolf News readers. The Boston Sci-Fi Examiner is reporting that Laurell K. Hamilton‘s popular (and steamy) Anita Blake series is being adapted to the small screen by the Independent Film Channel in conjunction with Lionsgate Films. The books chronicle the adventures of a Federal Marshal in an alternate reality where werewolves, vampires, faeries and other supernatural creatures exist. No word on casting or a production schedule yet, but when I know, you’ll know.

Apr. 7th 2009

One Year of Werewolf News

I was abroad last week and didn’t notice the date until last night, but Werewolf News had its first birthday on March 26th. That’s really trippy to me– it sure doesn’t feel like it’s been a year since a Photoshopped picture of David Duchovny and the first photos of Benicio del Toro as The Wolf Man motivated me to register this domain and fire up WordPress. It’s been a lot of work, but even more fun, especially since I get to see all kinds of weird and wacky werewolf stuff every week– stuff I probably wouldn’t have known about if I wasn’t actively searching it out to share with you.

Speaking of you, I owe you some thanks. This site gets way more daily readers than I ever would have expected, and the fact that I get yelled at when I slack off for too long is a sign that there really are people out there like me– people interested in the minutae of werewolf costumes and art, people eager to see our furry, fanged friends gain more and more quality exposure in the world. So thanks, everyone. You keep reading the news (and sending it in), and I’ll keep posting it!

Apr. 6th 2009

Audie and The Wolf – The Chainsaw-Wielding Reverse Werewolf Movie

Last summer I posted about a werewolf-in-reverse film called Audie and The Wolf. At the time I think it had just got out of post-production, and the teaser was enough to intrigue me. Well, now it’s making the rounds at film festivals around North America, and if the trailer (posted below) is any indication, Audie and The Wolf is going to kick ass, Shaun of the Dead-style.

Audie is showing at Seattle’s True Independent Film Festival and the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Film Festival. Unfortunately, neither festival has posted a 2009 schedule, so I don’t have the exact dates for you, but as soon as they’re updated (and whenever new dates and locations are announced), you can see them here. In the meantime, check out the official web site for previous festival accolades, press photos and mailing list details.

Apr. 5th 2009

Rotkäppchen: The Blood Of Red Riding Hood

Writer/director Harry Sparks recently provided Fangoria with the lowdown on his new werewolf film Rotkäppchen: The Blood Of Red Riding Hood, including photos, posters and a teaser trailer. A synopsis:

Stefanie Geils stars as Rose, a German teenager who comes to America to live with her grandmother (Betty Biehler). Things don’t go so well when she begins attending the local high school, where she’s ridiculed by the other students; her only solace is an old book of fairy tales. She’s eventually befriended by sexy classmate Summer (Sativa Verte) and catches the eye of popular guy Nick (Phil Gibson)—thus earning the enmity of his girlfriend Bridgette (Nicole Leigh Vuono)—while something fierce and hairy starts bloodily killing the town’s residents.

I don’t mean to rain on anyone’s parade, but really, does anyone really think the “monster + softcore lesbian porn + gore + low budget” equation really leads to success? Anyone?

Apr. 5th 2009

Bruce Campbell Possibly Involved in Werewolf Biker Film

FEARNet has done an interview with Tony Luke Jr. in which he reveals that he’s written and starring in a werewolf / vampire / biker movie called Ride Into Terror, and that it might, just might also star Bruce Campbell.

The next film that I’m working on is a film that I wrote with my son Michael called Ride into Terror, which is such a great script. It’s very Quentin Tarantino-ish. It’s about werewolves and vampires and bikers and hot biker chick strippers… I have very dear friends of mine who are in touch with him [Campbell] and they’ve read the script and said, “Tony, Bruce would do this in a minute.”

So Bruce’s involvement isn’t a lock yet, but let’s hope it happens! Thanks to ArcLight for the tip.

Mar. 24th 2009

The Phantom Limb – Albert Fish and Werewolf Marionettes

Haverty Marionettes is “Atlanta’s first and only theater company dedicated solely to the creation of puppetry for adult audiences”, and their current show, The Phantom Limb, is garnering positive attention. What’s it about, and how is it related to werewolves? From the Haverty site:

[The Phantom Limb is] an account of events in the life of Mr. Albert Fish, the ‘Brooklyn Werewolf’. Life-size and miniature wooden marionettes, live actors, 2D cut-outs and silhouette film combine to create a surreal dream world weaving fairy tales and historical fact into an unconventional exploration of morality, fantasy, and the capacity in nature for evil.

Grim stuff, but by the looks of things, it’s presented in a fascinating way. According to the review on Creative Loafing, the show includes “short puppet-based vignettes that riff on ‘Little Red Riding Hood’ and ‘Peter and the Wolf’… [and] The wolf puppet features an intriguingly half-human design.” Here’s a closer look at the wolf and Red Riding Hood puppets (photos by Stephanie Richardson):

phantom-limb_white-redphantom-limb_red


phantom-limb_wolfphantom-limb_wolf-red


The Phantom Limb is playing at 7 Stages in Atlanta, March 13 through April 5. I’ll post more ticket and showtime info shortly!

Mar. 20th 2009

Behind the Scenes of the Being Human Werewolf Transformation

Russell Tovey - Werewolf Transformation

One of the better things about the BBC is Being Human, a drama about three twenty-something roommates who also happen to be a vampire, a ghost and a werewolf (George Sands, played by Russell Tovey). The Being Human mini-site recently posted a video feature about the special effects behind last year’s season-finale werewolf transformation. For those of us who don’t live in the UK (and consequently can’t view any of the BBC’s video content without dealing with proxies), trusty YouTube saves the day. Enjoy!

This looks like a lot of work, but it also looks like a lot of fun. What werewolf fan wouldn’t willingly undergo hours of excrutiating makeup for an experience like this (at least once)?

Mar. 20th 2009

Zuda Comic’s High Moon to be a Film?

ShockTillYouDrop.com and BloodyDisusting.com are both reporting on a Production Weekly update that mentions a werewolf script getting some attention in Hollywood these days. From the PW post:

In Eddie Nickerson’s horror Western ‘High Moon’ a reckless outlaw is a small town’s only hope for survival from a vicious band of werewolves.

There’s nothing further to go on at the moment, but the title and the premise sound a lot like David Gallaher and Steve Ellis’s outstanding web series High Moon. Let’s hope they’re one and the same!

Mar. 18th 2009

Underworld: Rise of the Lycans DVD/Blu-Ray Release Date

Underworld: Rise of the Lycans will be released in two delicious home formats: standard DVD and high-def Blu-Ray. Bonus features include:

  • “Underworld: Rise of the Lycans – From Script to Screen” Featurette
  • “The Origin of the Feud” Featurette
  • “Re-Creating the Dark Ages – The Look of Underworld: Rise of the Lycans” Featurette
  • Music Video: “Deathclub” By William Control
  • Filmmakers’ Commentary

Blu-Ray only features include:

  • A Digital Copy of the film for PC, PSP, Mac or iPod
  • Behind the Castle Walls: Picture-in-Picture
  • “Lycanthropes Around the World” Interactive Map

Both version will be released on May 12th, but if you want to get in line now, you can preorder the Blu-Ray version from Amazon.

Mar. 18th 2009

Watchmen Co-Writer to Produce Werewolf Film Slaughter Road

ArcLight alerted me to this Variety article announcing that Watchmen co-writer David Hayter has created a new production company called Dark Hero Studios, and that among its first projects is a werewolf movie entitled Slaughter Road.

Hayter said he hatched “Slaughter’s Road” after he was offered a slew of werewolf movies and found enough flaws in each to never want to make such a pic; genre-savvy friends changed his mind.

Work on Slaughter Road is set to begin this summer. ArcLight comments: “I like the idea that there are a slew of werewolf movies out there looking to get made.” I agree! Hopefully some of the better ones get picked up.

Mar. 18th 2009