Jason Blum (Blumhouse Productions) has disclosed that The Invisible Man and Upgrade fame, Leigh Whannell, will helm the upcoming reboot of Wolf Man. Despite directing only three movies so far, Whannell has established himself as one of the most acclaimed horror directors in Hollywood. And without a shout of a doubt, he is perfect for directing the Wolf Man reboot.
Leigh Whannell’s Wolf Man will serve as a reboot of the 1941 classic of the same name, directed by Curt Siodmak. It stars Christopher Abbott as Lawrence Talbot, aka Wolf Man, and Julia Garner.
Day one on the set of Wolf Man. Director Leigh Whannell pictured here. LFG!!!
— Jason Blum (@jason_blum) March 18, 2024
📸: Nicola Dove/Universal Pictures and @blumhouse pic.twitter.com/qeny3bjYdl
Whannell is best known for co-creating the Saw franchise with James Wan. It took him nearly 11 years to step into the world of direction with Insidious: Chapter 3 (2015) after the first Saw movie (2004). His work in the Saw franchise stands as a testament to his brilliant comprehension of bestowing masterful scares and building suspense. Yes, many people have criticised excessive gore and violence in these films. But Whannell shut the mouths of all the naysayers with his work in Insidious: Chapter 3. We are not saying that Chapter 3 was a perfect film. But his ability to maintain high suspense levels and execute well-timed scares make the third Insidious chapter an exciting watch. He proved that he didn’t need the blood and carnage of his Saw films to make Insidious: Chapter 3 entertaining.
Upgrade (2018) marked Leigh Whannell’s first venture into sci-fi horror and action. His unique usage of camera angles to show STEM (an AI chip) taking control of Grey (Logan Marshall-Green) during the fight sequences is what stands out the most in the film. And he puts the cherry on top with a shocking twist ending, allowing STEM to take complete control of Grey’s mind and body.
For The Invisible Man (2020), Whannell stepped away from the elements of supernatural or sci-fi horror. The film, instead, had elements of psychological horror. It uses Adrian’s (Oliver Jackson-Cohen) advanced-tech invisibility suit to touch the topics of gaslighting and domestic abuse. The more Adrian tries to take advantage of his suit, the more we see Cecilia (Elizabeth Moss) going close to a nervous breakdown.
Many of Leigh-Whannel’s above-mentioned qualities may benefit the forthcoming Wolf Man reboot, being produced under the banner of Blumhouse Productions. It will come out in theatres worldwide on October 25, 2024. Stay tuned for more updates.
We’re hiring!
We are hiring two full-time junior to mid-level writers with the option to work remotely. You need to work a 5-hour shift and be available to write. Interested candidates should email their sample articles to [email protected]. Applications without a sample article will not be considered.
