The next full moon isn’t until January 17th, but The Nevers star Laura Donnelly is already howling after getting some great news from Marvel Studios. It’s been announced that Donnelly is joining the cast of Marvel’s Werewolf Halloween Special for Disney+.
The special has no title to speak of at this time, and the plot is being kept under wraps. Marvel’s Werewolf Halloween Special also stars Gael Garcia Bernal, who is rumored to be playing a character based on the Marvel character Werewolf by Night, who is capable of transforming into a werewolf while retaining human intellects. While Donnelly’s character has yet to be revealed, Deadline suspects that she could play Nina Price, who becomes Vampire by Night. Price is the niece of the character Jack Russell/Werewolf By Night and a vampire/werewolf hybrid. She carried the Lycan gene and was further changed after being bitten by a vampire. Production for Marvel’s Werewolf Halloween Special is scheduled to begin in a few months.
As an actor on the stage and screen, Donnelly endeared herself to fantasy fans everywhere after starring as Amalia True in HBO’s The Nevers. Created by Joss Whedon, The Nevers tells an epic tale featuring a gang of Victorian women who find themselves with unusual abilities, relentless enemies, and a mission that might change the world. Whedon exited the project before its Season 1 premiere, saying that he would be unable to meet “the physical challenges of making such a huge show during a global pandemic.”
Whedon added, “This year of unprecedented challenges has impacted my life and perspective in ways I could never have imagined, and while developing and producing ‘The Nevers’ has been a joyful experience, I realize that the level of commitment required moving forward, combined with the physical challenges of making such a huge show during a global pandemic, is more than I can handle without the work beginning to suffer. I am genuinely exhausted and am stepping back to martial my energy towards my own life, which is also at the brink of exciting change,” Whedon said. “I am deeply proud of the work we have done; I’m grateful to all my extraordinary cast and collaborators, and to HBO for the opportunity to shape yet another strange world. ‘The Nevers’ is a true labor of love, but after two-plus years of labor, love is about all I have to offer. It will never fade.”
We’ll be sure to keep a close eye on Marvel’s Werewolf Halloween Special for Disney+. In my opinion, Marvel Studios has shown that it can do supernatural horror just as well as it does superhero epics. If you need proof, check out the episode of Marvel’s What If…? titled “What If… Doctor Strange Lost His Heart Instead of His Hands”. There’s some hardcore horror in that episode, and now we’re poised to welcome werewolves into the fold. Mark your calendars for the full moon, and let’s go!