The Wolfman: Derek Cianfrance replaces Leigh Whannell as director of Ryan Gosling project

About a year and a half ago, it was announced that Ryan Gosling would be starring in a new version of The Wolfman for Universal Pictures, and had even brought the pitch to the studio himself. The writing duo of Lauren Schuker Blum and Rebecca Angelo were working on the script, and soon after Blumhouse came on board to produce the film, with their The Invisible Man director Leigh Whannell coming along with them. Then there was a long stretch where we didn’t hear any news about the project – but now there has been a shake-up behind the scenes. Deadline reports that Whannell had to leave the project earlier this year due to scheduling issues, and Gosling’s Blue Valentine and Place Beyond the Pines director Derek Cianfrance will take over The Wolfman. Cianfrance is also writing a new draft of the script.

According to Variety, this take on The Wolfman is 

believed to be set in present times and in the vein of Jake Gyllenhaal’s thriller Nightcrawler with an obvious supernatural twist.

The Hollywood Reporter heard that 

Gosling would play an anchorman who gets infected. The script has been described as having a vibe that evokes Network (1976) and Nightcrawler (2014). 

Cianfrance had this to say about joining the project:

Horror movies were my first love – my entry into what cinema was capable of narratively, psychologically and aesthetically. Coupled with the opportunity to collaborate with Ryan again, this is truly a dream come true. I’m thrilled and inspired to work with the good folks at Blumhouse and Universal to bring this monster back to life in our collective unconscious.”

A couple weeks ago, Blumhouse founder Jason Blum said they were “working on trying to get a script that (Ryan Gosling) feels good about and comfortable about and excited about.” Hopefully Cianfrance will be able to crack it for them.