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After such high-profile flops as 2010’s The Wolfman and 2017’s The Mummy, the latter of which failed to launch Universal Pictures’s intended Dark Universe franchise, came a rare standout amid the studio’s ongoing project of rebooting its classic horror movies: Leigh Wannell’s The Invisible Man, which reframed the 1933 film (based on H.G. Wells’s novel) as an extreme case of stalking and gaslighting. While this ostensibly feminist spin on the story earned the film some appreciation, its pointed topicality was less compelling than Wannell’s masterful orchestration of suspense and, during the middle stretch, use of a single location.

Now, Wannell has been given the reins to Wolf Man, nominally based on the 1941 version with Lon Chaney Jr. that, along with its sequels, proved to be one of the most influential entries in Universal’s monster cycle. As with The Invisible Man, there isn’t much tying...

Wolf Man has been long in development. Unfortunately, the new take on the popular Universal Monsters character is not a big hit with the audiences.

Leigh Whannell successfully rebooted The Invisible Man five years ago, and he joined his second Universal Monsters project in 2020. Due to scheduling, he departed the project to focus on other films, he returned in 2023 after Derek Cianfrance and Ryan Gosling left the project. Unfortunately, the film was not a huge hit and, after a disappointing Rotten Tomatoes score, Wolf Man debuted with a C- score on CinemaScore.

Related The Invisible Man Director Addresses Sequel Chances for the Universal Monsters Hit

The Invisible Man was a huge success, and the director addressed whether a sequel should happen.

Wolf Man is a reboot of the 1941 film The Wolf Man, and stars Christopher Abbott, Julia Garner, and Sam Jaeger. It follows a man who is trying to protect...

When Universal Pictures’ attempt at a Marvel-style “Dark Universe” flopped, Blumhouse stepped in with its own take on classic movie monsters. One of their biggest hits was The Invisible Man, which earned rave reviews and pulled in $144.5 million worldwide on just a $7 million budget.

Director Leigh Whannell, after working on The Invisible Man, shifted his focus to Wolf Man. For years, there’s been talk about a sequel focusing on Elisabeth Moss’s character, the “Invisible Woman.”

Jason Blum and James Wan have hinted that they’re open to continuing the story. However, Whannell recently told The Hollywood Reporter that he’s not interested in directing a sequel.

Whannell explained that crafting an ending is one of the hardest parts of screenwriting, mentioning his admiration for movies like Se7en, which he recently saw in IMAX.

He said he’s proud of how The Invisible Man ended and doesn’t want...

When Universal Pictures' plan for an McU-style "Dark Universe" fell apart, Blumhouse wasted no time putting its own spin on those iconic movie monsters. The Invisible Man was among the first and received rave reviews before grossing $144.5 million worldwide on a mere $7 million budget.

While filmmaker Leigh Whannell has since moved on to Wolf Man, there's been chatter for years about him helming a sequel revolving around Elisabeth Moss' "Invisible Woman."

The movie ended by teasing a vigilante-style follow-up and both Jason Blum and James Wan have left the door open to it becoming a reality in previous interviews.

Unfortunately, Whannell doesn't seem overly interested and closed the door on stepping behind the camera for The Invisible Woman while talking to The Hollywood Reporter (via FearHQ.com).

"An ending is the hardest thing to do in screenwriting. It’s the holy grail of screenwriting, and I revere movies with great endings.

The wolf has come out to play, and some horror fans are not interested. However, others have found a deeper meaning to Leigh Whannell's recently released Wolf Man, a reimagining of a Universal monster classic. While Whannell had already prepared himself for criticism and hate of his wolf-transformation film, the film is proving to be extremely divisive among horror fans.

Sitting at 55% on the Tomatometer and 65% on the Popcornmeter, it seems that the Universal Pictures werewolf flick has divided fans and critics alike. As of right now, Wolf Man might be another example of how flashy advertising, unique screenings, and stunning practical effects can only take a story so far in the hearts of audiences.

Some reviews criticize the lackluster story, while others praise the visual effects and slow burn of Wolf Man. Well, everyone knows that a film will never please every audience member, but it seems like...

Warning: Spoilers for Wolf Man.

Directed by Leigh Whannell, Wolf Man is a reboot of the 1941 classic film of the same name. However, the updated plot bears little resemblance to its predecessor. The film follows Blake Lovell (Christopher Abbott), a family man who travels to his childhood home located in the remote wilderness of Oregon. After his father, Grady (Sam Jaeger), is officially pronounced dead after disappearing in the forest years ago, Blake is tasked with clearing out his old house. With summer rolling in, he decides to bring along his wife and daughter, Charlotte (Julia Garner) and Ginger (Matilda Firth). Unfortunately, terror sets in before any of them have a chance to make it to the house.

After encountering a local hunter, who aids in guiding Blake and his family down the road, a beastly man blocks their path and causes their vehicle to tumble into the woods, rendering it useless.

The director of Wolf Man, the modern adaptation of the classic movie from 1941 and part of the catalog of the Universal Classic Monsters catalog, has set the record straight about Ryan Gosling's involvement in the film and why the star of Barbie left the project. And it was all because of those pesky scheduling conflicts. At one stage, Hollywood icon Ryan Gosling was attached to lead the project at one point. In fact, even before Leigh Whannell was announced as the director in charge, Gosling was the only one attached to the Universal Pictures film, which strives to revive the classic monster movie.

However, Gosling quietly left the project, and Christopher Abbott was brought in as a replacement. The Hollywood status of the two actors is pretty different, and Gosling's presence would surely have helped the film in terms of popularity and fanfare. But Abbott, who has proven his...

2025 had a strong start with an interesting variety of movies released in theaters, and these, along with some of the biggest hits from the final weeks of 2024, are now in theaters. 2024 saw some big hits on the big screen from different genres and was an overall successful year for the film industry, with movies like the comedy The Fall Guy, the drama Challengers, horror with Late Night With The Devil and Longlegs, the sequel Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, and the long-awaited Gladiator II.

The first days of January brought the horror movie The Damned, a one-of-a-kind musical biographical movie with Better Man, and the sequel Den of Thieves 2: Pantera. Now joining them and more is a new version of a horror classic directed by Leigh Whannell and a buddy movie starring Keke Palmer and Sza.

Related 30 Best Movies On Netflix Right Now (January 2025)

From Godzilla Minus One to Under Paris and The Gentlemen,...

Those looking for new releases to watch for the weekend of January 18, 2025, will be spoiled for choice whether you are a fan of horror, action, or gut-wrenching drama. Those who have been keeping an eye on the most recent Oscar predictions will also have a chance to stream several films that have been in consideration, as well as recent winners from the Golden Globes, including titles like Memoir of a Snail, A Different Man, and Queer.

Check below for new movies released this weekend in theaters and streaming, but we have picked four that you won't want to miss out on. Whether you feel the urge to howl at the moon or need a good cry, these four films should be on your radar for those looking for what to watch.

'Wolf Man' (2025) In Theaters

3/5 Wolf Man HorrorThriller

Release Date  January 15, 2025Cast  Christopher Abbott, Julia Garner, Matilda Firth,...

The moment we first caught a glimpse of Wolf Man's titular monster during last year's Universal's Halloween Horror Nights, it was clear Blumhouse's take on the iconic character would be divisive.

In terms of creature design, it's not what fans expected and definitely not what the majority wanted. Alas, it now sounds like that's at least one of the contributing factors to filmmaker Leigh Whannell's take on the franchise being too light on scares in a reboot that lacks bite.

The review embargo lifted today and while some critics enjoyed this fresh take on the most iconic of all werewolves, most agree that Wolf Man is a far cry from the edge-of-your-seat horror movie Whannell delivered with The Invisible Man in 2020.

According to Variety, "'Wolf Man' wants to say something — about the fear of inheriting aggression or mental illness from our parents, perhaps — but winds up making him pathetic in the process.

When we look back on this period of Hollywood movies and decide which reboots and remakes actually deserve to come with us, Leigh Whannell's The Invisible Man should be among them. After Universal's attempted cinematic universe was Doa, the 2020 horror film showed the classic monsters had more to offer than brand recognition by finding something about the 1933 original that spoke to today and mining it for well-executed scares. I remember it as the kind of movie I was telling friends they had to see as soon as I left the theater.

Wolf Man, released on January 15, 2025, follows Blake and his wife Charlotte as they visit his secluded childhood home in rural Oregon. After a mysterious animal attack, they become trapped inside, and Charlotte is forced to confront Blake's disturbing transformation amidst growing tension and fear.

Release Date January 15, 2025Rating RRuntime 103 minutesGenres Thriller, HorrorFranchise(s) Universal MonstersCast Beatriz Romilly,...

Straight off the heels of the acclaimed Nosferatu remake, writer/director Leigh Whannell is transforming a different classic horror film with Wolf Man, having already remade a Universal Monster with his excellent Invisible Man. While the 1941 monochrome masterpiece The Wolf Man would serve to influence werewolf depictions in Hollywood for decades to come, there haven't been many acclaimed wolf works over the past two decades. Universal Pictures' last attempt, 2010's The Wolfman with Benecio del Toro, was underwhelming, but horror fans are hopeful about this go-around from Whannell.

The filmmaker — whose recent Hollywood premiere of Wolf Man was canceled due to the ongoing LA wildfires — has taken a more grounded approach to the beast's origins, doing away with the fortune-teller and pentagrams of the 1941 film (and basically every other plot point of that movie). The more humane script by Whannell and Corbett Tuck offers some clever devices for fans to dissect after the fact,...

After such high-profile flops as 2010’s The Wolfman and 2017’s The Mummy, the latter of which failed to launch Universal Pictures’s intended Dark Universe franchise, came a rare standout amid the studio’s ongoing project of rebooting its classic horror movies: Leigh Wannell’s The Invisible Man, which reframed the 1933 film (based on H.G. Wells’s novel) as an extreme case of stalking and gaslighting. While this ostensibly feminist spin on the story earned the film some appreciation, its pointed topicality was less compelling than Wannell’s masterful orchestration of suspense and, during the middle stretch, use of a single location.

Following that success, Wannell has been given the reins to Wolf Man, nominally based on the 1941 version with Lon Chaney Jr. that, along with its sequels, proved to be one of the most influential entries in Universal’s monster cycle. As with The Invisible Man, there isn’t...

Leigh Whannell delivers a new take on a classic Universal Monster as Wolf Man releases and becomes available to watch. The 2025 horror movie brings back an icon of the monster genre with Christopher Abbott playing the titular character. The film comes from Whannell after he already successfully revamped a Universal Monster with Blumhouse's help in 2020's The Invisible Man. The new version of Wolf Man focuses on a family as the husband/father begins to transform into a new being after an animal attack.

Christopher Abbott joins a long list of actors who have portrayed a version of Wolf Man on the big screen, as he takes on the role after Ryan Gosling dropped out. Universal and Blumhouse elected to give Wolf Man a theatrical release to give audiences a chance to see the movie in theaters before it becomes available to watch at home on streaming and digital. This...

The latest featurette for Universal Pictures and Blumhouse Productions’ Wolf Man remake has dropped, providing fans with a closer look at lead star Christopher Abbott’s portrayal of the titular character. In the modern reboot of Universal’s Classic Monster, Abbott will be playing the role of Blake, a San Francisco husband and father, who inherits his remote childhood home in rural Oregon.

In the featurette, director Leigh Whannell and the creative team discussed the intricate process of creating the look of the Wolf Man, which would set it apart from past adaptations. It also shows behind-the-scenes footage of the special effects prosthetic, and how the team would put it on Abbott. According to Whannell, the look was also inspired by cult classic body horror movies like John Carpenter’s The Thing and David Cronenberg’s The Fly. The video also features Emmy winner Julia Garner, who plays the role of Blake’s wife Charlotte,...

What if someone you loved became something else?

From Blumhouse and visionary writer-director Leigh Whannell, the creators of the chilling modern monster tale The Invisible Man, comes a terrifying new lupine nightmare: Wolf Man.

Golden Globe nominee Christopher Abbott stars as Blake, a San Francisco husband and father, who inherits his remote childhood home in rural Oregon after his own father vanishes and is presumed dead. With his marriage to his high-powered wife, Charlotte, fraying, Blake persuades Charlotte to take a break from the city and visit the property with their young daughter, Ginger.

But as the family approaches the farmhouse in the dead of night, they’re attacked by an unseen animal and, in a desperate escape, barricade themselves inside the home as the creature prowls the perimeter. As the night stretches on, however, Blake begins to behave strangely, transforming into something unrecognizable, and Charlotte will be forced to...

Universal Pictures’ new Wolf Man featurette provides a sneak peek behind the curtain into the creation of the iconic creature’s look. Writer-director Leigh Whannell (The Invisible Man) hopes that “people will walk away from this film unable to forget the imagery,” and promises this is a wolf man no one has seen before.

It Comes at Night‘s Christopher Abbott stars as the titular character. The film also stars Julia Garner (Apartment 7A), Matlida Firth (Coma), Sam Jaeger (The Handmaid’s Tale), Ben Prendergast, and Benedict Hardie (The Invisible Man). Zac Chandler, Beatriz Romilly, and Milo Cawthorne round out the cast.

Julia Garner, Matilda Firth, and Christopher Abbott) in ‘Wolf Man’ (Photo © 2025 Universal Studios)

“Golden Globe nominee Christopher Abbott stars as Blake, a San Francisco husband and father, who inherits his remote childhood home in rural Oregon after his own father vanishes and is presumed dead. With his marriage to his high-powered wife,...

A new featurette for Wolf Man entitled “Leigh Whannell & The New Era of Terror” has been released by Blumhouse. The film itself will be in theaters on January 17, 2025.

“What if someone you loved became something else?”

From Blumhouse and visionary writer-director Leigh Whannell, the creators of the chilling modern monster tale The Invisible Man, comes a terrifying new lupine nightmare: Wolf Man.

Golden Globe nominee Christopher Abbott stars as Blake, a San Francisco husband and father, who inherits his remote childhood home in rural Oregon after his own father vanishes and is presumed dead. With his marriage to his high-powered wife, Charlotte, fraying, Blake persuades Charlotte to take a break from the city and visit the property with their young daughter, Ginger.

But as the family approaches the farmhouse in the dead of night, they’re attacked by an unseen animal and, in a desperate escape, barricade themselves inside the...

From Blumhouse and The Invisible Man director Leigh Whannell comes a terrifying new lupine nightmare, Wolf Man. In the movie, Golden Globe nominee Christopher Abbott (Poor Things) stars as Blake, a San Francisco husband and father, who inherits his remote childhood home in rural Oregon after his own father vanishes and is presumed dead.

With his marriage to his high-powered wife, Charlotte (Emmy winner Julia Garner; The Fantastic Four: First Steps), fraying, Blake persuades Charlotte to take a break from the city and visit the property with their young daughter, Ginger (Matlida Firth; Coma).

However, as the family approaches the farmhouse in the dead of night, they’re attacked by an unseen animal and, in a desperate escape, barricade themselves inside the home as the creature prowls the perimeter. As the night stretches on, Blake begins to behave strangely, transforming into something unrecognizable, leaving Charlotte to decide whether the terror...

Universal and Blumhouse's Wolf Man reboot found inspiration in one of the best body horror movies of all time. Director Leigh Whannell recently shared that The Fly starring Jeff Goldblum was a major source of inspiration for the upcoming horror movie.

Speaking with Empire, Whannell opened up about the body horror elements that will be present in Wolf Man, sharing that he took cues from one of the all-time greats: "What The Fly did that a lot of other practical-effects-driven horror movies from that time did not do was bring the tragedy out of these practical effects." He added, "It wasnt a joke in The Fly. It was there to illustrate someone who was dying of an illness. I was like, 'Ive got to do that.' Its not about being funny or icky or gory. This is about the tragedy of the human body falling apart." As part of the interview,...

The invisible Man director Leigh Whannell returns with another refreshing take on one of the classic Universal monsters in next years Wolf Man. Following the release of a new trailer for the horror outing, the filmmaker sat down with Discussing Film to discuss how he will bring something new to the classic tale of the werewolf, and how he will reinterpret the myth for a modern audience.

"Weve all seen a man transform into a beast under the moonlight. Its a shared image of our collective cultural consciousness. To me, the horrors of Wolf Man lie in the infection. In modernizing the werewolf, I didnt want to make it about a curse or anything mystical. In our post-pandemic world, the proximity to people in our own homes who can be ill with a dangerous sickness is what was most interesting to me. So, I dont want people to walk in...

From Blumhouse and visionary writer-director Leigh Whannell, the creators of the chilling modern monster tale The Invisible Man, comes a terrifying new lupine nightmare: Wolf Man

Wolf Man is directed by Whannell and written by Whannell & Corbett Tuck. Whannell’s previous films with Blumhouse include The Invisible Man, Upgrade and Insidious: Chapter 3.

Check out the brand new trailer now.

What if someone you loved became something else?

Golden Globe nominee Christopher Abbott stars as Blake, a San Francisco husband and father, who inherits his remote childhood home in rural Oregon after his own father vanishes and is presumed dead. With his marriage to his high-powered wife, Charlotte, fraying, Blake persuades Charlotte to take a break from the city and visit the property with their young daughter, Ginger.

But as the family approaches the farmhouse in the dead of night, they’re attacked by an unseen animal and, in a desperate escape,...

The Invisible Man director Leigh Whannell tries his hand at another classic Universal monster with Wolf Man. Arriving in January 2025, the new take on the classic werewolf story finds It Comes at Night‘s Christopher Abbott discovering his feral side as the titular character.

The Blumhouse horror film stars Julia Garner (Apartment 7A), Matlida Firth (Coma), Sam Jaeger (The Handmaid’s Tale), Ben Prendergast, and Benedict Hardie (The Invisible Man). The cast also includes Zac Chandler, Beatriz Romilly, and Milo Cawthorne.

“Golden Globe nominee Christopher Abbott stars as Blake, a San Francisco husband and father, who inherits his remote childhood home in rural Oregon after his own father vanishes and is presumed dead. With his marriage to his high-powered wife, Charlotte (Garner), fraying, Blake persuades Charlotte to take a break from the city and visit the property with their young daughter, Ginger (Firth),” reads Universal’s synopsis. “But as the family...