Wolf, there it is: Ryan Gosling transforming into Wolfman for next Universal monster movie

It’s time to bark at the moon and howl with joy, Universal Monster fans. The studio is bringing another one of its classic movie monsters back to life … and things are about to get a little hairy.

Variety is reporting that Universal is moving forward with Wolfman, which is being developed as a starring vehicle for Ryan Gosling. Studio execs have been meeting with potential directors for the monster movie, including Cory Finley (HBO's Bad Education). Lauren Schuker Blum and Rebecca Angelo (Orange Is the New Black) wrote the script, which is based on a pitch by Gosling.

Details on what this new take on the classic character will look like are scarce, but the media outlet is suggesting that, like this year's The Invisible Man, it will be set in the present day and be similar in tone and style to the Jake Gyllenhaal-led thriller Nightcrawler … albeit a bit furrier.

The article doesn't mention whether Blumhouse will be involved. But considering Blumhouse turned Universal's The Invisible Man into a monster hit — and has a first-look deal with the studio — we'd expect Jason Blum's horror studio to be involved somehow.

SYFY WIRE reached out to a Universal rep for comment.

Universal released The Wolf Man starring Lon Chaney in 1941, then remade the film in 2010 (now calling it The Wolfman) with Joe Johnston at the helm and Benicio del Toro in the starring role.

Universal attempted to resurrect its stable of classic monsters with 2017’s The Mummy, but the Tom Cruise vehicle didn’t turn out to be the franchise-spawning hit the studio hoped it would be. So it went in a completely different direction with The Invisible Man, and with the help of Blumhouse, the Leigh Whannell-directed film became a box-office smash, earning $122 million off a $7 million budget. Now, according to Variety, the plan is to take a creator-driven approach with the Universal Monsters over the Dark Universe’s attempt at establishing a sense of continuity among films.

This Wolfman movie is just one of many monster projects we expect to see from Universal. A new Dracula feature is also in the works, while Saw and Aquaman director James Wan is developing another monster movie for the studio.

SYFY WIRE and Universal Pictures are both owned by NBCUniversal.