Ryan Gosling is sinking his teeth into Universal’s growing monster universe titles. The two-time Oscar nominee is attached to star in a Wolfman remake which was written by Orange Is The New Black scribes Lauren Schuker Blum and Rebecca Angelo.

The last werewolf pic at Universal, 2010’s The Wolfman, had Benicio del Toro in the title role starring alongside Anthony Hopkins, Emily Blunt, and Hugo Weaving. It follows Lawrence Talbot, who, while returning to his homeland, is afflicted by an ancient curse when he is bitten by a werewolf.

A director for this latest take has yet to be named.

EXCLUSIVE: Universal’s latest Wolfman movie starring Ryan Gosling looks to be gaining momentum as the studio has zeroed in on a director that knows the Oscar-nominated actor’s work very well. Sources tell Deadline that Derek Cianfrance, who teamed with Gosling on the dramas Place Beyond the Pines and Blue Valentine, is in talks to direct a new take on the studio’s classic monster character.

Cianfrance steps in for Leigh Whannell, who parted ways with the project earlier this year due to scheduling. Gosling, Ken Kao and Jason Blum are producing, and Cianfrance is penning the script.

It’s unknown what the new take on Wolfman will look like, though it is believed to be a modern take and not a period piece like the one starring Benicio Del Toro. Gosling pitched the idea and the take fell in line with the studio’s new vision for its monster movies. Universal had originally planned on creating an interconnected universe with its vast catalog of monster IP. However, the studio reassessed after The Mummy with Tom Cruise misfired, and decided to move forward with filmmaker-driven projects based on the monsters’ legacies, focusing on what made the characters endure over time. Instead of prescribing a mandate that the films be part of a larger scheme, Universal loosened those restrictions and open-sourced to talent to create their own unique stories.

Cianfrance is not known for tackling event projects at major studios, preferring more grounded adult dramas he’s done with Gosling like Blue Valentine and Place Beyond the Pines. That said, the two are always open to listening to pitches from one another when projects come up, and insiders say after Whannell departed, Gosling approached Cianfrance about his idea for the film, ultimately winning the director over.

“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,” said Cianfrance.

Although Cianfrance hasn’t directed a film since 2016’s The Light Between Oceans, he recently earned an Oscar nomination for his work writing Sound of Metal. On the TV front, he earned strong reviews directing all six episodes of the Emmy-winning limited series I Know This Much Is True starring Mark Ruffalo.

Wolf Man has taken a new form.

Christopher Abbott, currently on screens with award season darling Poor Things, will star in Blumhouse and Universal Pictures’ werewolf thriller that is being directed by Invisible Man filmmaker Leigh Whannell.

Additionally, the companies have set an Oct. 25, 2024 release date for the feature, meaning the project is now moving faster than a speeding silver bullet.

That’s a hair-raising development for the thriller, which for the past three-plus years had Ryan Gosling on board to star. And it marks a return to the Wolf Man director’s chair for Whannell, who was initially on board the creature feature but moved aside in 2021, with Gosling’s Place Beyond the Pines and Blue Valentine director Derek Cianfrance parachuting in.

Gosling and Cianfrance have both departed the project although Gosling will now receive an executive producer credit.

Plot details are being kept on the dark side of the moon but the mysterious story is now focused on a man whose family is being terrorized by a lethal predator.

The script was written by Whannell and Corbett Tuck as well as Lauren Schuker Blum and Rebecca Angelo, the latter the duo who penned the well-regarded comedic drama, Dumb Money.

Jason Blum is producing the film.

In addition to Gosling, Ken Kao, Bea Sequeira, Mel Turner and Whannell are executive producing. Wolfman will be a Blumhouse and Motel Movies production.

For Whannell, Wolf Man will mark the second monster movie and fourth directing collaboration with Blumhouse, after 2020’s The Invisible Man, 2018’s Upgrade, and 2015’s Insidious: Chapter 3. The writer-director is repped by by CAA and Myman Greenspan.

Wolf Man could turn out to be the most mainstream project yet for Abbott, who has made name for himself starring in eclectic and unique indies over the years. The actor has appeared films ranging from Sean Durkin’s Martha Marcy May Marlene to Brandon Cronenberg’s Possessor, notching up Indie Spirit and Golden Globe nominations.

This year, in addition to Poor Things, Abbott also appeared opposite Tom Holland in Apple’s The Crowded Room miniseries.

He is repped by WME, Entertainment 360, and Sloane Offer.