The Wolfman - 2009

SDCC 08: Wolfman Attacks the Con


IGN moderates the panel for Universal's horror remake.


by Jim Vejvoda


July 25, 2008 - IGN Entertainment Editorial Director Chris Carle moderated today's presentation of Universal's The Wolfman at San Diego Comic-Con. Oscar-winning special effects artist Rick Baker, who designed the title character, and the film's stars Benicio Del Toro and Emily Blunt were on the panel, which presented exclusive first-look footage from the Joe Johnston-directed remake of the 1941 horror classic.

Baker said that his lifelong love for the classic Universal monsters, especially the Wolfman, made him seek the project out once he'd heard it was being made. He believes the old school approach the new Wolf Man is what will differentiate this werewolf movie from the current crop of CG-heavy monster movies.

Del Toro was also a lifelong fan of the Lon Chaney movie and has his agent bring the idea of a remake to the studio years ago. Blunt said she was drawn to the project because she liked the idea of being a damsel in distress and enjoyed the script.

Del Toro said that the makeup process was only an issue for him when it came to removing the prosthetics because putting it on was exciting because he could see the character coming to life. Del Toro said that cast member Anthony Hopkins set the tone on the set and praised him as a gracious gentleman.

Del Toro introduced an extended trailer to the audience, which begins with an old man in a tavern recounting how his father had seen locals torn apart by a mysterious creature. His father had to melt down his wife's silverware to make silver bullets to protect against the monster and never left the house on a night of a full moon ever again. Then decades later Del Toro's character returns to his English country manor, a prodigal son as his father (played by Hopkins) calls him. Needless to say, Del Toro is a werewolf.

Del Toro doesn't realize he's a werewolf initially but then the bodycount grows and he appears horrified by what he's done to his fellow man. Emily Blunt plays his love interest, although she soon finds herself on the run through the woods from the Wolfman. Hugo Weaving shows up as the man out to hunt down the monster. Del Toro is captured eventually and put into restraints but nevertheless transforms and goes on a rampage through the town.

At one point a man is pulled into an open grave and butchered by the Wolfman. The next day Del Toro, blood-drenched and his clothes shredded, is confronted in a field by his father, who tells him, "You;ve done terrible things." The dad certainly seems to know more about his son's secret than he does, which makes you wonder if he isn't a werewolf himself. The trailer ends with a scene between Blunt and Del Toro where he tells her, "I am what they say I am. I am a monster."