Universal Studios owns a vast archive of horror monsters just waiting to be unleashed on screen again and again. The last big attempt went wrong: That Dark Universe already failed with the film it was supposed to start with: the 2017 fantasy-horror blockbuster The Mummy.
It’s not the first time Universal has participated in the Revival of his horror monsters suffered a defeat. A particularly grim example comes from 2010. Wolfman, the 1941 remake of The Wolf Man, proved a nightmare in the making and a disappointment at the cinema.
Failed fantasy horror: Benicio del Toro’s desperate attempt to breathe new life into the Wolfman
England, 1891: A series of mysterious deaths causes unrest. The brother of Lawrence Talbot, who has just returned home, is also among the victims. As people whisper, Lawrence begins his investigation. But then he is shocked to find that a beast in himself slumbers.
Watch the Wolfman trailer here:
Wolfman – Trailer (German)
Wolfman comes in the guise of an old-fashioned scary movie. An eerie mist settles over the historical setting. The atmosphere is rightnot to mention the cast: Led by Benicio del Toro, it features acting heavyweights like Anthony Hopkins, Emily Blunt and Hugo Weaving.
Still, Wolfman’s story is one of failure. Both out qualitative as well as financial The film turned out to be a disappointment. On the budget of 150 million US dollars, the theatrical release only brought in 142 million US dollars. However, the problems go back even further.
The Wolfman remake is a prime example of one of Hollywood’s biggest problems
When Wolfman hit theaters in February 2010, the project announced in 2006 had already weathered several setbacks. The biggest is the loss of the director: Mark Romanek, who made a name for himself through music videos and the inscrutable thriller One Hour Photo, quit in 2008 due to disagreements.
Universal
Wolfman
Brett Ratner, James Mangold, Frank Darabont, Bill Condon and Martin Campbell, who had previously revived James Bond, haunted the rumor mill as a replacement before Universal opened up Blockbuster veteran Joe Johnston agreed. Johnston then brought his own writer and rewrote the screenplay.
The chaos behind the scenes becomes even clearer with another example: the music. Danny Elfman was originally hired as the film’s composer, having previously brought Tim Burton’s fantasy worlds to life musically, among other things. However, given his Wolfman score to the studio didn’t agreePaul Haslinger came into play.
Haslinger delivered a very electronic, bass-heavy score. The modern twist on the soundtrack didn’t match the rest of the film, so Elfman’s music found its way into the finished film. Wolfman is a prime example of one of Hollywood’s biggest problems: the Differences between creatives and studios.
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How did you like the Wolfman from 2010?