Director Lee Whannell brings the classic Universal Monsters to modern life in 2020 with his exciting new take on The Invisible Man. After that success, Universal Pictures and Blumhouse began to invent another monster in the form of Wolfman. Originally nominated for an Oscar Ryan Gosling ("Barbie") was set to star in Corey Finley's Werewolf ("Bad Education") flirting with the director's chair before Derek Cianfrance ("The Blue Valentine") came along. Things changed a lot along the way, and Whannell eventually settled into the director's chair. But why did Gosling quit?

Gosling is still credited on "Wolf Man" as a producer, for what it's worth. However, he does not appear on the screen. Instead, Christopher Abbott ("Kraven the Hunter," "Poor Things") stars as Blake, the hapless man who becomes a werewolf. In a recent interview with CinemaBlend timed to the film's release, Whannell explained that the film didn't change much once Abbott took office. As for why there was a vacancy to fill in the first place? It came down to scheduling issues.

"It's pretty much the same thing." Really, you know... when I was working with Ryan, it was a similar story that you're seeing now. It was the isolation, the same characters. It's just been so long. on the side, there were these strikes and all these things changed at once. But I'm happy we got Christopher Abbott hoped."

The 2023 SAG and WGA strikes have roiled Hollywood for months. It created many scheduling conflicts for various projects. Gosling also had duties on Phil Lord and Chris Miller's sci-fi film Project Hail Mary. which is set to hit theaters later this year. Unfortunately, because of this he was unable to put a stamp on this classic beast.

Whannell's The Wolf Man updates the traditional werewolf mythology for a new generation. It proved a bit divisive at first, in no small part thanks to, say, unique creature design. Would things have been different with Gosling in the lead role? That's hard to say. But in the same interview, Whannell explained that Blake's characterization has largely remained the same, even though the actor has changed:

"It's interesting. The core of what I was working on with Ryan is what has remained throughout the whole thing. Of course they would tweak it a bit and Chris had his own ideas, but the essence of it was the same."

I tried to open this thread with Gosling during an interview with "The Fall Guy" last year. While talking to the actor and his co-star Emily Blunt, I brought up The Wolfman, and Blunt, starring in 2010's big-budget flop The Wolfman, playfully derailed the question by asking, "Why are you trying to sink my Wolfman?" with your 'Wolfman?'" Gosling then politely said, "Next question, please." Despite my best efforts, I couldn't get to the end.

In any case, it's likely that Gosling's interest in the project helped land it at Universal in the first place. It is worth considering whether or not it would have been done without him in the first place. Ultimately, it became a major tool for Abbott, who now has the opportunity to showcase his talents in a major studio horror film.

The film also stars Julia Garner ("Ozark") and Mathilda Firth ("Hullraisers"), with a screenplay by Whannell and Corbett Tuck. In addition to Gosling, Blumhouse director Jason Blum produced the film, with Whannell, Beatriz Sequeira, Mel Turner and Ken Cao serving as executive producers.

Wolfman is in theaters now.