Ryan Gosling and director Derek Cianfrance look set to reunite on Universal's upcoming reimagining of the horror classic, Wolfman.
According to Deadline, Cianfrance is currently in talks to join the project and take up the director's seat after The Invisible Man's Leigh Whannell vacated the spot due to scheduling issues. Wolfman would mark the third collaboration between Gosling and Cianfrance, who previously worked together on 2010's Blue Valentine and 2012's The Place Beyond the Pines.
The last film that Cianfrance directed was 2016's The Light Between Oceans, though he has also attracted positive reviews for his more recent work on the HBO miniseries I Know This Much Is True, which is an adaptation of Wally Lamb's novel of the same name. He wrote and directed all six episodes of the Mark Ruffalo-led drama series.
"Horror movies were my first love — my entry into what cinema was capable of narratively, psychologically and aesthetically," Cianfrance said in a statement. "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."
Gosling will serve as a producer on Wolfman, along with Jason Blum and Ken Kao. Cianfrance is said to be penning the movie's script, which is "inspired by" the 1941 Universal Monsters classic The Wolf Man starring Lon Chaney Jr. At this stage, however, it remains unclear exactly how the story will transform for the big-screen reboot.
Universal's first attempt at launching its very own Monsterverse (dubbed "The Dark Universe") didn't go according to plan after 2017's The Mummy starring Tom Cruise failed to make a lasting impact at the box office. However, the studio later found success with The Invisible Man starring Elizabeth Moss, which earned $98.3 million on a budget of only $7 million.
Universal is now focused on building out its monster portfolio with even more high-profile titles, many of which are already in development. Amongst those projects, there is a monster movie centered around the Dracula-adjacent character Renfield, a James Wan-produced Van Helsing movie, and an adaptation of The Thing in collaboration Blumhouse Productions.
Adele Ankers is a freelance writer for IGN. Follow her on Twitter.