Christopher Abbott turns into a monster in ‘Wolf Man’ trailer [Watch]

Awhoooo! The werewolf is back in the new Comic-Con trailer for “Wolf Man,” which is coming to theaters this winter from Blumhouse and Universal.

Golden Globe nominee Christopher Abbott stars as Blake, a husband and father who gets attacked by a werewolf and contracts an infection that starts turning him into a werewolf, too. He starts acting strangely and scarily. At one point, we hear what he hears when his Charlotte (three-time Emmy winner Julia Garner) is speaking to him, and it doesn’t even sound like words. As he transforms from man to beast, Charlotte tries to escape from their rural farmhouse with their daughter Ginger (Matilda Firth) before it’s too late. 

The horror thriller comes from director Leigh Whannell, who also wrote the script with Corbett Tuck. Whannell previously made 2020’s much-acclaimed “The Invisible Man,” another reimaging of a classic Universal Monsters character. In an interview with DiscussingFilm, Whannell said that “Wolf Man” was inspired by isolation and fear of disease during the pandemic, and that informed the design of the creature. “Rather than trying to outdo or build upon what has already been done in the past, I tried to do something singular, where people could say, ‘Oh, I’ve never seen that version before,’” he said. The character, which is designed by Academy Award-nominated makeup artist Arjen Tuiten, is not clearly shown in the trailer, but a public unveiling this summer revealed a less lupine and more humanoid appearance, with long, sickly white hair. 

The character originated in 1941’s “The Wolf Man” played by Lon Chaney Jr., who reprised the role in four sequels. Joe Johnston made a remake in 2010 starring Benicio del Toro and character design by legendary special effects makeup artist Rick Baker, who won an Academy Award for his work on the film. Ryan Gosling and Derek Cianfrance were originally attached to Blumhouse’s “Wolf Man,” but dropped out last year as Whannell took over. Gosling retains an executive producer credit. 

“Wolf Man” hits theaters on January 17, 2025 — which is unfortunately not a full moon.