Disney's D23 Expo is always full of big announcements, and usually it's fair share of surprises. There was no shortage of that this year, and honestly, I'm still catching my breath from all of the news that came out over the weekend. One of the biggest surprises came with the words "A Marvel Studios Special Presentation". Little did I know that this would translate to the kind of thing that we haven't come to expect from Marvel Studios.
There had been rumblings of a Werewolf By Night adaptation at some point. The project just went from zero to almost here with the snap of Kevin Feige's fingers. He took the stage with director Michael Giacchino to show off the first trailer. Here it is, in case you missed it.
Classic horror vibes from Marvel? I never thought that I would see the day. Kevin Feige actually described it as "fun-scary" on the D23 stage, so I wouldn't get your hopes up for a hard R rated slasher or anything like that. Not much more was revealed, but here's what we do know from the trailer and the comic history of the story.
Gael García Bernal will play Jack Russell, who Marvel fans also know as the title character of the series. Laura Donnelly is also part of the cast as famed monster hunter Elsa Bloodstone. We also see and hear quite a bit of Harriet Sansom Harris as Verusa. If you blinked you may have also missed an appearance from the fan-favorite character, Man-Thing. You might have also noticed the TVA wielding their batons. Now, the hunt is on, but who is being hunted?
We also know that the character of Jack Russell finds out that he has this lycanthrope curse thanks to his family bloodline. He is mainly a hero in the comics, but it will be interesting to see what take Marvel Studios will use for this character. It's also anyone's guess as to what other characters that we might see in this story. I'm not sure Morbius fans should hold their breath for an appearance, though.
The final surprise is the release date. Werewolf By Night will be released October 7th on Disney+. That's right, this year. So, if the hour-long special is a success, who knows what we might get next. Keep checking back for our review and any last minute updates.
Photo Credit: Marvel Studios