Marvel's Werewolf by Night is no longer classified as a comedy on Disney+.
Disney+'s landing page for Werewolf by Night, which once listed the upcoming Halloween special as a comedy, now describes the project as "horror, fantasy, super hero, action-adventure." A reason for this genre shift has not been revealed.
Inspired by "horror films of the 1930s and 1940s," the short was initially listed as a comedy by Disney+ when it first appeared on the streaming service. While the special may seek to get a laugh or two from its audience, the description for Werewolf by Night said the special would aim "to evoke a sense of dread and the macabre, with plenty of suspense and scares along the way." The first trailer for Werewolf by Night was unveiled during the recent D23 Expo, embracing the campy, black-and-white aesthetic of old horror movies and introducing audiences to Jack Russell (Gael García Bernal).
Werewolf by Night Goes from Comedy to Horror
Along with Bernal, who will headline the special as the titular werewolf, Werewolf by Night will also star Harriet Sansom Harris (Desperate Housewives) and Laura Donnelly (The Nevers) as Verrusa and Elsa Bloodstone, respectively. Little is known about the plot of Werewolf by Night, though director Michael Giacchino provided an update on the Halloween special in June. "I've been having a blast. It's an incredibly challenging process. I love it," he said. "Every day I've been having fun working on it, and we're in the middle of it, and hopefully very soon we'll share a lot more about it." It was reported in November 2021 that Werewolf by Night would start production in March 2022 in Atlanta, GA.
Created by Gerry Conway, Roy Thomas and Mike Ploog, the first character to be called "Werewolf by Night" was Jack Russell, who was a descendant of a mythical species of humans called Lycanthropes. The character first appeared in the 1972 issue of Marvel Spotlight #2 before starring in a Werewolf by Night series until 1977. The series is also notable for the first appearance of Moon Knight, who was played by Oscar Isaac in the Marvel Studios series of the same name, which premiered on Disney+ in March.
Marvel Comics revived the character in April 2020 with Werewolf by Night #1, a miniseries starring Jake Gomez, created by the writing team consisting of Black Eyed Peas' Taboo, Benjamin Jackendoff and Scot Eaton. In this version, Jake, aka. Red Wolf, is a member of the Hopi Native American tribe whose family has been cursed with lycanthropy.
Marvel Studios' Werewolf by Night Halloween special will premiere on Disney+ on Oct. 7.
Source: Disney+