Werewolf by Night executive producer Brian Gay recently confirmed that the upcoming special's titular character and Man-Thing will both return in future Marvel Cinematic Universe projects.
Gay opened up about Marvel Studios' plans for Jack Russell/Werewolf by Night and Man-Thing in an interview with The Direct. "I think one of the very cool things about the special is it's just peeling back the corner of monsters in the MCU, right?" he said. "So there's not just the monsters that are part of Werewolf by Night... What all this lends to is the idea that for centuries there have been monsters within the world of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and they've been being tracked or hunted or kept at bay by these hunters. And I think, well, we don't know exactly where they'll pop up next, the idea is that, with this wide swath of different species and types, they're going to pop up again. You're going to see these guys in different ways, of course."
Gay's comments arrive hot on the heels of critics' first reactions to Werewolf by Night, which have been largely positive. Several critics hailed the black-and-white special as being unlike any other MCU movie or TV show and expressed their appreciation for the way director Michael Giacchino has captured the vibe of classic horror films. Other aspects of Werewolf by Night singled out for praise included the performances, characters, cinematography, score and tone. As such, it's easy to see why Gay is optimistic about the MCU outlook for Jack Russell and his supporting cast going forward.
Michael Giacchino's Shocking Werewolf by Night Pitch
Reports that Werewolf by Night differs from previous MCU projects are hardly surprising, given Giacchino previously revealed that his pitch for the special shocked Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige. "It was funny because [Kevin Feige] was talking to me and said, 'So what would you want to do?' And I was like, 'I want to do Werewolf by Night," he said. "And he looked at me like, 'Really? Like really? Werewolf--' I'm like, 'Yeah, that's what I want.' He was like, 'Wow. Okay, alright. Let's talk about that.' And the conversation just kept going, and going, and going, and then, and here we are now."
Even Disney+ is apparently unsure exactly what to make of the special, having originally listed Werewolf by Night as a comedy and not a horror outing. The streaming service later updated Werewolf by Night's genre to "horror, fantasy, superhero, action-adventure" without supplying an official reason for the change.
Werewolf by Night premieres on Disney+ on Oct. 7.
Source: The Direct