Why Christopher Abbott Replaced Ryan Gosling in Wolf Man

Director Leigh Wannell brought the classic Universal Monsters a shot of modern life in 2020 with his exciting new film The Invisible Man. After this success, Universal Pictures and Blumhouse began to invent another monster in the form of the Wolfman. Originally an Oscar nominee Ryan Gosling (“Barbie”) was slated to star in The Wolf Man, directed by Cory Finley. (“Bad Education”) flirted with the director's chair before Derek Cianfrance (“Blue Valentine”) came on board. Things changed a lot along the way, and Vannell eventually settled into the director's chair. But why did Gosling quit?

Gosling is still credited with “Wolf Man” as a producer, for what it's worth. However, he does not appear on screen. Instead, Christopher Abbott (“Kraven the Hunter,” “Poor Things”) stars as Blake, a hapless human who becomes a werewolf. In a recent interview with CinemaBlend Leading up to the film's release, Winell explained that the film didn't change much when Abbott took over. About why there was a vacancy to fill in the first place? This was due to scheduling issues.

“It's pretty much the same thing. It was really … when I was working with Ryan, it was a similar story to what you see now. It was isolation, the same characters. It just took so much time. There were these strikes, and suddenly Ryan's schedule changed as expected.”

The 2023 SAG and WGA strikes rocked Hollywood for months on end. This created a lot of scheduling conflicts for different projects. Gosling was also involved in Phil Lord and Chris Miller's sci-fi film Project Hail Mary. which hits theaters later this year. Unfortunately, that's why he couldn't put his stamp on this classic beast.

Vanel's The Wolf Man updates traditional werewolf mythology for the new generation. It has proven somewhat divisive to begin with, thanks in large part to, shall we say, unique creature design. Would things have been different with Gosling in the lead role? It's hard to say. But in the same interview, Gunnell explained that Blake's characterization remained largely the same even though the actor changed:

“It's interesting. The essence of what I was working on with Ryan is what remained throughout the work. Of course, we tweaked it a little bit and Chris had his own ideas, but the essence was the same.”

I tried to discuss this topic with Gosling during an interview on “The Fall Guy” last year. While chatting with the actor and his co-star Emily Blunt, I brought up “The Wolfman,” and Blunt, who starred in 2010's big-budget film “The Wolfman,” playfully shot the question, asking, “Why are you trying to sink my 'Wolfman' with your 'Wolf Man'?' Gosling then politely said, “Next question, please.” Despite my best efforts, I couldn't get through.

Either way, it's possible that Gosling's interest in the project helped land it at Universal. It is worth considering whether it would have been made without his affection. It eventually became a major role for Abbott, who now has the opportunity to showcase his talents in a major studio horror film.

The film also stars Julia Garner (“Ozark”) and Mathilde Firth (“Hullraisers”), written by Winnell and Corbett Tuck. In addition to Gosling, the film was produced by Blumhouse head Jason Blum, with Vinella, Beatriz Sequeira, Mel Turner and Ken Kao serving as executive producers.

“The Wolf Man” is in theaters now.