For anyone interested in watching man turn into beast, there are countless werewolf movies out there to choose from. The legend of the werewolf can be traced back to Roman literature in the 1st century. However, in film, the pivotal moment for werewolves was arguably the The Wolf Man in 1941, directed by George Waggner (pictured above).

The Universal Pictures offering is regarded as an all-time classic, but there’s no doubt that it could use a modern reboot. That is soon set to come to fruition, with a new version of The Wolf Man due in 2025.

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The original Wolf Man was hugely influential

There are various films from the early days of cinema that acted as catalysts for some of the most popular genres today. These include offerings like Dracula (Tod Browning, Karl Freund) and Frankenstein (James Whale), which were both released in 1931 and are still having an impact on today’s entertainment industry.

The Wolf Man can be categorised in the same group as these classics, as it arguably inspired all the werewolf content that succeeded it. More than 70 years on from its release, it’s still possible to see its influence in modern works. For example, Hellhounds and Blackout are two offerings that have already been released in 2024.

There are also plenty of The Wolf Man-inspired options in the gaming industry. Wolf Blaze WowPot Megaways is one of the top Megaways slots on the market, and it uses many of the classic tropes that were first made mainstream in the 1941 movie.

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A remake set for 2025

A common strategy in today’s cinema industry is to find classics of yesteryear and remake them for modern audiences. Despite its long-lasting impact on the werewolf genre, the George Waggner title now looks rudimentary compared to modern CGI-laden pictures. For the effect of the story to live on for many more years to come, it’s crucial that it’s rebooted with modern technology.

This is set to come to fruition in 2025 with Leigh Whannell’s fresh adaptation. The new offering will feature Christopher Abbott in the starring role, and he’ll be accompanied by other fan favorites such as Julia Garner and Sam Jaeger. The upcoming movie will stick closely to the plot of the original, but it will use contemporary digitalisation tools to make the protagonist look more realistic than before.

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Universal Pictures rebooting other classic monsters

The Wolf Man is the latest in a range of rebooted monster flicks from Universal Pictures. Originally, the studio had wanted to create its Dark Universe, which was set to be a shared cinematic franchise similar to the Marvel Cinematic Universe. However, when The Mummy flopped in 2017, it opted to release its pictures as standalone movies.

The Invisible Man was rebooted in 2020 and was a commercial success. Thanks to its popularity, there’s an Invisible Woman spin-off planned and an untitled sequel. Whannell directed that offering as well, so Universal Pictures will be hoping his Wolf Man reboot has the same effect.

The original The Wolf Man picture still has an influence on the werewolf offerings of today. However, the remake has the potential to be the dirtiest title in the genre to date, thanks to the modern cinematic techniques it has at its disposal.