"The Wolfman" Has Nards

There's been a lot of rumors swirling around Universal's "The Wolfman". Reshoots and a release date change didn't help to put a stop to the whispers and negative buzz has been rearing its ugly head in some circles. Believe it or not, reshoots and release date changes don't always translate into a bad thing. You remember a little film called "Star Trek" that dropped May of 2009, yeah said film was originally dropping in Christmas 2008. Sure there are many times when reshoots and release dates can kill a film, but according to "The Wolfman" producer Scott Stuber via AICN, that isn't true in this case.

1) It was Joe Johnston's idea to bring in editor Walter Murch after the spring '09 reshoots to supply a "fresh perspective" and, most importantly, get the film in shape. "We were running a little long in that phase because we'd added new footage," said Stuber. "So it was about shaping that footage. There's never been that kind of contention; it's never been this editing suite vs. that editing suite." Stuber had nothing but praise for Dennis Virkler's work, and insisted this was all about getting a new pair of eyes. My opinion: if Walter Murch is willing to work on your film, you hire Walter Murch.

2) Murch did the bulk of the work. Mark Goldblatt was only on for three or four weeks to assist with a complicated London set piece.

3) Moving the release date from November to February was all about finishing the f/x, particularly in that London sequence. "You have all of these backgrounds you've got to get right," said Stuber. "All of these period buildings and the way they're lit. They weren't getting finished correctly, so they sort of took you out of [the film] a little bit. Getting the extra six weeks to work on that stuff was helpful."

4) Per Stuber: "The thing about Donna [Langley]... they weren't really involved in that stuff. They knew [what we were] doing, and they were supportive of it, but there's never been an editing room that was sanctioned by the studio against the filmmakers."

5) The dual test screenings in November were not dueling test screenings. "There were sequences or pieces that we wanted to try differently," said Stuber. "And we did them back-to-back so we could watch them. Like when [inspector Francis] Abbberline (Hugo Weaving) arrives at the house for the first time." Basically, it was all about rhythm and pacing. Nothing major. By the way, they've got their R-rating from the MPAA, so don't worry about that being rescinded.

6) The future of Universal's other "Classic Monsters" is not contingent on the success of THE WOLFMAN. Each of these projects is its own entity, and they all have little to do with one another.

This all sounds well and good. You could look at it a number of ways. Universal really wants to make this work and is taking their time and pulling out all the stops to get it right. Caring about the characters and hoping the audience will as well. Or you can look at it another way, the project has been deluged with indecision and misdirection and now the studio and all involved are trying to spin this mess into a positive. I guess it might depend on the kind of person you are, glass half full or glass half empty? The true indicator will be the reception the movie receives upon its release and in the studio's case, how much money they are able to clear and put in their pockets.