It has been obvious for some time that The Wolfman has not been a blessed production. I’m not going to list once again the replacements, changes, and re-do’s that have occurred with this film, but it suffices to say it’s been troubled.
When all else fails though, and you are wondering how to turn out a respectable product, you could do a whole lot worse than hiring a goddamn genius to re-cut your film. The keen eyes over at /Film managed to catch the bit of news hidden in a Variety article that Mark Goldblatt and Walter Murch have been hired to re-cut the film. Mark Goldblatt has edited everything from Terminator 2 to G-Force, with some truly inspired work amongst his filmography. Walter Murch is the Oscar-winning great that, besides pretty much inventing modern sound editing, is one of the most celebrated editors of all time (his book In The Blink of An Eye is absolutely essential for those wishing to understand why film works as a medium).
If it is the case that the film is in a bad place, there is no guarantee that these two will save it. If the film simply needs some help though, then Universal did a fine job finding a pair to intervene.
May we cross our fingers for a movie no one wants to see fail.
On a related note, there is new French poster for the film that follows the established pattern of moody simplicity.* (Kudos to JoBlo for the catch).
Let us hope for a smooth path between now and February 12th for The Wolfman.
*Took me a second to work out that he was holding it behind his back. I was beginning to wonder if one of the Wolfman’s new maladies was impossible hands.