Marvel's Werewolf By Night Could Be Coming To Disney+ In New Special
Marvel Studios is reportedly about to "werewolf and go wild," as the Joker once said on late-night TV. We'd heard rumors about an adaptation of Marvel's "Werewolf by Night" comic that could be coming to the Disney+ streaming service, and now it sounds like Marvel is potentially moving forward with that project in the form of a Halloween Special.
The Wrap reports that Marvel "is actively searching for a Latino actor to lead the cast of an as-yet-untitled Halloween Special that will air on Disney+." According to their sources, it wants "a Latino male in his 30s" to star and is looking to commence production in early 2022. "Individuals with knowledge" of the project evidently peg it as a "Werewolf by Night" thing.
The Wrap's track record with sourcing on these matters is usually pretty good, so although Marvel itself hasn't officially confirmed anything yet, there's a very good chance we might be looking at a lycanthrope in the Marvel Cinematic Universe next year. If, in fact, this Halloween Special is centered on Werewolf by Night, then the character would be joining the supernatural likes of Blade, who is set to appear in his own new reboot film starring two-time Oscar winner Mahershala Ali and directed by Bassam Tariq ("Mogul Mowgli").
Vampires versus werewolves: "Underworld" made a whole franchise out of the concept, and the monsters may soon occupy their own macabre corner of the MCU.
Diversity in Marvel Studios Casting
Marvel already has a must-watch "Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special" coming in December 2022, but remember, there's a nightmare before Christmas, or at least another commercial holiday, called Halloween. If there's one thing Marvel knows, it's how to make commercial entertainment. For a time, "Avengers: Endgame" ranked as the highest-grossing film ever, and the only reason it was unseated from that position is because James Cameron's "Avatar," the previous record holder, went into re-release in China this year.
Since Phase Three, when "Black Panther" became the first Black superhero to headline his own MCU movie, part of Marvel's commercial strategy has been diversifying its superhero ranks. Next week marks the release of "Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings," Marvel's first Asian-led superhero movie, and we've already seen women take the forefront in "Captain Marvel" and "Black Widow." On the small screen, "WandaVision" and "The Falcon and the Winter Soldier" also starred or co-starred non-white male heroes, but so far, we haven't seen the Latino community represented as prominently in the MCU.
DC has a Latino-led "Blue Beetle" movie coming to HBO Max; the last we heard about that was that Xolo Maridueña ("Cobra Kai") was in talks to star. What's interesting about Werewolf by Night is that two different comics characters have held this identity, and one of them, seen just last year in the third volume of the "Werewolf by Night" comic, was an Indigenous member of the Hopi tribe.
Either way, with a werewolf waiting in the wings, Marvel's future could be furry and feral.