Disney is no stranger to bending stories in unexpected shapes. Their new special, “Werewolf by Night,” is a mix between a movie and a long TV episode, and introduces something new to the Marvel Cinematic Universe. It also stars Gael García Bernal.
“Werewolf by Night,” is Marvel’s first Special Presentation and is a black-and-white quasi-horror short that, unlike the rest of the MCU, presents a self-contained story. If successful, other offbeat stories can continue on this tradition, taking on lesser known Marvel characters and providing viewers with new experiences .
García Bernal plays Jack Russell and becomes the MCU’s first werewolf, pushing the envelope for more fantasy within the Universe. Unlike other werewolves, Russell is capable of transforming while still retaining his human intelligence and common sense. The film also introduces Elsa Bloodstone (Laura Donnelly), a monster hunter, and Man-Thing, another monster from old-school Marvel comics.
“Werewolf by Night” is directed by Michael Giacchino and is his directorial debut. While a seasoned Disney presence, Giacchino has mostly worked on soundtracks and scores over the course of his career. In an interview with Gizmodo, Giacchino explained that he pitched the film to Kevin Feige, the MCU’s mastermind, taking advantage of the fact that the universe is currently in the ‘now what’ stage. “And honestly, when you’re working on something like this, something that is so different and so new, you don’t even know if it’s going to work,” he said.
Giacchino also talked about how exciting it was to direct a story that could be set anywhere, at any time, without having any connections to other MCU characters and properties. “That’s the great thing. In my mind, it is happening somewhere within the MCU but we purposely never say when, why, how, all of that, because to me, it was just about these characters. Let’s worry about these people for tonight and see what happens,” said Giacchino.
“Werewolf by Night” debuts on Disney plus this October 7th.