Is Werewolf by Night headed to Disney+?

Marvel Studios is actively searching for a Latino actor to lead an untitled Halloween Special. According to The Wrap, that project may bring “Werewolf by Night” to the screen. 

Now, that title actually belongs to two separate characters in the MCU. The first, Jack Russell, first appeared in a 1972 issue of Marvel Spotlight, created by Gerry Conway and Mike Ploog. As a descendant of mystically-altered humans known as Lycanthropes, Russell eventually becomes capable of transforming on his own volition even without a full moon, and retaining his intellect while transformed. His character starred in his own “Werewolf by Night” series, which ran for 43 issues, ending in 1977.

The second iteration of the character appeared more recently, in a series from just last year. In this version, Jake Gomez, a Hopi Native American whose family has been cursed with lycanthropy, comes in conflict with a nefarious pharmaceutical company exploiting members of his tribe.

At this point, it’s not clear which version of the character Marvel may be looking to bring to the screen. Although interestingly, the ‘70s series also marked the first appearance of Moon Knight. With Disney+ already working on a Moon Knight series, it would make sense to use that as an entry point for Werewolf by Night. (Marvel does love for their on-screen projects to link up, after all.)

Werewolf by Night cover

Either way, we’ll have to wait a bit to see where Marvel goes with this one. The casting search is currently underway. With production set to begin in early 2022, hopefully that means the special would debut on Disney+ for Halloween next year.

So, what do you think? Should Marvel bring Werewolf by Night to the screen? Who would you cast in the role? Let us know in the comments below.

Source: The Wrap