The next project for It helmer Andy Muschietti may still be a live action version of The Flash for DC, but word has just broken that he has a particularly juicy project already lined up for afterward: A remake of Joe Dante’s classic werewolf horror movie The Howling for Netflix. Muschietti had previously spoken of his desire to remake The Howling, and confirmed he would be doing so to That Hashtag Show during a panel for Underwater, which he was moderating.
The original Howling landed in 1981 as just one entry in what is generally regarded as the best year ever for werewolf cinema, alongside counterparts Wolfen and An American Werewolf in London. The film remains beloved by horror geeks today for its brutality and hardcore transformation sequences, and lands at #3 on Paste’s own list of the best werewolf movies of all time. Dante adapted the film from Gary Brander’s 1977 novel of the same name, and the success of The Howling went on to inspire a string of increasingly insipid sequels, which featured among other things the bizarre sight of Christopher Lee slumming it in The Howling 2: Your Sister is a Werewolf.
There’s no way to say when this Howling remake would actually arrive, given that it seems like The Flash is first on his docket—and a big-budget superhero film is guaranteed to tie up a chunk of time. Perhaps Muschietti will be able to devote himself toward The Howling in late 2020?
In the meantime, here’s the basic synopsis of the original story, which sees a news reporter living among a secret coven of werewolves.
In Los Angeles, television journalist Karen White (Dee Wallace) is traumatized in the course of aiding the police in their arrest of a serial murderer. Her doctor recommends that she attend an isolated psychiatric retreat led by Dr. George Waggner (Patrick Macnee). But while Karen is undergoing therapy, her colleague Chris (Dennis Dugan), investigates the bizarre circumstances surrounding her shock. When his work leads him to suspect the supernatural, he begins to fear for Karen’s life.