The Wolf Man panel was almost a disaster. They had only half hour to begin with, Watchmen ran long, and Rick Baker, Benicio Del Toro, and Emmily Blunt ended up starting their panel in the midst of chaos. Half the audience was leaving for lunch and the Halls technical crew was apparently already out to lunch. Eventually though, things settled down and they got down to the business of giving us a thumbnail sketch of this new Wolf Man version.
It’s interesting that the panel was run primarily by effects guru Rick Baker. Director Joe Johnston wasn’t available and Baker slipped easily into the role of their little groups head honcho. Of course since it was Baker leading the way, most of the panel ended up being special effects talk, and Baker talked about how important it was that they use practical effects on the film, instead of overdone CGI. Said Baker: “There’s a real magic that happens when you get a really good actor with the good makeup. He looks at himself in the mirror and sees that he’s the Wolf Man.” That doesn’t mean it will all be makeup. Baker admitted at one point that they are planning to use CGI on the transformations at least, but only in concert with his amazing makeup work. He says of using both CGI and practical effects, “I think it’s nice when they can work hand in hand. I think it’s right when either one of them is used appropriately.”
While Baker talked, Del Toro sat on stage and grinned at the audience with a wolfish grin. Forget the makeup, the guy looked ready to eat the audience right then and there. When posed with any question, his answer would invariably somehow involve the way in which being the Wolf Man is like pursuing a woman like a ferocious animal. For instance when asked what it took to get into character, he looked over at Emily Blunt hungrily, bared his teeth and said “I just chased.” Del Toro is the Wolf Man and he’s s an old school fan of the classic version and just about everything Lon Chaney has ever done. For him, this seems as if it’s a dream come true. He admitted during the panel, “I’ve been wearing the makeup of the Wolf Man since I was a kid.”
Emily Blunt for her part, was perfectly willing to admit her role was simply to be chased. When asked why she took the part she said, “I can run and I can scream. I can do that… I just liked the idea of being a damsel in distress.” Once on set, getting into character was easy for her with Del Toro wolfing it up. She said, “I didn’t have to do much. The noises, he would come out with, it was just terrifying. I really was running.”
Eventually, they showed a clip from the film, the first anyone has seen so far. Anthony Hopkins figures prominently into the movie, as the Wolf Man’s father. That Benicio del Toro would manage to pull off looking Wolfy is a given, but I was shocked at how downright animalistic the aged Mr. Hopkins is. He’s great, and so by the way, was the clip. The movie is a period piece, set in the late 1800s, and they really use that to full effect, giving the movie a dark, classic monster movie tone. It’s not some dumb slasher, or over CGI’d adventure flick. It looks like pure, classic, monster movie scares. If that’s your thing, expect The Wolf Man to deliver. Benicio del Toro is well on his way to becoming the next Lon Chaney, and apparently, loving every minute of it.
