In addition to producing films and television shows, Marvel Studios is getting into the holiday special business. Now, the company has tapped Gael García Bernal to play the lead in a Disney Plus Halloween special that is believed to be Werewolf by Night adaptation.
News of Marvel Studios' plans to produce a Halloween special was first reported back in the summer of 2021. At the time, all that was known about the project was that Marvel Studios was searching for Latino actors in their 30s for the lead and that the main character may be based on one of two who have taken the Werewolf by Night name in the comics.
Now ,The Wrap reports that the search has ended with the casting of Bernal. However, it's still unclear if the character he plays will be based on either version of Werewolf by Night, if any. Marvel Studios is reportedly aiming to begin production on the untitled Halloween special in 2022. Bernal is perhaps best known for his Golden Globe-winning role as Rodrigo in Mozart in the Jungle and for playing Julio Zapata in director Alfonso Cuarón's Y tu mamá también. Of course, Bernal previously worked with Disney when he provided the voice of Héctor in both the English and Spanish-language versions of Pixar's Coco.
In the comics, the first character to become the Werewolf by Night was Jack Russell, a decedent of Lycanthropes. Eventually, Russell was able to transform into a werewolf without a full moon while keeping his human intellect. The second Werewolf by Night was Jake Gomez, a member of the Hopi Native American tribe who could transform into a werewolf due to a curse placed upon his family. While Gomez is eventually able to control his werewolf side, he later comes into conflict with a pharmaceutical company that has been exploiting members of the tribe.
Interestingly, the Werewolf by Night comic series with Russell featured the first appearance by Moon Knight. So, with the Moon Knight series set to hit Disney Plus in 2022, perhaps fans will get to see the two characters meet in the MCU one day.
The supposed Werewolf by Night project isn't the only holiday special coming from Marvel Studios. James Gunn is set to write and direct the Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special for Disney Plus, which will be set before the events of Vol. 3.
Marvel Studios' Halloween special is currently in pre-production.
Source: The Wrap