Benicio Del Toro

Watch out Farmville and move aside Mob Wars, because the Wolfman is on Facebook.

In anticipation of the February 12th release date, Facebook is bringing fans of the iconic character The Wolfman: Legend of the Full Moon, an all new in-browser game that pits man against beast in an epic showdown. From the press release:

"In The Wolfman: Legend of the Full Moon" you can choose a side, build your characters, recruit friends, and battle anyone who will face you. Are you a WOLFMAN or a Hunter? Earn points for exclusive film content including free ringtones, wallpapers and clips."

* Set yourself apart from others with the application's customizable characters
* Check out the unique weapons and abilities
* Move to the top of the boards fast to gain rank promotions
* Send this to your fellow Wolfman friends and foes to earn a recruitment bonus
* Be sure to place high on The Wolfman leaderboard

The release of the game ties in with the brand spankin' new Wolfman website, which features fascinating lessons in lycanthropy as well as a look at the legacy of Universal Pictures' classic monsters through rare clips, images and music.

The Wolfman is directed by Joe Johnston and stars Benicio del Toro, Anthony Hopkins, Emily Blunt and Hugo Weaving.

Troubling rumors continue to swirl around Universal's remake of The Wolfman, but today I bring you the rare bit of positive news: The official website for the film is now online and open for business.

As far as movie websites go, this one is pretty run of the mill. Universal treats viewers to the trailer, then whisks them off to a menu where they can learn more about lycanthropy, check out a site devoted to Universal's classic monster movies, and promises that the opportunity to "explore Blackmoor" is coming soon. There's even a photo gallery, but the interface is so annoying that I made it through two photos before giving up completely.

At one time, the film (which sees Benicio Del Toro tackling the role of the wolfman) was highly anticipated. Now, after a delay (that saw the release date shift from November to February), changes in the crew (Danny Elfman left the project, the editor was replaced), and lots of stories about reshoots because the special FX weren't up to snuff, most horror fans are far less optimistic about the final project. I'll say this--the trailer still looks great.

Del Toro is joined by Anthony Hopkins, Emily Blunt, and Hugo Weaving in the film, which was directed by Joe Johnston, will debut in theaters on February 12th.

The Wolf Man has had a spot or two of trouble finding its way back to the big screen. First One Hour Photo director Mark Romanek, who got the remake off the ground in the first place, dropped off the project citing creative differences. Joe Johnston stepped in to fill his shoes and it seemed the wait wouldn't be long before we'd all be reveling in Benicio Del Toro's blood-curdling howls at the moon. Then woe-of-woes struck: the dreaded release date shuffle.

Universal Studios had originally carved out November of '08 to unleash The Wolf Man. Then late winter/early spring of '09. Now we're stuck wait until February 10, 2010. Universal insisted their trepidation to actually put the creature feature in theaters was not out of a lack of confidence, but a stalwart patience for finalized special effects work. And now that the first trailer for Joe Johnston's stab at the classic monster is up on Yahoo I only have one reaction and it's right up there in the title.

The Wolf Man looks stunning. You could never even gleam from the trailer (embedded below) that the production has had such a bumpy ride to fruition. The script, aided by Se7en screenwriter Andrew Kevin Walker, seems peppered with chewy bits of quotable goodness. Emily Blunt is a knockout in a corset, Anthony Hopkins feels right at home in a castle and the pain behind Benicio del Toro's eyes looks positively ravaged.

February 10th suddenly feels decades away.

By William Goss

Poor, poor Benicio Del Toro. A former resident of last February, last April and this coming November, his take on The Wolf Man has been bumped back to next February now. That's right: for all the re-scheduling and re-shoots, Joe Johnston's version of the classic monster movie has all but lapped itself on the release slate, hoping to serve as R-rated counter-programming on February 12th, 2010 to Valentine's Day fare and maybe rake in the kind of opening weekend that Friday the 13th had this year ($40 million -- albeit followed by a steep 80% drop in attendance)

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