Marvel Studios has just dropped the first black and white trailer for “Werewolf by Night,” which stars Golden Globe-winning Mexican actor Gael García Bernal in the title role.
The Halloween Special will premiere on Disney+ on Oct. 7.
The one sheet for the upcoming “special presentation” has also been released.
Bernal, who TheWrap first exclusively reported in the role, hit the D23 stage on Saturday to introduce “Werewolf by Night” saying ,”I’m really happy to be here, wanting to say so many things but still holding it, because there are a lot of surprises.”
Bernal was joined by director Michael Giacchino, who makes the jump from Oscar-winning composer of films like “Up,” “The Incredibles” and “Spider-Man: Homecoming” to direct the special.
“I went to film school,” Giacchino said. “Music has taken over my life, which is incredible. But I wanted to make a movie. This is all for you. I would watch these 1930s and 40s horror movies and to be able to be here with you, to be the first people to show you what we’ve been up to, I’m so excited.”
The first “Werewolf by Night” comic book revolved around Jack Russell, which was created by Gerry Conway and Mike Ploog based on concepts by Stan Lee and Roy Thomas, and first appeared in a 1972 issue of “Marvel Spotlight.” Russell led an ongoing “Werewolf by Night” series that ran for 43 issues and ended in 1977.
Russell is a descendant of the mystically-altered offshoot of humans known as Lycanthropes, who eventually becomes capable of transforming on his own volition even without a full moon, and retaining his intellect while transformed. Among other things, that series is notable for having the first appearance of Moon Knight, a character whose own Disney+ series, starring Oscar Isaac, will stream in 2022.
Marvel introduced a second incarnation of the character, Jake Gomez, last year in “Werewolf by Night” (Vol. 3) #1. Created by the writing team of Taboo, Benjamin Jackendoff and Scot Eaton, Gomez, a member of the Hopi Native American tribe whose family has been cursed with lycanthropy, comes in conflict with a nefarious pharmaceutical company exploiting members of the tribe.
It’s not clear which, if either, version of “Werewolf by Night” will serve as inspiration for the TV special.
