Werewolf by Night is an MCU Disney+ Halloween special based on the comic book series of the same name. There are two fictional werewolves featured in American comic books published by Marvel Comics, known as “The Werewolf by Night.” The first appearance of Werewolf by Night (often referred to simply as The Werewolf) was in Marvel Spotlight #2 (February 1972). Variety is only speculating which character will be featured in the Disney+ Halloween special, which will be either Jack Russell or Jake Gomez.

The Hollywood Reporter is even playing more coy, with sources claiming it would not be titled Werewolf by Night “by the time the special airs on Disney+ later this year," though this isn’t the case. Disney+ is playing this one close to the vest. Filming wrapped in April, and although no production photos have leaked, here is everything we know so far.

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Updated September 2022 by Liz Young: If you’re looking for more details about Werewolf by Night, you’ll be happy to know that we’ve updated this article with more information, including what was released at D23.

Werewolf by Night: The Plot

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Is it Jack or Jake? Rumors and leaks can be found all over the internet, including on the subreddit r/MarvelStudiosSpoilers. These were only speculations, but with some additional digging, one can see that at least some of these purported elements might be true. Industry magazines were careful not to tip their hands, presenting information on both Jack Russell and Jake Gomez. With the release of the trailer during D23, which werewolf we’re getting is finally confirmed. Gael Garcia Bernal is playing Jack Russell, based on available information and the captioning of the trailer.

Jack Russell is from the mysteriously transformed branch of people known as Lycanthropes. He is compelled to morph into a werewolf, a big, powerful form that is a combination of human and wolf. He loses his human mind during the night of the full moon and the two nights around it. He can also mutate freely outside of the full moon when he retains control of himself, thanks to a set of circumstances. Jack has the proportionate physical advantages of a wolf that is almost 7 feet tall. He has superhuman strength, speed, stamina, durability, agility, and reflexes in this form. In both his human and superhuman forms, he has a phenomenal sense of smell.

This doesn’t rule out Jake getting his own film in the future or from appearing in this one. Jake Gomez, a second iteration of the character, was introduced by Marvel in Werewolf by Night (Vol. 3) #1 of the previous year. Gomez, a member of the Hopi Native American tribe whose family has been cursed with lycanthropy, clashes with a dishonest pharmaceutical corporation abusing members of the tribe. This most recent comic book was developed by Taboo, Benjamin Jackendoff, and Scot Eaton.

The trailer gives a wonderful look at what to expect. Fans of black and white horror films like Creature from the Black Lagoon are in for a treat. The trailer is presented entirely in black and white, with iconic sound effects and cut scenes reminiscent of horror films from the first half of the 20th century.

The voiceover discusses that there is a monster among the group that night, and someone is going to find them. A large, circular cage sits in the middle of the room, and it looks like the “monster” ends up in it at one point, as someone is roughly pulled against the bars. But is it the monster they had in mind?

Werewolf by Night: The Cast

Gael Garcia Bernal is set to play Jack Russel. Bernal is best known for his role in Mozart in the Jungle, where he was critically acclaimed and won a Golden Globe for Best Actor in a Comedy Series. He has starred in countless films, including the globally celebrated feature Y Tu Mamá También and The Motorcycle Diaries.

Actress Laura Donnelly from Northern Ireland is tapped to play Elsa Bloodstone, known for playing the lead character in HBO’s The Nevers, Amalia True. For her work in The Ferryman, she won the Best Actress prize at the 2018 Olivier Awards in April. She made her on-screen debut in the 2005 drama Sugar Rush on Channel 4. She is also recognized for her roles in the television series Outlander, Casualty, The Fall, Hex, and the Irish film Insatiable (2008).

IMDB lists Jaycob Maya as Jake Gomez, though the actor’s role has not been confirmed. Maya is an actor and producer known for Alchemical Sons: A Star Wars Story (2022), SkyFly, and Six Degrees of Separation (2019). Of course, this might be a ploy to keep us from finding out more about Werewolf by Night. Twitter has a list of other actors. However, no sources are given.

There is much information floating around the Marvel Universe on this title. Most are seemingly unsubstantiated or incorrect. Variety even penned a full article suggesting that “Dimension Films has set Oscar-nominated screenwriter Robert Nelson Jacobs” to come up with the feature franchise Werewolf by Night. Yet a quick glance at any of the trades or other source materials shows that Jacob has no new credits to his name.

Other sources, as mentioned above, have actors listed as playing certain roles with no substantiated reporting. Disney+ is undoubtedly keeping this under wraps. Disney’s WikiFandom page includes all of these actors, yet there are no announcements or evidence that these actors have been cast. The r/MarvelStudioSpoilers subreddit suggests that several other Marvel monsters will make appearances in the film. Man-Thing and Elsa are among the characters.

As we have noted above, Laura Donnelly is cast as Elsa. However, there are no actors listed for Man-Thing. There are other rumors that Man-Thing may be a completely animatronic character.

Release Date

As announced at D23, Werewolf by Night will be available to stream on Disney+ starting October 7, 2022.

Everything Else We Know

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While Disney and Marvel had been fairly elusive about the film, they did reveal the trailer at D23 when director Michael Giacchino, Gael García Bernal, and Laura Donnelly joined Kevin Feige on stage. Giacchino says that “this is something I’ve been wanting to make for you since I was like ten years old.” Many know him for his work as a composer on projects like The Incredibles, Thor: Love and Thunder, and Rogue One: A Star Wars Story to name a few, but Werewolf by Night will be his feature film directorial debut.

As we head into autumn, the days are getting shorter, and the nights are getting longer, so keep your eyes and ears open for any night creatures lurking in the shadows!