Meet the cast of Werewolf by Night, Marvel’s first Halloween special
The MCU is expanding into the realm of... monsters!
Marvel is getting all spooky with the launch of its first ever Halloween special, Werewolf by Night, inspired by the cult favourite comic book of the same name, which opens up a whole new corner of the MCU.
Gael García Bernal and Laura Donnelly lead the one-off as Jack Russell and Elsa Bloodstone, two characters with the potential to become major recurring players in the franchise.
Meanwhile, composer Michael Giacchino takes on double duty here, also stepping into the director's chair, citing his adoration of the horror genre as what drew him to the offbeat project.
"With my love for the Universal films of the '30s, the Hammer Horror films, right into Sam Rami’s Evil Dead, Werewolf by Night is a giant mashup love letter to those movies that I absolutely loved and devoured while growing up," he said.
While discussion of comic book media has become overrun with rabid Easter egg hunts as of late, Werewolf by Night should be considered a standalone story – sorry, no surprise cameos here!
"I thought it would be so interesting if we did something that was one night in this character’s life, not visually connected to anything else in the Marvel universe," added Giacchino.
"Even though it does exist within the Marvel Universe we know and love – this character is living at the same time as Spider-Man and Captain America – we just stay with Jack’s perspective for the run of the story.”
Here's everything you need to know about the Werewolf by Night cast ahead of the Marvel Halloween special's release on Disney Plus.
Gael García Bernal plays Jack Russell/Werewolf by Night
Who is Jack Russell/Werewolf by Night? Jack Russell is one of the monster hunters invited to the Bloodstone estate for a ceremony in memory of the late Ulysses Bloodstone. Though said to have wracked up hundreds of kills in his time, he hides a dark secret (you can probably guess what it is by the title).
On joining the Marvel universe, actor Gael García Bernal said: "I was actually very happy that the story was not about a superhero, but about a monster and about that world, because I feel that monsters are more human than superheroes. In a way, monsters are the sublimation of our traumas or of our taboos in a sense."
What else has Gael García Bernal been in? Last year, Bernal starred in M Night Shyamalan's polarising thriller Old, which split audiences with its surreal vision of a beach that makes its guests age rapidly. Previously, he earned high praise for his work on Prime Video comedy Mozart in the Jungle, post-apocalyptic drama Station Eleven and Pixar animation Coco. He is also known for his wide variety of Spanish-language work, including collaborations with directors Pedro Almodóvar, Alejandro González Iñárritu, and Alfonso Cuarón.
Laura Donnelly plays Elsa Bloodstone
Who is Elsa Bloodstone? Elsa Bloodstone is the disgraced daughter of the late Ulysses Bloodstone, who turned her back on her neglectful family to forge her own path in life. The magical gem her father wielded in life was once hers by birthright, but now she will have to fight to prove herself worthy of holding it.
"What attracted me to her story so much was this idea of what you grow up with, and what you’re told by your family, and who you are shaped to be by them, whether that’s for good or bad," said actor Laura Donnnelly. "And then, as you get older, how you come to face that and in a sense break off from those expectations and just become your own person and a fully formed adult."
What else has Laura Donnelly been in? Most recently, Donnelly has stepped into a lead role on HBO sci-fi drama The Nevers, while she also plays the recurring character of Hella on Sky Atlantic's Britannia. She has also appeared in Merlin, The Fall, Outlander and Beowulf: Return to the Shieldlands, as well as 2019 biopic Tolkien.
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Harriet Sansom Harris plays Verusa Bloodstone
Who is Verusa Bloodstone? Verusa is the icy widow of Ulysses Bloodstone and Elsa's stepmother. She presides over the ceremonial hunt in her late husband's memory.
"Verusa wants to repress things that either she’s afraid of in herself or that she can’t control," said actor Harriet Sansom Harris. "She’s very interested in control. She never had the ultimate power, her husband did, but as the widow Bloodstone she has, for the time being, a lot of power, and she’s very ready to exert and exercise it."
What else has Harriet Sansom Harris been in? Harris will be familiar to fans of US comedy for her roles as Bebe in Frasier and Felicia in Desperate Housewives. More recently, she's joined Ryan Murphy's catalogue of stars with roles in American Horror Story: Apocalypse, Hollywood and Ratched. Last year, she made a guest appearance in acclaimed US comedy Hacks, while on the big screen, she featured in Best Picture nominee Licorice Pizza. Her other film credits include Baz Luhrmann's Romeo + Juliet, Christopher Nolan's Memento and Phantom Thread, starring Daniel Day-Lewis.
Kirk R Thatcher plays Jovan
Who is Jovan? A bounty hunter invited to the ceremonial hunt to commemorate Ulysses Bloodstone's death.
What else has Kirk R Thatcher been in? Thatcher has previously made brief appearances in Star Trek: Picard and Spider-Man: Homecoming (as a different character), but works more frequently as a director. One of his recent projects is another Halloween special, Muppets Haunted Mansion.
Leonardo Nam plays Liorn
Who is Simon? A bounty hunter invited to the ceremonial hunt to commemorate Ulysses Bloodstone's death.
What else has Leonardo Nam been in? Nam is probably best known for his recurring role as Lutz on HBO's sci-fi epic Westworld, while he previously dabbled in comic book horror for DC's short-lived (but fan favourite) Swamp Thing series. Most recently, he provided his voice to animated series Pacific Rim: The Black and appeared in Netflix original family film Yes Day.
Eugenie Bondurant plays Azarel
Who is Linda? A bounty hunter invited to the ceremonial hunt to commemorate Ulysses Bloodstone's death.
What else has Eugenie Bondurant been in? Bondurant is also no stranger to horror, recently appearing in blockbuster sequel The Conjuring 3 as The Occultist. Her other credits include Tigris in The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 2, and Miss Carol in this year's Interview with the Vampire series.
Daniel J Watts plays Barasso
Who is Barasso? A bounty hunter invited to the ceremonial hunt to commemorate Ulysses Bloodstone's death.
What else has Daniel J Watts been in? Watts's previous screen projects include Prime Video comedy The Marvelous Mrs Maisel, Jordan Peele's The Last OG, and crime drama Blindspot.
Werewolf by Night is available to stream on Disney Plus from Friday 7th October 2022. Sign up to Disney Plus for £7.99 a month or £79.90 for a year. Check out more of our Sci-Fi coverage or visit our TV Guide to see what's on tonight.
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