Benicio Del Toro set to play The Wolfman

Benicio Del Toro is to star in a remake of 1941's lycanthropic classic The Wolfman, as the central character who gets bitten by a werewolf and soon finds himself very hairy during a full moon.

According to the Hollywood Reporter, Mark Romanek has signed on to direct the film, having previously helmed the psychological thriller One Hour Photo, which starred Robin Williams as an obsessive loner who stalks a suburban family.

Romanek is widely known for his work on seminal music videos for artists such as Michael Jackson and Madonna, but he also served as executive producer on 2005's family drama Bee Season.

And Del Toro, who originally hails from Puerto Rico, has built his career around a number of intense and multi-layered roles including Fred Fenster in The Usual Suspects and Javier Rodriguez in ensemble drama Traffic.

Andrew Kevin Walker has been asked to write the script and may be likely to bring his brand of dark and grisly horror to the film as previously displayed in his screenplays for Se7en, Sleepy Hollow and 8MM.

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