Is Werewolf by Night a Movie? Is the Disney Plus Special in the MCU?
Marvel fans will be able to welcome in the Halloween season with style this Friday when the special feature Werewolf by Night drops. Ahead of its release, we confirm if the feature is a movie and if its narrative is canon to the MCU.
Werewolf by Night is one of the few final projects of this year under Marvel’s umbrella, coming before Black Panther: Wakanda Forever and The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special.
Directed by Michael Giacchino and written by Heather Quinn and Peter Cameron for Disney Plus, Werewolf by Night is based on the Marvel Comics character of the same name and serves as Marvel’s first Special Presentation. The feature stars Laura Donnelly and Harriet Sansom Harris alongside Gael García Bernal as the titular monster.
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Is Werewolf by Night a Movie?
Yes, Werewolf by Night is labeled as a TV Movie by IMDB, and its lack of episodic breakdown confirms its movie format as well.
The movie is officially being called a ‘Special Presentation’ by Marvel Studios and Disney Plus, and it is also confirmed to be a one-off.
Since the narrative is not long enough to span a 6-9 episode series nor a regular feature-length movie’s runtime, it’s likely that the events will span one night, following monster hunters searching for a relic amidst a lurking predator.
The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special is also expected to be delivered in the same format around the Christmas season.
How Long is Werewolf by Night?
The Special Presentation is confirmed to be 52 minutes long by IMDB, which is a very short runtime for a movie.
As Werewolf by Night is incorporating the black-and-white style of Universal monster movies from the early 1900s, this could be one reason why the feature’s runtime is so short.
Classic movies such as Dracula (1931) Werewolf of London (1935) and The Wolf Man (1941) all had similar runtimes sitting between 70-75 minutes.
Is Werewolf by Night in the MCU?
Yes, Werewolf by Night will take place in the Marvel Cinematic Universe and be canon to previous entities.
Speaking to Gizmodo, Giacchino acknowledged the special’s place in the MCU but stated Werewolf by Night is a confined narrative:
“I didn’t want to muddle it with a bunch of things that were happening elsewhere in the MCU. And at the same time, I’m not messing with any of those things that are happening. They are all still happening. It all exists. It’s all there. We’re just looking at one night in the life of Elsa and Jack.”
Furthermore, Marvel fans are expecting Moon Knight to make a possible cameo in the feature since the vigilante appeared in a few issues of the Werewolf by Night comic.
By Jo Craig – [email protected]
Werewolf by Night premieres Friday, October 7, 2022, on Disney Plus.
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Jo Craig
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Jo Craig is a staff writer at GRV Media reporting pop culture content on Forever Geek and brainstorming with the HITC Entertainment team. After nearly a decade in the game, Jo finds dissecting Marvel trailers for hours standard practice and still finds time to review, analyse, and research film, anime, video games and everything on the nerdy spectrum. Maintaining a strong social media presence, Jo’s passion for contributing to the geek culture community is a staple in their work and the spark behind vibrant discussions with comrades, even though some disagree that The Lord of the Rings is the best franchise.
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