3) The Wolf Man – Idris Elba
The Character: Even if you’re not familiar with Universal’s long-running The Wolf Man franchise, it doesn’t take much to work out what its central character’s all about.
In the 1941 movie, Lawrence Talbot is a prodigal son who returns to his ancestral home in England where he’s attacked by a werewolf and, you’ve got it, starts to transform into one himself. What marks the Wolf Man out from the other monsters is that he’s portrayed as more of a sympathetic protagonist, who’s always trying to cure his affliction. Lon Chaney Jr. played the part throughout the original series and the role was taken up by Benicio del Toro in the 2010 remake.
The Actor: Despite that recent movie (which flopped big time), Universal will likely soon reboot the character again to fit in with the Dark Universe franchise. As the concept of werewolves is so much more familiar to modern audiences than those of the 1940s, the movie will likely live or die on the strength of its central star.
Apparently, Universal were once after Dwayne Johnson for the part. While you gotta love a bit of the Rock, Johnson probably has enough on his slate at the moment. Instead, our pick to play a modern version of Talbot is Idris Elba. Elba has the gravitas, the physicality and not to mention the gravelly, growling voice to really nail the role.