Why Werewolf By Night's Michael Giacchino Thinks His Horror Series Duped Disney's Censors
The Marvel Cinematic Universe has expanded in some truly unexpected ways over the past few years, but the addition of Disney+ exclusive television shows is arguably the most noteworthy. This has allowed Marvel to focus on characters in a longer form than movies and be experimental in ways that perhaps a more traditional movie setting wouldn't allow for. The upcoming "Werewolf by Night," a horror-tinged special, is perhaps the MCU's first evidence to support the latter part of that mission statement.
"Werewolf by Night" will follow the eponymous character Jack Russell (Gael García Bernal) and a group of monster hunters as they compete for a relic that holds tremendous power. The first trailer for "Werewolf by Night" sees both Marvel and director Michael Giacchino fully embracing the campy and surreal nature of classic horror films, and it's clearly a send-up to that era of monster films. However, director Giacchino, who's perhaps best known as a music composer for many popular movies and television shows, believes that his horror special somehow duped Disney's censors.
Michael Giacchino thought Werewolf by Night would be TV-MA
During a recent interview with The Hollywood Reporter, "Werewolf by Night" director Michael Giacchino revealed some interesting facts about the making of the horror special. Perhaps most notable, however, is the fact that he fully believed that the series would be the first MCU property on Disney+ to achieve a TV-MA rating and not the TV-14 it ended up with. "We had always assumed it would be TV-MA, but I wasn't always involved with what was happening on that end in terms of ratings and all of that," Giacchino said.
The interviewer wondered if the fact that the show is in black and white may have played a part in offsetting the amount of blood, and Giacchino seemingly agreed with the idea. "And so I'm not sure, but I am sure you are absolutely right that the black and white did help keep us within a certain range." Regardless of the reasoning for its TV-14 rating, it seems as if the director has really tried to nail the classic monster feel that he was going for. Early reactions to the special have praised it for just that, as well as for properly bringing a dose of horror and monsters to the MCU (per Collider).
"Werewolf by Night" releases October 7 on Disney+.