AceShowbiz - Ryan Gosling has got replaced by Christopher Abbott in "The Wolf Man". The "Barbie" star, 43, won't be playing the lead role in Leigh Whannell's latest Blumhouse horror, which will tell a different tale to the original 1941 flick, with the "Crowded Room" star, 37, taking his place.

The movie also finally books a release date of October 25, 2024.

It was previously claimed that Ryan was poised to play an anchorman who gets infected in the upcoming monster movie. He had parted ways with the project due to scheduling conflicts.

As well as a change in the cast, although Leigh was in early talks to helm the flick, Derek Cianfrance was briefly named director. The film will not be a period piece like the 2010 movie that starred Benicio del Toro and Sir Anthony Hopkins.

Ryan had pitched the idea for the film to be set within Universal's new vision for monster movies, although the studio reassessed the plans after Tom Cruise's "The Mummy" turned out to be a flop. Universal opted to move forward with projects based on the monsters' legacies and opted for filmmaker-driven projects.

According to Deadline, Ryan had approached Derek about directing the movie following Leigh's departure and ultimately won the filmmaker over. Derek said in a statement at the time, "Horror movies were my first love - my entry into what cinema was capable of narratively, psychologically and aesthetically."

"Coupled with the opportunity to collaborate with Ryan again, this is truly a dream come true. I'm thrilled and inspired to work with the good folks at Blumhouse and Universal to bring this monster back to life in our collective unconscious."