Famed Saw filmmaker Leigh Whannell has revealed that late Aussie actor Heath Ledger helped inspire a crucial detail in his new movie, Wolf Man.
Ledger tragically died of an accidental drug overdose in his New York apartment aged 28 in 2008.
Whannel, 48, said that when it came to creating a ‘look’ for the creature in his reboot of the horror classic, he was influenced by Ledger’s appearance as the Joker in The Dark Knight.
In an interview with the Herald Sun, the Melbourne-born Los Angeles-based writer and director said he co-wrote his Wolf Man pic with his American wife, Corbett Tuck.
He based part of his version of the Wolf Man on his personal experience with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) – a fatal disease that impacts cells in the spine and brain.
Whannell explained that he had watched a friend struggle with the terrible affliction, also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease.
Famed Saw filmmaker Leigh Whannell has revealed that the late n actor Heath Ledger helped to inspire a crucial detail in his new Wolf Man movie. Pictured: Ledger as thw Joker in the 2008 Batman blockbuster The Dark Knight
Whannel told the Herald Sun last week that when it came to creating a ‘look’ for the creature in his reboot of the horror classic, he was influenced by Ledger’s Joker. Pictured: In Whannell’s gruesome new film, the character played by Christopher Abbott, who becomes a ‘wolfman’, has two large discoloured marks on both sides of his face.
‘For anyone who’s had experience with these degenerative diseases, be they mental or physical, it’s a very slow-motion nightmare,’ he said.
‘In the movies we experience things at a breakneck speed, but in real life someone’s walking with a cane for a few months and then suddenly they’re in a chair, and it’s very slow and insidious. I watched that first-hand and it was awful.’
In Whannell’s gruesome new film, the main character (played by Christopher Abbott) becomes a ‘wolf man’ and has two large discoloured marks on both sides of his face.
The image recalls the memorable make-up that was used for Heath’s evil villain in the 2008 Batman film.
Abbott’s character is attacked by a creature on a dark night under a full moon.
His children and wife, played by Julia Garner of Ozark fame, watch on in horror as his appearance slowly deteriorates.
Whannell and his one-time filmmaking partner James Wan rose to fame after their $1million film 2004 Saw became a blockbuster. To date the 10 films in the Saw franchise have grossed $1billion.
It comes after the news last month that Heath’s 1999 hit film Two Hands is set for a sequel.
Ledger tragically died of an accidental drug overdose in his New York apartment aged 28 in 2008. (Pictured)
Whannell and his one-time filmmaking partner James Wan rose to fame after their $1million film 2004 Saw became a blockbuster. Pictured: Whannell at the Sydney premiere of Wolf Man
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The movie, which co-starred Rose Byrne, was a gangster film set in Sydney’s Kings Cross and featured beloved veteran actor Bryan Brown as a foul-mouthed villain.
It was written and directed by Aussie filmmaker Gregor Jordan, who recently told The Sydney Morning Herald he had finished writing a sequel.
‘We have a script that I think is really good. It brings it into the modern day,’ Jordan began.
‘If we’d tried to do a sequel five years later, it probably wouldn’t have worked, but 25 years later is the right time.’
Jordan added he hoped to bring back some of the actors from part one to reprise their roles.
Heath, who tragically died of a prescription medication overdose in 2008, was the lead actor in the movie and so would be unable to reprise his role as the gangster delivery man Jimmy.
Some cast members who could potentially reprise their roles include Rose Byrne, Bryan Brown, Susie Porter and David Field.
Jordan added he felt both Heath and Rose, 45, were perfectly cast in their roles, in which their characters formed a romance while on the run from Sydney gangsters, led by Bryan Brown.
‘Heath turned it into something special because he was special as an actor and a presence on-screen. Likewise with Rose, she was about to pop as well.’
Both actors used the film to help launch their careers in Hollywood, with Heath going on to appear in iconic movies such as The Dark Knight and 10 Things I Hate About You.
Meanwhile, Rose has appeared in a host of popular movies, including Bad Neighbours and Get Him to the Greek.
In 2022, Two Hands star Susie Porter spoke of her positive experience working with Heath on Two Hands.
The 53-year-old recalled on the 14th anniversary of Heath’s death how her co-star was ‘so creative and kind’.
‘That was just the most unfortunate thing that happened in 2008 with Heath,’ she told Daily Mail .
‘I think we’ve lost one of the most amazing artists – not only just great actors, but as a human being. He was he was so creative and caring,’ Susie added.
‘It’s just such a loss a person like him had to go. He was so kind during my experience working with him,’ she reiterated.
‘It’s sad of what he could have achieved, all the stuff that he could have done after it, and his family.’
Two Hands won the n Film Institute Award for Best Film in 1999 and was screened at the Sundance Film Festival before being released on DVD in the U.S.
The film has gained an enormous cult following in the years since its release and regular plays at film festivals and special cinema screenings around the world.
Wolf Man is in cinemas now.