Joe Johnston

Forget silver bullets, blooming wolf's bane and full-moon fever -- the real curse of "The Wolfman" was all the hard luck that the Universal Pictures release had to claw through to reach the screen Friday. The old-school monster revival, which stars Benicio Del Toro and Anthony Hopkins, arrives after enduring a late change in director, three release-date postponements and a major reworking in the edit bay. The strange thing, though, at least according to director Joe Johnston, is that somehow the film underwent a startling metamorphosis in the final cut. "I think it's turned into a film that is much, much better than the studio or probably anyone else expected," the filmmaker said while sitting down for lunch at a Beverly Hills hotel.

Forget silver bullets, blooming wolf's bane and full-moon fever -- the real curse of "The Wolfman" was all the hard luck that the Universal Pictures release had to claw through to reach the screen Friday. The old-school monster revival, which stars Benicio Del Toro and Anthony Hopkins, arrives after enduring a late change in director, three release-date postponements and a major reworking in the edit bay. The strange thing, though, at least according to director Joe Johnston, is that somehow the film underwent a startling metamorphosis in the final cut. "I think it's turned into a film that is much, much better than the studio or probably anyone else expected," the filmmaker said while sitting down for lunch at a Beverly Hills hotel.

CAST: Benicio Del Toro, Anthony Hopkins and Emily Blunt. Directed by Joe Johnston. BACK STORY: "It's a monster movie with a great story," says director Johnston of the film. "It's got all the gore and the action and terrifying moments, but it also has these relationships that will make it appeal to a much broader audience than just the fanboys." The film, inspired by the original 1940s production, stars Del Toro as Lawrence Talbot, a nobleman who notices frightening changes within himself while on a quest to find his brother, who has vanished.

CAST: Benicio Del Toro, Anthony Hopkins and Emily Blunt. Directed by Joe Johnston. BACK STORY: "It's a monster movie with a great story," says director Johnston of the film. "It's got all the gore and the action and terrifying moments, but it also has these relationships that will make it appeal to a much broader audience than just the fanboys." The film, inspired by the original 1940s production, stars Del Toro as Lawrence Talbot, a nobleman who notices frightening changes within himself while on a quest to find his brother, who has vanished.

Jurassic Park III" ends with an oddly lyrical shot of pteranodons, perhaps the most fearsome dinosaurs in the film, winging off like so many giant seabirds into the sunset. The human characters, who have recently escaped from the depredations of the flying marauders, wonder whether the creatures are looking for a new home. "Jurassic Park IV" may already be in the works.

Summer movies and comic book heroes--it's a pairing that brought you "Batman" in 1989, "Dick Tracy" in 1990 and this summer, "The Rocketeer." The who? Good question.

Before the summer began, the entertainment media were awash in stories forecasting the season's big films by A-list directors such as Steven Spielberg, Tim Burton and Michael Bay. But who could have predicted that the summer box-office heat would be fueled by films made by a string of unsung directors such as Andrew Adamson and Vicky Jenson, Rob Cohen, Lawrence Guterman, Joe Johnston and Robert Luketic? Don't recognize their names?

If you've seen more than one Marvel Entertainment film, survived the standard cameos by Stan Lee and the obligatory appearances by Samuel L. Jackson as Nick Fury, you would be more than forgiven for feeling you've seen enough. "Captain America: The First Avenger" is not the film to change your mind, but it does have something the others do not: Chris Evans in the title role. Evans has gone the Marvel route before, playing Johnny Storm/The Human Torch in a pair of "Fantastic Four" movies.

"The Wolfman" can keep howling. A week after director Mark Romanek ("One Hour Photo") left the Universal Pictures project in a budget dispute, the studio has hired Joe Johnston ("Jurassic Park III," "Hidalgo") to take over, Universal said this week. Universal was in a difficult position because Romanek split from the production less than two months before photography was to commence. The remake film's cast includes Benicio Del Toro, Anthony Hopkins and Emily Blunt. The film's budget, before a $15-million British rebate, was $100 million.

"The Rocketeer" is finally going to blast off--at Disney--with director Joe Johnston ("Honey, I Shrunk the Kids") at the throttle. Yet another character launched by the comics, The Rocketeer first shot into view in 1982. Created by writer-artist Dave Stevens, the yet-to-be-cast Rocketeer wears a helmet to hide his identity (he's Cliff Secord, ruggedly handsome racing-plane pilot) and a rocket pack on his back to zoom after bad guys.

Before the summer began, the entertainment media were awash in stories forecasting the season's big films by A-list directors such as Steven Spielberg, Tim Burton and Michael Bay. But who could have predicted that the summer box-office heat would be fueled by films made by a string of unsung directors such as Andrew Adamson and Vicky Jenson, Rob Cohen, Lawrence Guterman, Joe Johnston and Robert Luketic? Don't recognize their names?

Jurassic Park III" ends with an oddly lyrical shot of pteranodons, perhaps the most fearsome dinosaurs in the film, winging off like so many giant seabirds into the sunset. The human characters, who have recently escaped from the depredations of the flying marauders, wonder whether the creatures are looking for a new home. "Jurassic Park IV" may already be in the works.

Summer movies and comic book heroes--it's a pairing that brought you "Batman" in 1989, "Dick Tracy" in 1990 and this summer, "The Rocketeer." The who? Good question.

Books can teach you plenty about Los Angeles. In fact, we've been getting readers to help us make lists of the best L.A. fiction and nonfiction . But as many people will tell you (just before asking you to read their screenplay), this is a movie town. So if I'm a stranger in town and I need movies to school me, what films would you suggest? What films show and say the most about Los Angeles, from the way it looks to the way it behaves, where it's been and where it might be headed?

"Star Wars" creator George Lucas, the defendant in a $128-million plagiarism suit, once scrapped a spaceship design because he thought it resembled one on a television show, one of his artists testified. Lucas is the target of a lawsuit filed in the federal court of Canada by Calgary writer-producer Dean Preston, who alleges Lucas' 1983 film "Return of the Jedi" features Ewok characters from an earlier Preston script called "Space Pets." Preston is suing Lucas, Lucas Films Ltd.