Oscar-winning actor will produce and star in a Universal remake of the horror classic

Somewhere beyond the realm of inspired casting is the genius of making Benicio Del Toro the new "Wolf Man."

Universal Pictures is mining its classic horror vaults for some new lycanthropic hijinx, recruiting Andrew Kevin Walker ("Seven") to write a fresh "Wolf Man" script for Oscar winner Del Toro to star in. In addition, Del Toro will produce the film along with Scott Stuber, Rick Yorn and Mary Parent.

The "Wolf Man" character is best known from the 1941 Lon Chaney Jr. film, directed by George Waggner. The story is simple: A man returns to his homeland, gets bitten by a werewolf and soon begins to feel a little bit wolfy himself.

The new version will be centered in Victorian England.

According to Variety, Del Toro is a collector of Wolf Man memorabilia. Shooting on the film will have to wait until early 2007 as the actor completes a starring turn as Che Guevara in Steven Soderbergh's "Guerilla." The trade paper speculates that "The Wolf Man" could be a summer 2008 tentpole for Universal.

Since taking his Oscar for "Traffic," Del Toro's credits have included "The Hunted," "21 Grams" and "Sin City."