Sooner or later, you can't help but get the feeling that Universal has something of a dud on its hands. Originally scheduled for February of this year, before being moved to the summer, and shunted again to November, Universal has pushed back the release of The Wolf Man once more, this time to February 2010.

If you were counting, that's the third time the film has been pushed back, and even in the kindest of minds, that's got to be setting off some major alarm bells.

The film stars Benicio del Toro in the title role, along with Emily Blunt and Sir Anthony Hopkins, and it's been directed by Joe Johnston (of Jumanji, Jurassic Park 3, Honey I Shrunk The Kids and The Rocketeer fame). And, bluntly, very little has been heard of it, with no sign of any kind of teaser trailer, or anything of that ilk.

Now the film's new release date in the US, 12th Februrary 2010, has apparently been chosen as a counter-programming strategy against the big Valentine's Day releases. Crikey. Once upon a time, The Wolf Man was surely earmarked as the blockbuster that others would have to counter-programme against. Now? Things seem to be the other way round.

The film was actually shot in the UK back in 2008, and Universal has also suggested, to be fair, that the effects shots for it are still not complete, which was hindering its attempts to promote the film.

We still smell a stinker, though, unfortunately. Hope we're wrong...

The new UK release date has yet to be confirmed, incidentally...