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Jane Goodall and Leonardo DiCaprio are set to produce Howl – a live-action film about an abandoned family dog and a young wolf, told from the two animals’ point of view.
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The highly esteemed environmentalist and the award-winning actor are friends and have collaborated previously on fundraising and conservation efforts via their respective nonprofits – the Jane Goodall Institute and the Leonardo DiCaprio Foundation.
Howl is the first from Promethean Pictures, a label founded by Argo Films’ Richard Johns, and will be directed by E. Elias Merhige (Shadow of the Vampire), written by Christopher Monger (Temple Grandin), and filmed by Doug Allan (Frozen Planet).
The film follows a former family dog as he meets and eventually bonds with a wild wolf, with human characters present but mostly in the background. Howl is not explicitly an environmental film, but the filmmakers aim to provide a transformative view of the natural world through the animal-led story, as reported by Deadline.
“Howl will not only be an enjoyable and entertaining experience but will also help change perceptions of the ‘big bad wolf,’ which has been hunted to extinction in many areas of the world and is threatened and endangered in many others,” Goodall told Deadline.
“I hope we can make people understand their need to live alongside us and show these sacred creatures for what they are,” she added.
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‘Inextricable’ relationship between humans and nature
Wolf populations have always been a source of friction between those who hope to rewild and protect the predatory species and those who seek to limit, cull, or eradicate them. In the US, their protection status varies wildly from location to location and state to state.
In recent years, the relaxing of restrictions around the killing of wolves has resulted in hundreds of deaths. From 2022 to 2023 in Idaho alone, hunters killed more than 560 wolves, prompting conservation groups such as the Humane Society to launch legal action.
In Europe, wolves have already been successfully reintroduced, while environmentalist groups in the UK argue that they should be brought back to Britain, too. Rewilding Europe highlights the need for people to re-learn how to live alongside apex predators like wolves with a healthy respect and the admiration that keystone species, in particular, deserve.
It sounds like Howl could touch on this theme of coexistence with wolves, and Executive Producer Jennifer Davisson said, “We hope this film encourages people to understand and appreciate the inextricable relationship between us humans and the natural wildlife that surrounds us.”
Howl is currently in production and is expected sometime in 2026.
Read more: ‘Jane Goodall Act’ To Protect Over 800 Species Kept Captive By Canadian Roadside Zoos
