Edgewater Park, New Jersey native makes directorial debut with Marvel's 'Werewolf by Night'

Marvel is debuting its very first "Special Presentation" Friday on Disney+.

To kick off this next phase of streaming storytelling, it tapped an award-winning composer from Burlington County, New Jersey who is making his directorial debut.

Michael Giacchino is widely known for his Oscar-, Emmy-, and Grammy-winning scores for 'Up' and 'Lost,' among numerous others.

Now, he's taking the helm of the Marvel Cinematic Universe with Werewolf By Night, a story of monster hunters that asks: what IS a monster?

Gael Garcia Bernal plays Jack Russell, the werewolf by night.

"He's a man and a monster, but maybe more human than some humans," Bernal says, "but society doesn't accept him as a human."

This is the directorial debut of Edgewater Park's Michael Giacchino.

"Getting to do 'Werewolf by Night' is perfect for me because I loved it as a kid," Giacchino says. "I still have the comics that I bought when I was eight years old. I still have those."

Here, Giacchino gives us something darker and scarier than anything we've seen so far in the MCU.

He also composed the score and made a directorial decision to make it black and white.

"It's harkening back to those films of old days, of the '30s, that we all grew up on," Giacchino says.

It also takes Marvel fans deeper into the universe.

"There's a secret society of monster hunters," says Executive Producer Brian Gay. "You've never seen them before in the MCU, but they exist."

When it comes to monsters, Giacchino has a soft spot.

"They don't want to be monsters and they don't want people to look at them as monsters," Giacchino says. "They have a problem and they don't need people chasing them with torches. What they need is help."

Werewolf By Night debuts Friday on Disney+. It's the first Marvel Special Presentation.

Next up is The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special in December.