He admits that the loss of director Mark Romanek and the arrival of Joe Johnston just three weeks before shooting was set to commence was a worry, but one that was ultimately overcome. “We had to take on a director fairly quick and he (Johnston) was ballsy enough to jump in and take the helm of this picture that was already moving and we’ve very grateful for him for doing that. So when he came in, the angle that we had on Mark Romanek started to change a little bit. I think it was Joe Johnston’s idea to basically keep him a little bit more on the noble side… I thought that was a good idea, because there’s already so many different levels to the movie. He was very collaborative I think with all the actors… it worked out… I enjoyed working with him.”

Now however, the two have teamed up for the Super Bowl ad that had everyone talking. In 2007, a comic ad featuring Letterman and Oprah Winfrey watching the game was aired during the event. The new ad, aired yesterday, saw Letterman once more on Oprah’s couch, bemoaning it as “the worst Super Bowl party ever”. “Be nice” Oprah replies, as the camera pans over to reveal Leno on the other side of the couch. “Aw, he’s only sayin’ that because I’m here!” Leno moans. The commercial, it transpires, “was Dave’s idea”, says “Late Show” executive producer Rob Burnett. “He wrote the script, then we called Oprah, who thankfully had a good enough time doing it the last time. She was in right away.” As for Leno, “There was a lot of conversation internally: Is it good for Jay, does it help him?”” recalls Burnett. “Dave had no interest in any of those conversations. To him (it was)… it has to be funny.”

Viewers shouldn’t expect the hatchet to remain buried for long, however – the two old rivals will once again be going head to head when Leno returns to his old post on “The Tonight Show” on March 1.

The film, which stars Benicio Del Toro as the titular character, has already had a trouble production history, with original director Mark Romanek replaced by Joe Johnston (kindly regarded as an “everyman” director rather than an auteur; unkindly regarded by others as a hack), while the movie’s lack of readiness – when it is still supposed to be released next month – ultimately saw famed composer Danny Elfman also exit the project. Now, with a February release date still looming, Universal Production President Donna Langely has apparently ordered in new editors on the film, with original editor Dennis Virkler given the boot and new editors Mark Goldblatt and Walter Burch ordered in, while Johnston, who is supposed to be working on pre-production for the big screen adaptation of Marvel comic book series “Captain America” is allegedly holed up cutting his own version.

The remake of the original “The Wolf Man”, which starred Lon Chaney in the role, also features Scarlett Johannson and Anthony Hopkins and is expected to buck the trend of PG-13 friendly horror movies by being released with a hard “R”. That news was well received by genre fans, but the comings and goings and behind the scenes tussles are leading many to wonder if the film will be end up being the kind of nightmarish experience even horror buffs don’t want to see.