Though many of us would like to pretend it’s not happening, WOLVERINE 2 is definitely moving forward. As hated as X-MEN ORIGINS: WOLVERINE was, it brought in some big cash ($373 million worldwide) and 20th Century Fox is anxious to bring the clawed hero back for some more.
That’s not surprising. What is surprising is one of the names being floated as director: Darren Aronofsky. Usually we’d take this with a huge grain of the salt but it’s Deadline that’s reporting the rumor and they are usually pretty spot on.
To be fair, the rumor is this: Fox has narrowed its directorial search to Darren Aronofsky and David Slade. Slade met up with Jackman (who has a big say in the choice) over the weekend and, of course, Jackman and Aronofsky are old friends going back to THE FOUNTAIN. Mike Fleming from Deadline proposes that Slade has the slight edge, considering he just came off of THE TWILIGHT SAGA: ECLIPSE. Fox is looking for a director with credibility and an ability to helm big budget blockbusters. One of the earlier names rumored to be attached, Robert Schwentke, has dropped out of the running.
It is pretty shocking that Aronofsky would consider directing WOLVERINE 2 but I guess we shouldn’t be too surprised. Remember he was hellbent on creating a ROBOCOP remake for several years until that got mucked up and now rests in development hell. While no one has high hopes for WOLVERINE 2, Aronofsky could definitely make it work, given the right circumstances. In the end, I think Fox will end up going with someone they can trust who has delivered before: David Slade. Let’s be honest, he’s a fine choice for the film.
Let’s just hope Fox spends as much time choosing a good script as they do choosing a good director.
