Darren Aronofsky directing The Wolverine for Fox seemed too good to be true when it was first rumored and ultimately announced. Unfortunately the unlikely yet tantalizing pairing of arthouse creativity and one of the most recognizable comic book characters was not meant to be.
Today Fox and Darren Aronofsky issued a completely unexpected joint statement that the man behind Black Swan has stepped down from his commitment to direct Hugh Jackman in The Wolverine. His reason cited in the statement was that being out of country in Japan for upwards of a year was simply too long to be away from his family. This despite saying the script by Christopher McQuarrie is “terrific.”
Fox now finds itself in a bit of a dilemma. Aronofsky would have surely brought a unique take to the comic book movie genre that is already beginning to grind its gears in a predictable formula. With the success of Black Swan and the Best Actress Oscar it won Natalie Portman, Fox would have likely been mostly hands-off of Aronofsky’s vision, whatever it was.
Now a new director will be pulled in at the last moment to either carry on the pre-production work of Aronofsky or take a step back and add his or her own vision to the project. No matter who is chosen it’s hard not to lament that we were that close to what could have been a genre-altering interpretation of Wolverine.
The Wolverine will begin shooting this summer in Japan and hit theaters in 2012.
Source: THR
