Darren Aronofsky Confirmed For The Wolverine!!

HitFix (via CBM) has confirmation from Darren Aronofsky that he is indeed directing Wolverine 2 now titled just The Wolverine. He goes on to state the film has no ties to the other film (hence no Origins/X-Men in the title) and isn't a straight up sequel. Also there is talk that Darren's longtime cinematographer Matthew Libatique will also be working on the film. Libatique is known for his beyond stylish way of shooting. He's shot such amazing looking films like Pi, Requiem For A Dream, The Fountain, Black Swan, Tigerland, Iron Man 1-2 and Cowboys & Aliens. There is a certain confidence this film along with First Class could help turn around the tarnished X-Men franchises.

"The film that he's directing is officially called "The Wolverine," and there won't be a number attached to it. In our interview, he referred to the movie as a "one-off," and he emphasized that the film isn't a sequel in any conventional sense."

Characters From Wolverine 2 Leak, The Return of Yuriko?

Pajiba has posted character descriptions and plot points for Wolverine 2. While I'm tempted to re-post the spoilers I'm just going to mention the characters from the comics that have made the cut. They list Mariko, Silver Samurai, Viper and The Hand. It shouldn't be long before Fox officially announces the cast. I'm glad they've stuck to their guns and avoided the dreaded overload of mutant cameos so far.

Included is the return of Yuriko who showed up in X2 as Lady Deathstrike. Of course it's not a spoiler to reveal Yuriko worked alongside Logan during his Japanese adventures. I don't expect that she would be referred to Deathstrike since Stryker was the one to give her the adamantium skeleton/nails. Considering they've changed actors with Sabertooth I would assume Yuriko would also get a new actor. The group of female characters does also confirm the previous talk of multiple love stories in the film. Since Logan has romantic history with Mariko, Yuriko and Viper.

Darren Aronofsky Will Direct Wolverine 2

Deadline says that Fox has pretty much given the task of helming Wolverine 2 to Darren Aronofsky. They previously reported that Darren passed on Warner Bros. offer to direct Gangster Squad to instead pursue Wolverine 2 and a decent paycheck. Now they say the studio has agreed to shoot stage scenes in New York to accommodate both Darren and Hugh Jackman's families. The rest of the filming will take place on location in Japan. It sounds like the deal is all but official and it will be the best move by Fox to up the sequel's quality. I'm just hoping that Darren doesn't pull a Matthew Vaughn and jump ship during pre-production. It's not surprising since Darren's working relationship with Fox Searchlight which picked up his last two films The Wrestler and Black Swan. Not to mention his previous experience working with Jackman on The Fountain.

Fox Offers Wolverine 2 To Darren Aronofsky

Deadline reports that 20th Century Fox is aggressively pursuing Darren Aronofsky to direct Wolverine 2. While he hasn't accepted the offer he has been in active talks with the studio and star/producer Hugh Jackman. Darren is the best choice when it comes to directors since the first film was disastrous and the fledgling franchise needs new life. Aronofsky brings a strong understanding of emotion, tension and action. It doesn't hurt that the film is set in Japan when Darren was once attached to direct a remake of Shogun Assassin. The script is written by Christopher McQuarrie (Usual Suspects, Valkyrie) so we shouldn't have to worry about magic memory killing bullets. Fox has really put the effort when it comes to their comic book directors lately. When they were able to hire Matthew Vaughn for X-Men First Class and pursued Robert Rodriguez for Deadpool I started warming up to their projects. If they get Aronofsky they will be one step closer to re-gaining the trust of both fans of the characters and critics of their previous movies.

Darren Aronofsky To Direct Wolverine 2?

Deadline is reporting that Fox and producer/actor Hugh Jackman have been in talks with several directors to helm Wolverine 2. Now they list Darren Aronofsky (The Wrestler) as a possible candidate which is beyond exciting. Aronofsky has been previously developing remakes of both Shogun Assassin and Robocop (which both fell apart). He was also in the running to direct Batman Begins. So it's impossible to predict what he do with a large budgeted Japanese set Wolverine film. If Fox is smart they'll choose talent over box office success and hire Aronofsky who will give the franchise new life. Plus it doesn't hurt that Jackson and Darren have previously worked together. Previously David Slde hs been the frontrunner but Slade doesn't have the body/quality of work Darren has.

Kathryn Bigelow, Tony Scott & Matt Reeves Offered Wolverine 2?

ThePlaylist reports that Fox is already on the hunt for a director for Wolverine 2 since X-Men First Class is setup. They name directors like Kathryn Bigelow (Hurt Locker, Point Break), Tony Scott (True Romance, Last Boy Scout) and Matt Reeves (Cloverfield, Let Me In) being in talks with the studio. I'd love to see Bigelow take on a comicbook film but it seems like she would be too busy with other projects.

The Future of Marvel At 20th Century Fox

A lot of people are under impression that we could see Wolverine and Spider-Man teaming up in an upcoming Marvel Studios production. Sadly this will not happen anytime soon. The characters that The Walt Disney Company have bought does include the X-Men universe and Spider-Man. Although that doesn't overrule film rights Sony and 20th Century Fox have with those characters. As long as those studios pay the minimum right payments each year they can make as many movies they like. This of course is unless Disney finds a way to buy back the rights, which isn't out of their means. Here is a bit of the upcoming lineups from the studios, which could put Marvel films in theaters until 2014.

X-MEN UNIVERSE


Wolverine 2: The first installment lacked vision, along with a horrible story. Bullets that can erase memory were the least of that film's problems. The success of it will attract a strong new cast and hopefully a experienced director. Focusing on Logan's Japanese years, he learns the warrior code and falls in love with multiple women. Christopher McQuarrie (Usual Suspects) is writing so at least the story will make sense. Danny Boyle and Bryan Singer have both been rumored as directing the sequel. Gavin Hood has mentioned his interest but isn't attached. I don't expect him to be after the critical bashing from film critics and fans.


Deadpool: One of the most anticipated Marvel films is finally being made. The only question is, will Fox treat the character the same way it did in Wolverine? Ryan Reyonlds promised fans it will be faithful to the comics and he would break the fourth wall. A writer and director have yet to be announced. This could be Fox's next successful franchise but I have a feeling they will mess it up and anger fans.



The film is being talked up as a mix between the original Blade and Ferris Bueller's Day Off. While violent and action oriented, Deadpool will still have a lot comedy mixed with the breaking of the fourth wall.


X-Men First Class: The film X-Men fans least want to see. It's not that I dislike the X-Men films, but why make this instead of X-Men 4? It will be centered on the first class of X-Men which includes Cyclops, Emma Frost and Quicksilver (Magneto's Son). Along with bringing back Professor Xavier back with de-aging CGI. This whole concept makes me cringe in the worst way. Another reason Marvel fans hate the way 20th Century Fox has treated beloved characters. Even the tease that Bryan Singer could direct isn't enough for me to want to see this movie made. The only reason it's being made is because all the actors are unknown. This way Fox doesn't have to shell out millions for Hugh Jackman or Halle Berry.


Magneto: One of the more interesting spin-offs. The only problem is that writer David S. Goyer wants to direct it. Goyer is an excellent writer, his directing on the other hand is horrible. I can understand why Fox isn't greenlighting the project. Let's hope Bryan Singer steps up as a producer and finds a proper director.


Gambit: It's rumored but nothing has been announced about this project. The character could appear in the three upcoming X-Men films and then later get his own movie. While fans had been asking for years to see Gambit all we got was a small cameo. Let's hope Remy will finally get the respect and the character will get a full feature centered on him.


X-Men 4: The X-Men franchise is a money machine for Fox so I doubt they wouldn't want a fourth installment. Will Marvel and movie fans put up with another lousy sequel? I'm sure the only way to do this is with the original writers and Bryan Singer behind the camera. This time around use the Sentinels and use actual adults for new mutants. I'm tired of teens as X-Men members, when Jubilee and Kitty were the only ones in the comics.




Silver Surfer: The origin story of the Silver Surfer could be amazing. That's of course if Galactus is done properly and it's a straight up fantasy science fiction film. The Silver Surfer had be ruined by the last Fantastic Four film, and I'm not sure fans will trust Fox to develop a solo film.



Daredevil: Another reboot that could have Frank Miller's involvement, let's pray it's only in written form. The idea is to bring a darker vision of Daredevil, which was the original intention in the comics. There has been talk of Jason Statham taking the role.



Fantastic Four: The least wanted reboot, to the goofiest characters in the Marvel universe. They didn't work in the movies or cartoon, I doubt they could even be adapted to film properly. I think this one of the only properties that only Marvel Studios can do justice. I think this could be the one Fox sells to Disney. The Incredibles was the best Fantasic Four film we'll ever see.