LONE WOLF AND CUB Next For Director Justin Lin?

It was revealed by THR this week that director Justin Lin won't be making Fast And Furious 7 leaving a bit of a window for him to make one his many projects he's attached himself to. One of the them being his recent involvement with a western take on the classic Japanese manga tale Lone Wolf And Cub. Which was revealed that Janet and David Peoples were tasked write the film's script back in March 2012. The screenwriting pair are best known for writing the scripts for Twelve Monkeys, Blade Runner and Unforgiven. David is also currently working with Ridley Scott and Alcon Entertainment on a sequel to Blade Runner. At one point Darren Aronofsky was also trying to make a version the adaptation but ultimately they lost the rights. I expect that Lin might be able to make Lone Wolf next if the script is completed.



The manga series was turned into a very successful string of gory samurai exploitation films in Japan. One of them with the American title Shogun Assassin which would influence Quentin Tarantino's Kill Bill. There hasn't been an update in a while but it's possible that more talk on it's development will be sparked during the press tour for Fast And Furious 6. Considering the massive amount of material that led to five original films there's a strong possibility this could be another franchise for Justin. I assume this one will be based on Sword of Vengeance and could even take the title. Since Lin's strong relationship with Universal I wouldn't be shocked to see them pickup distribution rights for the film.

"Ogami Itto, the Shogun’s elite executioner. In an attempt to take his position, the rival Yagyu clan falsely accuses Itto of a crime and murders his wife. Disgraced, Itto is forced to wander Japan with his three-year-old son Daigoro as an assassin for hire, earning the title 'Lone Wolf and Cub.' Ultimately, Itto and Daigoro seek revenge on the Yagyu clan."

RUMOR: New STAR WARS Trilogy Gets Directors-List?

MarketSaw3D, who is touch and go when it comes to their sources/scoops has apparently learned of a group of possible directors for the new Star Wars trilogy. They include Steven Spielberg, Neill Blomkamp, Alfonso Cuaron, Matthew Vaughn, Darren Aronofsky and Joss Whedon. Take with a grain of salt, considering this isn't official information and won't be confirmed until a director is actually chosen.

Some of the names seem unlikely because of other commitments mainly Whedon and his overseeing of the Marvel films (directing Avengers 2). Darren seems cagey about signing up for a studio franchise with talks for Batman Begins and attaching himself for The Wolverine, only for him to walk. Aronofsky seemingly is enjoying his original material with Noah currently in production along with commitments for a few films for 20th Century Fox. I doubt while a strong candidate he would sign-on for a trilogy. That said, David Fincher is currently making 20,000 Leagues Under The Sea for Disney.

Blomkamp, like Aronofsky is doing fine with his own films and was burned back in the days of the Halo film. However, his ties to Peter Jackson could help bring some solid credibility to the franchise if Weta Workshop get's involved with sets and costumes. Vaughn seems a bit unpredictable as he recently jumped off the X-Men franchise to direct The Secret Service. He does seem like someone who could jump into the Star Wars universe without changing too much. Alfonso seems right too if they're albe to give him some creative and tonal wiggle-room.

Steven Spielberg has the strongest relationship with LucasFilm's new head Kathleen Kennedy as the two are longtime friends. Kathleen helped produce E.T., Poltergeist, The Color Purple, Temple of Doom, Empire of The Sun, Jurassic Park, Hook, Schindler's List, The Lost World, A.I., Munich, War of The Worlds, Kingdom of The Crystal Skull, Adventures of Tintin, War Horse and Lincoln. The only thing is that Spielberg has Robopocalypse shooting soon and Indiana Jones 5 in development. I'm sure the trilogy is his for the asking but doubtful he'll take it.

Ray Winstone To Play Villain In Darren Aronofsky's 'NOAH' Starring Russell Crowe

British actor Ray Winstone (Departed, Sexy Beast) has been offered the villain role in Darren Aronofsky's (Black Swan, Requiem For A Dream) Noah. The film was scripted by John Logan (Gladiator, Last Samurai) stars Russell Crowe, Logan Lerman, Douglas Booth and Emma Watson. Other actors that have been circling the project include Jennifer Connelly, Julianne Moore, Saorise Ronan and Liev Schreiber.

SOURCE: Deadline

Emma Watson Joins Darren Aronofsky's 'NOAH', Julianne Moore And Liev Schreiber Also In The Mix

Variety reports that the very busy Harry Potter actress Emma Watson (Bling Ring, End of The World) has taken a role in Darren Aronofsky's (Black Swan) Noah. The rest of the cast includes Russell Crowe, Logan Lerman and Doulgas Booth. Noah has three daughters in the film so it's looking like Ronan might be still in the mix.

Variety states that Liam Neeson is no longer in the running for the villain role but could go to Liev Schreiber instead. The role of Noah's wife isn't entirely confirmed for Jennifer Connelly as Julianne Moore (Hannibal, Boogie Nights) is now in the mix for role as well.

Logan Lerman And Douglas Booth Join 'NOAH'

Collider reports that Logan Lerman (Gamer) and Douglas Booth have joined the cast of Darren Aronofsky's bible epic Noah. The rest of the cast includes Russell Crowe, Jennifer Connelly and Saoirse Ronan. Noah is based on the graphic novel by Darren and Ari Handel with a script written by John Logan (Gladiator, Last Samurai).

'THE RAID' Director Gareth Evans Could Make 'BREAKING THE BANK' For Universal

Deadline reports that Universal is developing a 'true life' crime thriller set in the sports world titled Breaking The Bank. It's is based on the life of former UFC fighter “Lightning” Lee Murray, a mixed martial arts street brawler who masterminded the largest cash heist in history in England in 2006. The most recent draft of the screenplay was written by Kerry Williamson. They've tapped British director Gareth Evans who broke out last year for his festival smash-hit The Raid to possibly helm the thriller. Darren Aronofsky had been wanted for the project before he dropped it to pursue production on Noah.

Jennifer Connelly And Saoirse Ronan Wanted For 'NOAH' Starring Russell Crowe

TrackingBoard reports that actress Jennifer Connelly (Requiem For A Dream, Little Children) is now in talks to take the female lead in Darren Aronofsky's (Black Swan) Noah which stars Russell Crowe. Prevouisly Jennifer played the wife of Russell Crowe's character in A Beautiful Mind which earned her an Oscar for best supporting actress. They also report that Paramount wants Saoirse Ronan (Atonement, Hanna) to take a role as well, which is assumed to be the one of the wives of Noah's three sons. The studio has set a release date of March 28th 2014 for the biblical epic.

Justin Lin Could Direct Lone Wolf And Cub Reboot

If you don't recognize the manga Lone Wolf And Cub you might better know the Japanese TV series that would eventually become the Shogun Assassin films. The film is referenced in Kill Bill Vol.2 and highly influenced the action scenes in Kill Bill Vol.1. At one point Darren Aronofsky (Black Swan, Noah) was working on his own adaptation but the rights reverted and he moved on from the project.

There is word from Deadline that the remake/reboot is now back in the works with Justin Lin (Fast Five) attached to direct with David and Janet Peoples (Unforgiven, Blade Runner, 12 Monkeys) handling the script. I wouldn't hold my breath about Lin as he previously attached himself to Highlander and Terminator 5 only to exit. Let's just hope they keep the gore intact and don't end up making a watered down PG-13 film.

Russell Crowe Confirmed For Aronofsky's Noah, Shooting In July

Deadline is now confirming that Russell Crowe will indeed play the title role in Darren Aronofsky's Noah. The biblical epic is based on the graphic novel co-written by Darren himself and was adapted by John Logan (Last Samurai, Skyfall, Gladiator). It will start production this July but has yet to cast any of the other roles even though Liam Neeson had been wanted for a role.

Russell Crowe In Negotiations To Play Noah

Variety reports that Russell Crowe is now in negotiations with Darren Aronofsky (Black Swan) to take on the lead role in his bibical epic Noah. Crowe had been rumored for the part for weeks along with a unnamed role being eyed for Liam Neeson. The Gladiator has had a few bumps with the last couple of films but I would shocked if Noah doesn't end up getting Russell back in the awards race.

Russell Crowe Could Star In Dracula Film Harker

Vulture reports on yet another project Aussie actor Russell Crowe could be joining. This time it's for Warner Bros' new take on the classic Stoker tale of Dracula titled Harker. Instead of Jonathan Harker being a lawyer he's a Scotland Yard detective investigating Dracula's murders in London. It seems to be a mix of Sherlock Holmes and Jack The Ripper which could be worthwhile reason to make another Dracula film. Crowe is in early talks to take the title role of Detective Harker. It's not a done deal yet as Crowe is also looking at starring in Darren Aronofsky's Noan this summer. However, a production start for Harker hasn't been announced so he could be able to do both.

Jaume Collet-Serra, (Unknown) who was originally attached to the project before agreeing to direct Akira has seemly come back to helm. Akira had a long string of problems from casting, budgets, directors and scripts. Warner Bros. put the project on hold. It looks the studio has given Jaume another task while they figure out what to do with Akira. I'm not shocked as Harker is a more viable/profitable project with an interesting take on the classic Dracula tale. Apparently the studio still wants to make Akira but Harker will go first.

Fan Made Poster For Darren Aronofsky's Noah

Russell Crowe And Liam Neeson Could Join Noah

Deadline reports that director Darren Aronofsky (Black Swan) and 20th Century Fox is pursuing Russell Crowe for the lead role in his bible epic Noah. The part was expected to go to an actor in his 40-50s and Crowe seems perfect for the role. Having earning an Oscar for his performance in Gladiator a movie I assume will influence Noah. Screenwriter John Logan isn't a stranger to the large budget epics either. Logan's previous scripts include Gladiator, The Last Samurai and the upcoming Bond film Skyfall.

Liam Neeson is also being looked at for another role in the film. It's not revealed what that part would be but it could end up the villain of the picture. Previously it had been teased that a villain would make his/her way onto the Ark.

Cinematographer Matthew Libatique Choosing Noah Over Iron Man 3?

Matthew Libatique (Iron Man 1-2) is considered one of the best cinematographers currently working in Hollywood. His films are some the most beautiful looking pieces of cinema. Credits include Requiem For A Dream, Black Swan, Cowboys And Aliens, Tigerland and The Fountain. Libatique is also known as a longtime collaborator of director Darren Aronofksy and says he's about to work on Noah. The news was dug up by ThePlaylist and production on Noah starts this summer. Noah is a blockbuster bible epic featuring a new take the mythical character and could be seeing a release date in the fall of 2013

This news might be impactful to Iron Man fans as Matthew has worked on the first two films. Leading me to believe he won't be working on Shane Black's Iron Man 3. Production on Iron Man 3 is rumored to start in late April or early May in North Carolina. Which seems to conflict with Noah's summer production in New York and Iceland. I wouldn't say it's the end of the world but Libatique like Jon Favreau helped create the world of Iron Man. It wouldn't be the first comic book project Matthew has walked from. He was previously set to work on The Wolverine when Aronofsky was still the director.

Christian Bale Drops Out Of Aronofsky's Noah, Michael Fassbender Wanted

Variety reports that Christian Bale has left Darren Aronofsky's Noah, the big budget bible tale. They say that Darren is now looking at Michael Fassbender who is on fire with his summer blockbuster X-Men First Class and his awards bait Shame coming up. Of course Fassbender is one of Hollywood's most sot after actors but will he decide to commit to the rather large film?

Hugh Jackman Talks Wolverine, First Class 2 & X-Men 4

Jackman still has a lot of love for Wolverine even though he's been playing him for ten plus years and soon to be five films. While talking to ThePlaylist he gives the impression he has a couple more films in him and wants to finally get the character right in The Wolverine. Unsurprisingly he states he doesn't believe we'll be seeing an X-Men 4 but doesn't count out showing up in X-Men First Class 2.

“I don’t see it. I can only see one movie ahead,” he said deflating hopes of a 4th “X-Men” film, despite talk in recent years by the producers of making one more. “I’m pretty sure I’m well into the second half of this match. I don’t know exactly when the end is, but I only go one at a time. If this is the last one, fingers crossed, man, I just hope we finally get that hole in one.” 

  So might Jackman pop up in a ‘First Class’ sequel? “If they come up with as good of an idea as last time,” Jackman says with a big smile, “Yeah, I could see it.”

I'm a bit skeptical about how the The Wolverine will turn out without Darren Aronofsky. It's odd that both Lauren Shuler Donner and Hugh Jackman producers on the last film have said they were unhappy with it's outcome. Odd since they made the creative decisions and allowed Fox executives to mettle with the production. I'll wait for the trailer before I start condemning but they have a lot making up to do for Wolverine fans. I'm all for more Wolverine but if they mess up Frank Miller's story they really will have lost me. On the other hand I'd rather see Jackman show up in First Class 2 as a pre-Weapon X Wolverine than watch a mess that X-Men 4 would certainly be. They could erase that magic bullet nonsense with Xavier just wiping his mind. Since the studio has established that First Class has it's own X-Men canon.

Christian Bale In Talks For Darren Aronofsky's Noah's Ark

Vulture reports that Christian Bale is in talks to star in Darren Aronofsky's next film the biblical epic Noah's Ark. Bale might owe Darren his Oscar win  as The Fighter was originally his film before leaving and staying on as a producer. It will be interesting to see Darren finally make a large film so this is one to keep an eye on.

Directors Out Of The Running For The Wolverine?

It looks like Fox has had quite a mess on their hands since Darren Aronofsky exited The Wolverine. The promising film written by Christopher McQuarrie (Usual Suspects, Valkyrie) and based on Frank Miller Japanese saga hasn't had much traction since. The studio still aimed at shooting on location in Japan seems to have been waiting to see how the recovery was going before proceeding with the production. Pausing the production date doesn't seem to be a problem but finding a new director however is. 

Recently it was reported that the studio had a list of hopeful directors that included Duncan Jones (rumored), Jose Padilha (Elite Squad 1-2, Robocop), Doug Liman (Bourne Identity, Mr. & Mrs. Smith, All You Need Is Kill), Antoine Fuqua (Training Day, Brooklyn's Finest), Mark Romanek (One Hour Photo, Never Let Me Go), Justin Lin (Fast Five, Highlander, Terminator 5), Gavin O’Connor (Warrior), James Mangold (Cop Land, Knight & Day, 3:10 To Yuma, Walk The Line) and Gary Shore.

Mark Romanek, Doug Liman and Antonie Fuqua have seemingly taken themselves out of the running.  Romanek states "That's just one of those stories that floated around. I was on their list, I received the script months ago. It didn't seem like my kind of thing...That script was a terrific version of that kind of thing, but not something I felt really passionate about." While Liman (Luna) and Fuqua (South Paw) are pursing other projects.

Jones had been the most promising name linked and confirmed meeting with the studio out of politeness. Jones has been trying to get money together for Mute and his Blade Runner homage. So it's likely he's been talking with major studios like Fox to get the films financed. Justin Lin is also linked for the film but has a three projects currently in development which includes Terminator 5, Fast Six and Highlander.So it looks like the only current directors in the running are Jose Padilha, Gavin O'Connor, James Mangold and Gary Shore.

Darren Aronofsky's Next Film Could Be Noah's Ark

Darren Aronofsky is a rare type of director as he's able to make his passion projects. It took him a long time to make The Fountain and was even passionate enough about The Fighter to let David O'Russell take it over so it would get made. His last film Black Swan earned him awards/nominations along with a box office take of $300 million. Giving him a lot of cache in Hollywood following projects he wants to do rather than what a studio develops. Recently he dropped out of directing The Wolverine likely to pursue his original projects. One of the them seems to be moving forward with co-finacing offers going out to studios.

Deadline reports that Noah's Ark is currently looking for a studio to come in and co-fiance the $130 million dark biblical epic. There is confirmation that John Logan is doing rewrites on Aronofsky's original script. Logan is no stranger to large films as he wrote Gladiator, The Last Samurai and Bond 23. Darren and artist Nico Henrichon had put together a graphic novel for the film to help their pitch. Some of the artwork made it's way online and it is very impressive. He also previously gave same tidbits about the project.

"Noah was the first person to plant vineyards and drink wine and get drunk. It’s there in the Bible – it was one of the first things he did when he reached land. There was some real survivor’s guilt going on there. He’s a dark, complicated character.


It’s a great script and it’s huge. And we’re starting to feel out talent. And then we’ll probably try and set it up… It’s the end of the world and it’s the second most famous ship after the Titanic. So I’m not sure why any studio won’t want to make it…


I think it’s really timely because it’s about environmental apocalypse which is the biggest theme, for me, right now for what’s going on on this planet. So I think it’s got these big, big themes that connect with us. Noah was the first environmentalist. He’s a really interesting character. Hopefully they’ll let me make it."

Duncan Jones Confirms Talks With Fox To Direct Wolverine

AICN has confirmation from a source that during a Source Code question and answer period the young director confirms talks with the studio to helm The Wolverine. Duncan gave the impression he'd rather make another one of his original science fiction films but took the meeting to weigh his options and to be polite. Currently there are conflicting reports on when The Wolverine will start production. I've heard the film could start shooting as early as July but some trades have mentioned November. They could be confused as the projected release date has been aimed at November 2012.

Jones is having trouble financing his science fiction thriller Mute. Which is set in a futuristic Berlin when a mute bartender's girlfriend is kidnapped. I would assume that if he made a deal with Fox they could end up financing Mute in return for his directing services on The Wolverine. Fox made a similar deal with Darren Aronofsky that I expect is still valid even though he's left Wolverine. A deal with Fox Searchlight could be a great career move for Jones as he would be able to make his original films with the backing of a studio who appreciates independent filmmakers.