Christopher McQuarrie To Direct Rubicon Based On Seven Samurai

Deadline reports that screenwriter Christopher McQuarrie is setting up a deal for his third directorial effort Rubicon. The project is based on his graphic novel which is largely inspired by Akira Kurosawa's Seven Samurai. Instead of samurais and bandits the heroes are Navy SEALS while the villains are the Taliban.

McQuarrie is no stranger to this type of genre he won an Oscar for his work on The Usual Suspects and did a decent writing job on Valkyrie. He's currently shooting his second film One Shot with Tom Cruise in the lead. Also writing scripts for Jack The Giant Killer, The Wolverine and Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol. While I'm on board for his writing abilites and this project's concept. I'll have to see One Shot before getting my hopes up since his first film had major pacing issues.

The Wolverine Gets Rewrites & Viper Gets Bigger Role

The production for The Wolverine has seen some bumps in the road. First, director Darren Aronofsky who was originally going to helm the film jumped ship. Not too far after the terrible tragedy that effected most of Japan where most of the shooting was expected to take place. James Mangold (Knight & Day, Walk The Line) took the directing gig and there has been some progress even with the fall shoot being bumped until the spring.

Variety reports that Christopher McQuarrie's script is going see rewrites from Mark Bomback (Total Recall, Live Free & Die Hard). Bomback also did rewrites for Bryan Singer's Jack The Giant Killer another script that McQuarrie worked on. They also say that the role of Viper has been expanded which is likely to be another of the film's villains as she was an ally of Silver Samurai in the comics. Viper is also known as the Captain America villain Madame Hydra so it will be interesting to see Fox's take on the character.

James Mangold Will Direct The Wolverine

20th Century Fox has finally chosen a director to replace Darren Aronofsky. Deadline reports that James Mangold (Walk The Line) has nabbed the director's chair and will start production on The Wolverine in the fall. Hopefully this means that the studio still plans on shooting on location in Japan.

Mangold wasn't my favorite choice out of the recent group of candidates but he isn't a bad one either. He's no stranger to action films with his previous work on 3:10 To Yuma and Knight & Day. He does have a visual edge to his movies so with a solid script from Christopher McQuarrie (Usual Suspects) I have no doubt he can improve on the last Wolverine film. It's expected that The Wolverine will be it's own film ignoring the events of X-Men: Wolverine Origins. More than anything focusing on the raw source material that Frank Miller wrote.

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.

8 Directors In The Running For The Wolverine

ShowBlitz is reporting that 20th Century Fox is circling eight directors for The Wolverine. It originally had Darren Aronofsky set to direct with a script by Christopher McQuarrie. The directors include 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.


My favorites of this group includes Mark Romanek, Jose Padilha, Gavin O'Connor, James Mangold and Antoine Fuqua. The likes of Lin and Liman sort of worries me as these two aren't strong visually and aren't as well liked as some of the other candidates. Even more so when compared to the likes of Aronofsky and the rumored Duncan Jones (Moon, Source Code). I'd love to see Romanek take on a big genre film as he was originally set to make The Wolf Man before walking and forcing Universal to rush the project.

FIRST LOOK: Ewan McGregor & Eddie Marsden On The Set Of Jack The Giant Killer

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.

Duncan Jones Could Direct The Wolverine

Deadline has a new report that Universal has offered the Huntsman role to Hugh Jackman in Snow White & The Huntsman. The only catch would be that he'd have to choose to do this over The Wolverine. I wouldn't be shocked this being a tactic by Jackman to light a fire under the seat of 20th Century Fox who have yet to pick a director to replace Darren Aronofsky. The article mentions that the studio is currently looking at Duncan Jones (Source Code) and David Slade (30 Days of Night.

Slade seems like a reasonable choice as he was in the initial group of directing candidates but has since been attached to Daredevil. I'm curious to see if he drops Daredevil to focus on The Wolverine which would take up a considerable amount of his time with the projected November 2012 release date. While David has been tagged for directing a Twilight film he's made some awesome films such as Hard Candy and 30 Days of Night. I didn't care for the look of the vampires in 30 Days of Night but it seemed like a faithful film to the comics which should ease reservations of X-Men fans.

Duncan Jones on the other hand might be as creditable as Aronofsky. Jackman previous stated they would be looking at directors similar to Aronofsky. Jones seems like the most applicable to Darren with auteur sensibilities while being able to work on a grand scale with a limited budget. His first film Moon was a stellar homage to work of Ridley Scott but being it's on monster and a great addition to the science fiction genre. Duncan isn't new to being offered big studio genre projects. He previous was in talks for the Superman and Judge Dredd reboots. Along with being a fan favorite to take over directing duties from Jon Favreau on Iron Man 3. Jones has been trying hard to get his speechless thriller Mute made and I'm sure there could be a possibility Fox would fund the film if he directs The Wolverine. I'd personally take Jones over Slade only because I've felt his films have a stronger emotional connection which would be needed for the dramatic script written by Christopher McQuarrie (Jack The Giant Killer, Usual Suspects)

Hugh Jackman Confirms The Wolverine Moving Forward

SuperheroHype and CinemaBlend were able to speak with Hugh Jackman during some early promotion for Real Steel at CinemaCon. The actor/producer of The Wolverine commented on the film and their search for a director. He also gives the impression Fox is currently still looking into when they can start shooting in Japan. The majority of the film is expected to shoot in the country.

"So now we’re out looking for a director. We were pretty much ready to go. The script is fantastic — the best we’ve ever had, which is why it attracted Darren in the first place. His personal situation precludes him from doing it now, and I feel for him. But now we need to find a director.....We’re not going to settle. We’re going to find a director as good as Darren, if not better. Well, as good. Everyone is still pushing forward to getting it done."


"We need to find another director and once we've found that, we'll be able to know. It's too early to call on Japan [where the majority of filming will take place], I'm not sure where they're at, so now we're finding another director....Fox is very anxious to make the movie and we're moving ahead full steam to find another director."

Producer Lauren Shulder Donner also recently commented on the film during her interview with Empire Magazine. Giving the impression it will be a true Wolverine film and there won't be forced mutant cameos.


"It will have depth and a dramatic backbone. And yet there's more action in this one than in any one we've ever done. It's such a good script. We have the great Christopher McQuarrie writing and it's very true to the Japanese saga. This is Logan on his own..."

I think it would be a great boost for the film industry over there to have a production like The Wolverine shot there. Hopefully his talk of a director as good as Aronofsky isn't just lip-service as many fans are under the impression that Darren left over creative issues. If they do look into directors like Matt Reeves and Duncan Jones I'd be happy. The statement of a director as good as Darren would give me the idea that David Fincher or someone on his level could be looked into.

Ian McShane Will Play The King In Jack The Giant Killer

HeatVision reports that Ian McShane (Deadwood, Pirates 4) has been cast as the king in Bryan Singer's Jack The Giant Killer. Nicholas Hoult (X-Men First Class) plays farmer boy/hero Jack and Eleanor Tomlinson as the kidnapped princess he quests to rescue from the giants. Stanley Tucci, Ewan McGregor, Bill Nighy and John Kassir (Tales From The Crypt) also have roles.

Darren Aronofsky Exits The Wolverine

HollywoodReporter has the official press release from 20th Century Fox concerning director Darren Aronofsky (Black Swan) leaving the The Wolverine. Darren sited personal reasons as the production would spend close to a year in Japan and away from his son. Even with the disaster over in Japan the studio is still moving forward with the film shooting a majority of it on location there.

It's a testament to the commitment both the studio and Hugh Jackman have to the movie being shoot in Japan. As many studios might be scared off to start new productions there during the recovery effort. It's interesting they haven't named a new director but it would have to be named soon as the production is set for July with a November-December 2012 release date pending. A recent casting call-sheet for the film was released online so they must someone replace Darren.


My choice to take on the film would be Matt Reeves who is best known for Cloverfield and more recently Let Me In. Reeves had been in the running to take the director's chair before Aronofsky was hired. I assume it's very possible as Reeves has yet to announce his next film and seems like he could jump right in if Fox decides to go with him. David Slade who was also a candidate was just selected to direct their Daredevil reboot so he's likely now out of the running. The real wild card would be if Matthew Vaughn is offered the film as Bryan Singer is busy with Jack The Giant Killer. Vaughn has also yet to announce his next film and will be finished with X-Men First Class come July. I'm sure the studio will announce a new director very soon as they must have a backup.

Eleanor Tomlinson Is Princess Isabella In Jack The Giant Killer

Deadline reports that relative unknown actress Eleanor Tomlinson (Alice In Wonderland) has been cast as Princess Isabella in Bryan Singer's Jack The Giant Killer. It stars Nicholas Hoult as Jack along with Stanley Tucci as the villain, Bill Nighy as the leader of the giants and Ewan McGregor is also in talks for a role as well.

Ewan McGregor Joins Jack The Giant Killer

HeatVision reports there is another excellent addition to Bryan Singer's Jack The Giant Killer. Ewan McGregor is final talks to play the leader of the King's elite guard. I'm guessing that Warner Bros. He would join Nicholas Hoult, Stanley Tucci and Bill Nighy. I wouldn't be shocked to see Warner Bros. developing this as a new fantasy adventure franchise trying to capture the interest of Harry Potter fans.

Christopher McQuarrie Hired To Write Star Blazers

Deadline reports that Skydance Productions has hired Christopher McQuarrie (Usual Suspects) to help adapt the anime series Star Blazers into a movie. There is currently a Japanese live-action film based on the series titled Space Battleship Yamato which has been very successful. So it makes sense to move forward with an English version.

The budding production company is aligned with Paramount Pictures similar to the relationship of Legendary Pictures and Warner Bros. Their current projects include True Grit and Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol. McQuarrie has recently moved into writing genre based films working on The Wolverine for Darren Aronofsky and Jack The Giant Killer for Bryan Singer. He was also an uncredited writer on the first X-Men film.

George Clooney Attached For Monster of Florance

HeatVision reports that George Clooney is set to star in adaptation of The Monster of Florance which Fox 2000 has just acquired. The project which is being scripted by Christopher McQuarrie (Usual Suspects) and Nathan Alexander (Valkyrie) is based on a true story. Tom Cruise had shown interest in the movie back in 2008 when it was at United Artists.


Preston and Spezi's book is an investigation into the murderer (or murderers) known as Il Mostro, who killed more than a dozen people from the late 1960s to the mid-1980s without being caught. In the course of their digging, Preston, who had moved with his family to a villa in Florence, and Spezi, an Italian crime journalist, were themselves then investigated by the police.

Aaron Johnson, Nicholas Hoult & Juno Temple Up For Jack The Giant Killer

HeatVision reports that Bryan Singer is close to casting the leads in Jack The Giant Killer. The three contenders for Jack include Aaron Johnson (Nowhere Boy, Kick-Ass), Nicholas Hoult (About A Boy, Single Man) and newcomer Aneurin Bernard. While Johnson seems the frontrunner Hoult could very well be a decent second choice. It doesn't hurt that he's co-starring in X-Men First Class which Singer is producing. In the running for the Princess is Juno Temple (Atonement, Year One), Lily Collins and Adelaide Kane. Temple is my favorite of the group and is more likely to get the role with her high profile.

The script recently worked on by Christopher McQuarrie (The Wolverine, Usual Suspects) focuses on a princess who is kidnapped, threatening the long-standing peace between humans and giants.  A young farmer is then forced to lead a rescue mission to the giants' kingdom.

CAST 'EM!: Darren Aronofsky's The Wolverine

 Darren Aronofsky was finally announced as the director of The Wolverine this week. The film based on the Japanese saga from Frank Miller and Chris Claremont has been adapted by screenwriter Christopher McQuarrie. Just a couple of days ago Darren confirmed that he would be casting Japanese actors in the film. Notice he's not hiring Asian-American actors to blanket the roles. There is speculation that the film will even involve subtitles with Japanese spoken which is beyond ballsy for Fox to allow. Since this film will have zero links to other X-Men and will be entirely set in Japan. I've come up with my list of Japanese actors I'd like to see cast in roles. I'm using the character information from both the comics and the character list that leaked.

Hiroyuki Sanada as Kenuichio/Silver Samurai

Chiaki Kuriyama as Yuriko

 Takeshi Kitano as Shingen












Rinko Kikuchi as Mariko

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.

Jack The Giant Killer To Shoot Spring 2011, Aaron Johnson To Star?

Deadline reports Warner Bros. and New Line have greenlit Bryan Singer's Jack The Giant Killer. The film is expected to start shooting in the spring thanks to script changes from Christopher McQuarrie who worked with Singer on both Valkyrie and The Usual Suspects. He also wrote the script for Wolverine 2. The site also reports Singer would love to cast Aaron Johnson in the film. He and Andrew Garfield had been rumored for screen tests but with Garfield locked in for Spider-Man it looks like Johnson could get the role.