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.