'Wolverine 2' Likely Going To Shoot In New York To Accommodate Aronofsky, Production Probably To Begin March 2011

Let's be incredibly brief here since this project seems to be a done deal.

As you know, Darren Aronofsky all but officially has the "Wolverine 2" directing gig. We would've never guessed in a million years that this would happen (and we even tried to talk the filmmaker out of it). In a weekend Deadline article that also mentioned updates on "Pride & Prejudice & Zombies," it was reported that Aronofsky is so close to taking on the gig that talks have already turned to where the production will shoot.

To accommodate Aronofksy (who lives in New York) and Hugh Jackman's families, the sound stage portions of the film will be shot in the Big Apple. A March 2011 start date is being eyed which will allow the filmmaker plenty of time to be available for awards season press for his critically acclaimed psychodrama, "Black Swan" (The 83rd Academy Awards will take place on February 27). And to make any script tweaks if necessary. After the New York sequences are completed, the production will move to Japan to shoot the bulk of the film. The Christopher McQuarrie-penned script is based off the classic 1982 "Wolverine" mini-series created by Chris Claremont and artist Frank Miller that sets Logan in Japan, on a mission of the heart, if he can survive the ninja-clan the Hand first.

"X-Men Origins: Wolverine" was easily one of the worst films of 2009, so while it would be impossible to be much worse, Aronofsky will have his work cut out for him if he wants to completely overhaul the tone of the previous film. And we hope a "complete overhaul" is exactly what he has in mind.

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Darren Aronofsky Turns Down 'Gangster Squad,' Nears Deal To Direct 'Wolverine 2'

It looks like Darren Aronofsky is eager to scratch the itch of a big budget blockbuster, and "X-Men Origins: Wolverine 2" may be the film to satisfy that urge.

Deadline reports that the director has turned down Warner Bros. offer to helm "Tales From The Gangster Squad," a period gangster movie about cops attempting to bring down notorious LA gangster Mickey Cohen. The move now leaves him wide open to take on 'Wolverine 2' and it looks like it's merely a matter of hammering out deal points.

In the wake of the festival success of "Black Swan," Aronofsky is ready to get real paid. He's apparently working out a deal that will see him bank $5 million against 5% of the gross of 'Wolverine 2.' That's one helluva incentive.

We're big fans of Aronofsky and are a bit dismayed he's seriously in contention to helm a boring franchise film, particularly when he has much more interesting films he could be doing instead. We guess we now have a reason to care about the second installment of the Hugh Jackman payday vehicle which takes place in Japan and will have ninjas or something. But if this means Aronofsky eventually gets to make his own "Inception," we suppose there is a potential silver lining in all of this.

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An Open Letter to Darren Aronofsky: A Few Reasons Why You Might Want to Skip 'Wolverine 2'

The blogosphere is all abuzz this week with the one-two punch of comic book-related big screen deals: first, Zack Snyder, contested director of "300" and "Watchmen," will direct the Christopher Nolan-supervised, David Goyer-scripted reboot of the mother-0f-all-superhero-franchises, "Superman." But wait! As a follow-up to the "Superman" stories, it was noted that Darren Aronofsky, riding the high from all the festival buzz his supernatural ballet thriller "Black Swan" is garnering, was first in line for the gig and may still direct a high profile superhero franchise joint — 20th Century Fox's "Wolverine 2." Well, we're here to write a letter to you, Mr. Aronofsky, hoping you will stop for a moment to consider this career move.

You remain the rare director who has followed through on the initial visual and storytelling promise you displayed in your debut feature "Pi" and sophomore effort "Requiem for a Dream." Taking the second sequel to what was an inauspicious — no, embarrassing — opening to a new spin-off franchise ("X-Men Origins: Wolverine") is something that an eager up-and-coming music video or commercial director would take, not something that a seasoned professional like you, who spent an agonizingly long time getting his difficult sci-fi opus "The Fountain" off the ground, would rush into (hey, we like Hugh Jackman too, but 'Wolverine' was painful).

And besides, you have so many other cool projects that you could do instead. You are one of those directors who are perennially attached to about a dozen different projects at any given time, and we must say, these proposed projects all sound way more interesting than "Wolverine 2," whose script by Christopher McQuarrie reportedly pits the adamantium-clawed superhero against ninjas in Japan (been there, slashed that). These include the long-gestating (and, we reluctantly admit, most likely deceased) Noah's Ark project, more recent fare like an adaptation of non-fiction survival thriller "The Tiger" with Brad Pitt, highbrow literary adaptation "Serena" with Angelina Jolie, and most intriguingly, "Jackie," about Jackie Kennedy in the days following JFK's assassination, which would star your lovely partner Rachel Weisz. Hell, maybe MGM will get its shit together and you can do your worthy "Robocop" reboot.
Despite the relatively short gestation period between your Oscar-nominated drama "The Wrestler" and your sure-to-be-Oscar-nominated drama "Black Swan," these seem like projects which would take years to properly develop. "Wolverine 2" would be something that Fox would want, like, yesterday (they're probably already working on the action figures), without much time for artistic fussiness that takes time and makes for better movies. And it's not like something you're all that emotionally attached to. As you recently told MTV, "I didn't really have comic books. I didn't really know who Wolverine was until I met Hugh Jackman and got to know it." We know that some directors see these comic book things as passion projects but for you, it seems like another gig.

Still, as the LA Times pointed out, these big franchise movies can prove irresistible to directors, especially in the wonky, paradigm-shifting world of Hollywood, circa 2010. They cite super-genius Pixar auteur Brad Bird, who recently took the reins on the probably-not-called-"Mission: Impossible IV," and Marc Webb willingly signing on to the upcoming "Spider-Man" do-over (although, really, Webb should feel lucky to have been catapulted into the same sentence as yourself and Bird). Maybe doing "Wolverine 2" would be a frugal career move. After all, you worked on a "Batman Begins"-type reboot with Frank Miller before Christopher Nolan took command, and the Times piece cites Nolan, who balances his artistic proclivities with big budget responsibilities, as an inspiration to those off-kilter directors seeking entry to the franchise wheelhouse.

Plus, the material the "Wolverine 2" script is supposedly based on Chris Claremont and Frank Miller's run in the 1980s, which had the hero battling a squadron of ninjas while dealing with some sore emotional issues (some wounds never heal). If McQuarrie's script hits the tone of the comic book, which combined high-wire action with a deeply unsettled emotional core, then you're probably in good shape. We personally hope that maybe McQuarrie had mixed in some of Brian K. Vaughn's limited series "Logan" from a couple of years ago, which was the closest thing we've ever read to a Terrence Malick-penned superhero book (and covered similar thematic terrain to the Claremont/Miller series).

We have no doubt that you would do a fine job on Wolverine kicking ass in Japan; "The Fountain" in particular showed your uncanny knack for cross-cutting and recurrent images and "frames," hallmarks of comic books. We just think that maybe.... your skills could be used on a more worthy, more original project. Maybe you can get your comic book ya-yas out on some as-yet-unannounced original project and all that creativity and design work you've done over the years on a variety of comic book properties (among them, for a time, "Watchmen") will come flooding out in one giant gush (after all, didn't you get more of your "Perfect Blue" ya yas out in "Black Swan"?). If "Inception" and "District 9" has shown us anything, it's that occasionally studios will roll the dice on an original concept, even if it is expensive.

Obviously, the choice is up to you. But we're not the only ones questioning whether or not you can maintain your creative autonomy in a big studio set-up, especially one as mercurial as 20th Century Fox (not known as the most artistic friendly studio these days), who throws dozens of seasoned screenwriters at troubled scripts hoping that something (or anything) will stick, but what they usually end up with is "The A-Team." Well, Mr. Aronofsky, you're better than "The A-Team." And you're better than "Wolverine 2." C'mon, you and Rachel or you and Angie? Any number of drones can sleepwalk Hugh through this misguided passion project of his; why don't you do a musical with him one day and you'll both come out better in the end. Fine, even if you do end up making it, we suppose, we'll be first in line regardless.

Hugs and kisses,
The Playlist
(We'll be waiting for you in the space bubble.)

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Darren Aronofsky Begins Talks To Direct 'X-Men Origins: Wolverine 2,' Also Offered 'Tales From The Gangster Squad'

For a guy who professes not to be a comic book fan, Darren Aronofsky could have fooled us. Since breaking through with "Pi" and "Requiem for a Dream," he's been attached to a number of graphic novel-related properties, including "Watchmen," "Batman: Year One," the Manga adaptation "Lone Wolf and Cub" and "Robocop" (which yeah, isn't based on a comic book, but might as well be). With his latest film "Black Swan," picking up excellent buzz, he's been linked of late to "Preacher," "Superman" and "X-Men Origins: Wolverine 2."

Supposedly, Aronofsky was pursuing "Superman" fairly vigorously, but proved to be too much of a perfectionist for Warner Bros, and Zack Snyder landed the gig on Monday. As a result, both Vulture and Deadline are reporting that offers and/or talks are underway between 20th Century Fox and the director for the latter to helm the 'Wolverine' sequel. A number of names had been linked, including "Let Me In" director Matt Reeves, Robert Schwentke, who dropped out the running in favor of "R.I.P.D" and "The Osterman Weekend," and "Twilight: Eclipse" helmer David Slade, but franchise star Hugh Jackman was apparently keen to reteam with his friend and director on "The Fountain," and seems to have gotten his way.

Supposedly, Aronofsky met with studio head Tom Rothman to ensure that, if he signed on, he'd be given full creative control (man, we bet Gavin Hood wished he'd taken a similar meeting...), and that talks are now underway. It remains to be seen whether Aronofsky will sign on, but clearly, Fox are serious about trying to land the director. We've heard some very good buzz on Christopher McQuarrie's script, which follows Wolverine to Japan (if anyone happens to see it lying around, you know where to send it...), and with Aronofsky on board, this should be a sequel that far surpasses the original. Although, having said that, the film could be nothing but 90 minutes of Jackman clubbing baby seals, and it would still far surpass the original. According to Jackman, filming will kick off in March/April next year, for a Summer 2012 release.

Just to cement how in-demand Aronofsky has become, Vulture also report that, as a consolation prize from Warner Bros., he's been offered "Tales From The Gangster Squad," a period gangster movie about cops attempting to bring down notorious LA gangster Mickey Cohen. Ben Affleck got a similar offer last week, but turned it down, so WB have moved on to Aronofsky. Supposedly 'Wolverine 2' has the edge, but that could all change in the next few days.

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'Wolverine 2' Shooting In March/April 2011 According To Jackman, Christian Bale Reportedly Bulking Up For 'Batman 3'

Ok, now that your head is still reeling at the speed-ramping possibilities of Zack Snyder and the new "Superman" film, here's some slightly less shocking news to end your day.

Speaking to the Uruguayan press, Hugh Jackman told the local media that "Wolverine 2" would be shooting in March or April of 2011. This sounds reasonable, the original timetable was January 2011 and those estimates are always a bit overly optimistic. The script is being written by Christopher McQuarrie and is said to be based of the classic 1982 "Wolverine" mini-series created by Chris Claremont and artist Frank Miller.

Recent directors who's names have been touted to helm the picture include David Slade, Darren Aronofsky and Matt Reeves (Robert Schwentke has moved on). Aronofsky's not going to take the gig, but he will let the producers buy him a free lunch and as a friend of Jackman (he directed him in "The Fountain"), he likely entertained the thought, but it's more than probable that he's already passed. With "Let Me In," Reeves demonstrated he's is more than half the director we first estimated with "Cloverfield" and the remake's balance of tenderness and horror, certainly would make him a good fit for this material -- but the filmmaker also seems to be a thoughtful and intelligent one, so after watching "X-Men Origins: Wolverine" we assume he knows better.


That leaves genre-for-hire man David Slade ("Twilight: Eclipse," "30 Days Of Night") and we're willing to bet unless some bigger name enters the frame, he's going to take the director's spot.

Meanwhile, in smaller related comic-book movie news, according to Showbiz Spy, Christian Bale — who got rather emaciated once again for David O. Russell's "The Fighter" — is once again bulking up for "Batman 3" which is also rumored to start shooting in the spring of 2011. Showbiz Spy isn't the greatest source in the world, they report a lot of rumors, but there's really no reason to doubt this small bit of info.

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