Aronofsky Could Direct 'Wolverine 2'?

My mind nearly exploded when I attempted to fathom the possibility of a Darren Aronofsky-directed Wolverine movie. It’s been reported that the auteur of such brilliant films as Requiem for a Dream and The Wrestler is being considered, along with David Slade (Hard Candy, Twilight : Eclipse), to helm the sequel to last year’s X-Men Origins: Wolverine. Robert Schwentke (Red) was originally in the running as well, but dropped out last week to focus on other potential projects.

As a devoted fan of Aronofsky, this news excites me exponentially. He would be an inspired choice, and I have no doubts that he would create something singular and entertaining with the franchise. There is already a great story arc in place and he’d be working from a script by the very respectable writer - Christopher McQuarrie (The Usual Suspects). The frenetic energy with which his films burst would transfer well to an action/adventure type project such as Wolverine 2. Couple that with his penchant for extracting marvelous performances from his actors and it’s safe to assume he’d create a comic book film with immense depth.

On the flip side, most detractors of previous Fox-produced, Marvel franchises (and even Aronofsky himself), would argue that they’d be making the same mistake as they did with last year’s poorly received Origins. Gavin Hood seemed ill-equipped to tackle such a large production, but he’s not on the level that Aronofsky is. Warner Bros. almost gave him the Batman franchise before they tagged Christopher Nolan instead, and Aronofsky was ready to reboot Robocop before things fell apart.

With all that being said, I doubt Aronofsky would accept this gig. He’s probably considering it just as a favor to Hugh Jackman - who did him a solid when he stepped in for Brad Pitt on The Fountain. Slade will eventually be announced as the director, churn out a mediocre sequel similar to the first, and it will go on to make hundreds of millions of dollars. In the end, we’ll all be left wondering what could have been. Or…Aronofsky could shock us all and take the job! Maybe Schwentke is of a similar mindset as I, and dropped out because he too wants this to happen! Doubtful. So don’t hold your breath.