ScreenCrave.com » Wolverine

Wolverine Pirate Does Jail Time

Damon Houx — Tue, 20 Dec 2011 19:04:11 +0000

When 2009′s Wolverine was about to hit theaters, a workprint hit the internet. Though the effects were incomplete it became a news story, and it was the biggest film to hit the pirate circuit pre-release. Piracy is still a huge problem for the industry, and those involved speculated that the leak cost the film untold millions of dollars. Now the person who leaked the film has been sentenced to a year term in federal prison, according to Deadline.

The standard pirator is usually considered college-aged and immoral, so it’s worth nothing that the guilty party, Gilberto Sanchez, is 49. Even with the two years since the film’s release, there’s no getting around the idea that this person doesn’t fit the usual descriptions. But that also points out that piracy is not just a young man’s game.

Part of the recent move of big films to 3-D and Imax has to do with inflated ticket prices, but also it’s to combat piracy issues like this. There hasn’t been as high profile a leak since Wolverine, but with trailer companies and interviewers sent copies of films – not to mention screener season, where films that haven’t hit theaters are available for academy members – it’s a constant threat that suggests that this won’t be the last time.

Did you take a peak at the leaked copy of Wolverine?

Interview: Hugh Jackman on Real Steel

Damon Houx — Wed, 05 Oct 2011 20:00:23 +0000

Hugh Jackman was – at first – the replacement Wolverine. Stepping in for the contractually tied-up Dougray Scott, Jackman got the key role in the X-Men franchise that would come to define his career. Now with Real Steel, Jackman’s star-charisma is being used outside of Wolverine for a feel-good robot-boxing movie, that is an against-the-odds winner of a movie. Jackman has a repuation of being a class act, and he couldn’t have been more gracious in our interview, as he talked about the film, his continuing role in the X-Men franchise, and more. Check it out…

In Real Steel I was reminded of Iron Giant for a minute when he first realizes that maybe Atom knows what’s going on.

Is that what you think? That’s interesting to me.

When Dakota’s character is looking at Atom and then Atom just starts moving around.

But he has the shadow function so whenever he moves the robot moves.

Yeah but he’s like ‘You understand me?’

That says a lot about you. See there’s some journalist in me now. (Laughs)

So what’s your take on it?

My take is no, no it’s a robot but it does have some kind of like — it has a version of heart. Even the way my character says “He takes a lot of hits,” that way that he keeps getting up. It never is conclusive, I really applaud the way Shawn — I’m sure for a movie that does play for such a broad audience it’s very tempting to make a clear choice, especially for kids. Ironically what has happened is kids like my daughter, my son will tell you until the cows come home that that robot’s alive, that it knows what’s going on.

And for people who are “young at heart” shall we say want it because that boy sees Atom as his life-line. He’s lost his father, he’s essentially not there, his mother’s dead, that robot to him represents everything until his father comes back to life. So emotionally you can understand why he does that and so Shawn is allowed some people to go through that journey as well or other people there’s nothing conclusive about it which was a huge decision by the way making the movie.

Now in the movie they used actual robots because Steven Spielberg thought it was a good idea. You’ve done the green screen, you’ve done all the action stuff, what do you prefer?

First of all there was no green screen. Even when it wasn’t real robots, all the robot boxing had been choreographed, shot and partly kind of rendered before we did it so I could watch it and knew exactly what it was. Having the real robots meant for me, in particularly for Dakota (Goyo) there was no leap of imagination on “what’s this going to look like.” We had the robots on set there and the guys in green suits up there doing it.

The most difficult scene that I had was a scene where I’m shadowboxing with Atom outside the lawn of the motel so I’m actually doing that with Eddie Davenport – who’s wearing a green suit with sensors all over him and stilts pretending to be a robot. I was told that if we were not in complete sync that it’s very very difficult to change the visual and very expensive, so we worked on that like we were a synchronized swimming team.

How does it feel being taught by Sugar Ray Leonard?

Great, I was a little star-struck meeting him and I had to say — last February we went to the Superbowl to promote the movie with Sugar Ray. I don’t know if you’ve ever been to the Superbowl, they have a ballroom that’s filled with press, they camp out there all week. There are some of the biggest football stars around and you go around with Sugar Ray and these guys just turn into mush, they just turn into little kids.

He’s helped me so much with the boxing, and what it’s like to be a boxer. I was trying to trace through what it would be like for someone like (my character) Charlie whose livelihood has always been boxing – I always thought of Charlie as not educated, a little kid who thankfully found boxing at the right time otherwise he would’ve been in jail. That was his life and now it’s rendered useless, he’s been discarded from that and he’s trying to make a living in this new kind of world. I said to Leonard “You were the champion of the world, what it’s like when you give it up? How do you find that? What happens?” He talked about the sacrifices he made as a boxer family-wise and the loneliness, the difficulty. He talked about being a corner man – which is essentially what my part is – and he really gave me a lot of gull, pure gull.

Was the experience of making the film different than you thought it would be?

Yeah, better. As I read it I was like “Is this going to be cumbersome? Is this going to be slow?” Generally with visual effects everything slows down and I saw that last fight, I read that and I loved it on the page but thought “We’re going to be there for six weeks shooting this.” It’s so complicated and there’s so much with the shadowboxing on the outside, the fighting in the ring, and the crowd. But we never felt bogged down. Then – to be honest – the biggest things I had with the film was that I didn’t think the film would work at all if there wasn’t a connection between me and whoever played Max. That was Dakota (Goyo) and he’s one of the greatest actors I’ve worked with. Shawn (Levy) became one of my closest friends, and that’s rare. He’s a great director.

That’s what I was going to ask you about the chemistry between the kid, how do you feel about the beginning how it was and –

It was always good. He’s a very polite boy, very well brought up and hopefully I’m a little nicer to kids than I appear in this film. So both of us needed to be needled by Shawn and we hung out together a lot. The thing for me was that I had to remind myself and him that I’m not an adult, we’re like buddies. Not even buddies, we’re just contemporaries, so I never wanted him to feel overwhelmed or like “I better let him decide” if he wanted to ad-lib something. I would say to him “Do you want to do another take? Is there anything you want to do?” and he’d say “Yeah I thought maybe we could do this” and I’d say “Let’s just do it!” I wanted him to feel like he was as much in charge of the scenes as me and Shawn, well – I helped him but really Shawn mentored him. That boy’s life is forever changed with working with Shawn because Shawn is gifted with younger actors and really brought out the best in him.

Anthony Mackie called you the captain of the team, is that something you’ve chosen to do when you make a movie?

Yeah I’m a little old school in that way. I do think you need someone to marshal the troops, set a tone, set a way of working and normally I would probably be more of that if it’s not someone like Shawn because a lot of directors are not how you would imagine. They’re not Cecil B. Demile at all, they’re quiet as they stare at their monitors and some of them – like Woody Allen, for example – never says a thing. You would believe he was the second grip’s assistant the way he sits off the side in the corner. So Shawn is old school, he is the leader, he’s producer. I was a studio head he’d be a dream. He’s never over time, never over budget, he communicates a hundred percent, he’s right by the camera = his energy. So I had to be less of a captain.

So when did you know or did you ever feel that this project was special?

Probably two or three weeks in. We didn’t really shoot the fighting sequences, those big fighting sequences, till the end. So it was pretty much just all drama. It’s relationship story or a road movie between this father and son and the stuff with Bailey (Evangeline Lilly) and I was drawn into it. Watching it back I would find it would bring a kind of tear to my eye. I find it hard to watch myself but I was drawn into that relationship of father and son.

How related do you feel to Charlie?

In many ways we’re very different, Charlie’s a “put all the chips on one number” all-or-nothing kind of guy and I’m not. I’m much more even balanced and as my wife says I’m very even-steven. I’m much more of a pack horse than Charlie is, Charlie’s like just go for it all the time. I think, however I always feel empathy in a way for Charlie because Charlie takes big risks and there’s been points in my life where I’ve taken big risks which have kind of worked out for me. But if those things had not worked out for me…

The very first time I sung publicly I was asked to sing the national anthem at a big Rugby game in Australia, millions of people watching it, a hundred thousand people in the stadium and I had a panic attack the night before, I was terrified because I had in my head, right or wrong, if I screw this up it’s over and I was terrified. I had seen people booed off singing the national anthem badly and never work again because Australia’s a small place. So it was like our Superbowl and I was petrified.

Now if I had been booed off, if things had not gone well, I know I wouldn’t be here today, I know it. Life is fragile, you have to really never take anything for granted. Charlie is someone who has good intentions. He’s tried his best, he kept failing at the wrong time and eventually it hurt too much so he shuts down. And all of us are prone to that at some point in time and I think it’s good to remember that.

You were talking about how nervous you were when it came to singing the national anthem. Do you still have that kind of nervousness?

No, I’ve never been that scared again.

No?

No, that was fifteen years ago. July 26, 1996, I still remember it. My wife we’d planned a month’s holiday and it was the worst holiday of my life because the entire month I was just petrified of this day. It’s great to have those moments, to get through them, and that’s why I’m saying if that had not gone well I may never have had the confidence to do other things. Without that moment I would have never hosted the Oscars, wouldn’t have had that confidence.

In Hollywood nothing’s ever for sure but do you get nervous when a project like say Wolverine has these obstacles and then things don’t happen. Do you ever get nervous on that?

Frustrated. I get frustrated.

Do you get nervous that maybe this shouldn’t happen, that it’s an omen or something like that?

No, my experience particularly with X-Men, I don’t know why but there’s never been an easy ride. And one thing I learned in Australia is when you first get on a horse, first impressions don’t matter. Sometimes the most uncomfortable first ride can end up becoming the best ride of your life so you’ve got to just stick with it and trust your instincts about why you’re doing it and know that any movie that gets made is a miracle. Somehow, I mean I can’t tell you how many reasons or potholes that could derail any movie and it’s so miraculous it gets made and gets out there. So I never really take it for granted, it’s an exciting business to be in and I’m glad I’m on this side of the camera cause the other side I’d want to slit my wrists.

What was it like working with Evangeline Lilly?

I don’t know if you guys know but she’s famous for saying no to things in Hollywood, she turns down almost anything. Lost was the first audition she ever did and I think she did it as a joke or a laugh.

Some joke.

Right. (Laughs) Now she’s been in this show for seven years and has done one other movie, The Hurt Locker and she said yes to this because she really loved the emotion. She brought so much to it. There was a lot more to that part and that relationship and often you hear people talk saying “You know we’re going to create something where you guys are kind of at each other’s throats but we secretly see that you’re in love with each other” and you go “Yeah, yeah.” I’ve heard it before but it’s rare to actually kind of achieve that and I think she was a big reason why we did.

Do you think there’s going to be a sequel?

I don’t know but it’s not the right time to be talking about it. We need to concentrate. It’s kind of like the week before the Superbowl saying “You think you’ll be in the Superbowl next year?” I know it’s being written and I know in a way it’s planned and it’s been always there. I have signed on for one if there is but none of us involved are thinking beyond October 6th. That’s not the mentality you have.

So if there was a memorable moment for you what would it be from working on this project?

I always remembered that moment of standing with Shawn at the monitor watching Dakota in that final scene. It’s in slow motion of the film but when we were shooting live obviously it wasn’t in slow motion where he’s watching Atom and suddenly he looks over at Charlie his father. I was already always kind of in love with this kid, with Dakota and I have such affection for him. A tear rolls down his eye and all of us were like — because that proved to me what this movie was about. In a way this kid is putting all his hopes into Atom but really what he wants is a dad. He sees his father coming to life in that moment and it melts him. I’ll never forget that moment, it was great.

Is that really you on Twitter?

I’ve started on Twitter recently. I’ve come to it like a commitment-phobe, so yes I have been doing it now for the last four months or so. I started on Twitter and I started posting things and my publicist rang me one Sunday night and said “You just posted your home address on Twitter.” I said “What do you mean?” and she says “Look at that picture you just took” because my daughter’s swimming in the fountain outside my house with her friend, and I didn’t want to show her face because it was so cute to me and I didn’t realize I put my street name. So she said “From now on you must send me everything you post.” So what I do is I do a tweet and I send it to her and then she forwards it on.

What’s next for you?

I’m going to Broadway to do a one-man show for ten weeks, do some real sweating. Then I go and do the movie version of Les Miserables, the musical that Tom Hooper’s directing. Russell Crowe, myself and I can’t tell you who some of the others are. It’s very close, I think it’ll come out tomorrow and then Wolverine. I have an eclectic year ahead.

Are you particularly excited for The Wolverine because it seems like Wolvie’s more or less an extension of you at this point because you’ve been playing him for practically a decade. You are Wolverine at this point.

I play it at home obviously. (Laughs) For parental control it really helps, trust me. So yes I’m very excited for it and I’ve always thought the Japanese saga was the ultimate backdrop for a movie. From X-Men 1, when I first started reading the comics, because I’ve never read them before… I don’t want to give away too much. You know, by the way, that saga is quite disparate. There are some that have got the wedding and the X-Men involved. And I’ve been waiting to make this movie all year so there’s been many reasons why I’m so ready to make it.

Speaking of Wolverine, you worked with Kevin Durand there. Were you instrumental in getting him cast?

No, it just happened and I was so thrilled because he’s fantastic in the part. The way he follows it through the end and he’s such a great actor. We first knew of each other on Broadway because he was doing Tom Sawyer when I was getting ready to do The Boy from Oz. In a way we have similar backgrounds, we have a kind of bit of a kindred spirit and I think he is a phenomenally talented actor that is yet to get the roles he deserves so I’m really happy to see him. Everything he does he’s great and I’m happy to see him in this but hopefully next time I see him in a movie he’ll be the lead.

You work on movies and you do a lot of stage work, do you feel like it’s a different gear?

It’s a slightly different gear for sure. But for me each one sharpens the other. It’s like — it’s essentially acting is the same thing, but it requires slightly different muscles and there’s something about theater with the discipline of the theater that no matter what’s going on in your life, eight times a week that you need to be on. They pay eight hundred bucks for a ticket, they don’t care what’s going on with your day, they don’t care about that. You need to be at a hundred percent, it’s one take effectively and that’s always great for film. I find that if I’ve been on stage and I go back to a film and I’m much more on it.

Just curious, did Steven Spielberg or Robert Zemeckis have a lot of input with you on this film?

Zemeckis I personally never spoke to at all. I rarely spoke with Steven because that would be wrong for him to talk with me, particularly he just needed to talk with Shawn and he mentored Shawn. Have you interviewed Shawn yet?

No.

You should ask them what is the one intervention Steven did that made the most difference to this film. Like there’s a number and I don’t know why one he’ll tell but it’s a great example of co-producing. What Steven saw was this was, in fact I heard him quote it. He said “Shawn has made many, many successful movies but this is his first film.” It’s a big step up and it takes someone of Steven’s brilliance and his trust and ability to know a director to know what’s in them.

Did you watch any boxing movies as inspiration for this film?

I watched Rocky again, I watched Raging Bull.

Did you put a little Jake LaMotta in your performance?

(Laughs) No, it’s more — what’s always surprising about Rocky is first of all how little of fighting is in it and still how engaging it is, how inspirational it is and how far you can take a character and still be rooting for him. He’s not a great guy at the beginning of that movie.

Real Steel opens October 7. Check it out.

Hugh Jackman Talks Darren Aronofsky’s ‘Wolverine’ Departure

traviswoods — Wed, 30 Mar 2011 15:57:05 +0000

After getting hit with a double whammy—his upcoming Wolverine sequel was set to be directed by Darren Aronofsky and filmed in Japan before Aronofsky quit, and Japan was besieged by an earthquake, tsunami, and nuclear reactor leaks—Hugh Jackman recently spoke with Coming Soon about losing the director and, potentially, the shooting locations.

From Coming Soon:

“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, I’m not sure where they’re at, so now we’re finding another director, but Fox is very anxious to make the movie and we’re moving ahead full steam to find another director.”

Wolverine fans, rest easy—the bushy-haired character and his attendant franchise is too big a cash cow for Fox to let slip through their fingers. So there will be Wolverine 2—the Law of Endless Sequels Featuring Comic Book Characters demands it, really. It’s just that, without Aronofsky, it probably won’t be anywhere near as weirdly badass (or badassly weird) as it could have been.

As for not nabbing Aronofsky (who previously directed him in The Fountain), Jackman had this to say: “This one didn’t work out but hopefully there’ll be another one.”

How do you feel about an Aronofsky-less Wolverine film?

Darren Aronofsky Says The Wolverine Screenplay Still A Work in Progress

Krystal Clark — Fri, 19 Nov 2010 17:29:34 +0000

The Wolverine news keeps chugging along as even more info has been released regarding the upcoming sequel. We recently learned that the film will begin shooting in April, and that Darren Aronofsky just set up a two-year production deal with 20th Century Fox. Even though his future looks big and bright, the director recently admitted to SHH that he hasn’t fully delved into The Wolverine because he’s busy promoting his latest film, Black Swan. As a matter of fact, a script hasn’t even been finalized yet.

Aronofsky: “Chris McQuarrie wrote a great screenplay. We’re trying to get it into a slightly better place but he’s working on it, and I think it’ll be easy to fix. Chris is an amazing writer and I’m very lucky to have him as a collaborator.”

Even though the story isn’t pitch perfect right now, one thing is for sure, Japan will play a huge part in it. The last time we saw Logan at the end of Wolverine, he was sitting at a bar in the country trying to drink away his problems. Unfortunately for him, problems follow the anti-hero wherever he goes.

Word on the street is that the film will follow the Silver Samurai storyline. Without giving away too many specifics, Aronofsky said they are looking for Japanese actors who are fluent in the language.”I’m a big fan of Japanese movies, we’re going to try to have a good time. He didn’t confirm whether or not the actors would speak the language or English throughout the majority of the film. He said, “It’s still under discussion, we’ll see what happens.”

Why are people afraid of subtitles? Is reading that terrifying?

What do you think of Aronofsky’s plan for The Wolverine?

Darren Aronofsky Will Direct The Wolverine in April, Cuts Two Year Deal With Fox

Krystal Clark — Thu, 18 Nov 2010 21:23:00 +0000

Darren Aronofsky has finally signed on the dotted lined and made a formal announcement regarding his next directing gig. Over the past month, we’ve pretty much known that the Black Swan helmer was set to take over where Gavin Hood left off (shudder) in Fox’s Wolverine franchise. According to THR, not only will he direct the sequel which is entitled, The Wolverine, but he’ll also produce other projects for the studio over the next two years.

The two year deal is for Aronofsky’s production company Protozoa Pictures. He will develop and produce for Fox and Fox Searchlight via the company. Besides that, he’s setting up for his first major tentpole, The Wolverine, which is scheduled to begin shooting in April. The film’s screenplay was written by Christopher McQuarrie and will supposedly center on Wolverine’s adventures in Japan, where he falls in love with a native woman, and goes up against the Silver Samurai.

According to Fox Searchlight co-presidents Steve Gilula and Nancy Utley:

“Darren’s vision has brought audiences some of the most original and memorable stories and characters in recent motion picture history. “We at Fox witnessed this first hand with his work on The Wrestler, and Black Swan, and now, on The Wolverine.”

In other words, they’re looking for him to bring some credibility back to the hero after they ripped his legacy to shreds. Hopefully, Aronofsky can repair the damage.

What do you think of Aronofsky’s two year deal with Fox? Is that a good move?

Wolverine Sequel Gets New Title: ‘The Wolverine’

Krystal Clark — Mon, 15 Nov 2010 17:04:19 +0000

Over the weekend, some news broke regarding the next Wolverine movie, which will reunite actor Hugh Jackman and director Darren Aronofsky. HitFix’s, Drew McWeeny sat down and spoke with Aronofsky about the project, which will be the sequel to 2009′s X-Men Origins: Wolverine, a film that was universally panned for various reasons. If you’re wondering what will separate this movie from its predecessor, just take a look at its title…

So what will Wolverine 2 officially be called? How about The Wolverine? Yep, that’s the name that Aronofsky threw out when asked about the project. We take it that they’re trying to go in the same vein as The Batman, The Dark Knight, or most recently The Dark Knight Rises (a name we’re still not too keen on).

Aronofsky described the film as a “one-off” and he pressed that it wasn’t a sequel in the conventional sense. We’re not sure what that means, but it sounds like they want to pretend that X-Men Origins: Wolverine didn’t happen. Don’t worry Aronofsky, we’ve been trying to do that for the past year. We’re with you on that!

The Wolverine will supposedly center on Wolverine’s adventures in Japan, where he falls in love with a native woman, and goes up against the Silver Samurai.

Photo Gallery:

What do you think of the title The Wolverine?

Wolverine 2 Cast List Reveals Silver Samurai?

Krystal Clark — Thu, 28 Oct 2010 23:02:52 +0000

If you still have hope that Wolverine 2 will be the redemption of the X-Men Origins franchise, this post’s for you. Darren Aronofsky has been confirmed by Hugh Jackman to direct the sequel, which will take Logan from his native Canada to Japan. There he’ll encounter a fresh group of foes including the deadly Silver Samauri. Over at Pajiba, they somehow got a copy of the main cast list that features some major characters, and some minor spoilers. If you want to know who they’re looking for continue reading…

Early on it was established that Wolverine 2 would be loosley based on the Frank Miller and Chris Claremont mini-series that established Wolverine’s background in the 80′s. The screenplay for the film is written my Christopher McQuarrie and here are some characters that we believe make an appearance.

Shingen: His late father was the Master of the Hand, but rather than allow Shingen to take on the role, he killed himself and left the Hand masterless, hoping that they would choose Logan as their new Master.
Zen: He finds Logan in jail in Canada and makes him an offer he can’t refuse – to come to Japan and learn about his origin.
Kenuichio/Samurai: He’s the illegitimate son of Shingen, but Shingen refuses to acknowledge him as an heir. He’s also an expert Samurai, and he attacks Logan several times as a “Silver Samurai” with electrified armor.
Mariko: Shingen’s daughter. Shingen has arranged her marriage to the corrupt Noburo, but when Logan saves her life, they fall for one another.
Yukio: Logan’s bodyguard. They have an immediate physical attraction. She’s also still partially loyal to Shingen and reports back to him, but she’s more loyal to Logan, who she considers her master.
Noburo Moro: Minister of Justice. He’s corrupt – in the back pocket of the Yakuza – and Shingen’s arranged for him to marry Mariko.
Viper: Noburo’s secretary. She’s in league with both Shingen and Kenuichio, her lover, but she’s ultimately more loyal to Shingen.
Frank Sinatra: Japan’s answer to Frank Sinatra. A Yakuza higher-up who provides Logan with information.

We weren’t aware that there was a Frank Sinatra-like character in the Wolverine comic. Are any of you guys familiar with him? Is he the real deal?

What do you think of the cast list for Wolverine 2? Are the right characters involved?

Hugh Jackman Confirms Darren Aronofsky for Wolverine 2

Krystal Clark — Tue, 19 Oct 2010 19:42:32 +0000

Over the past few weeks, 20th Century Fox has been courting Darren Aronofky to direct their upcoming sequel, Wolverine 2. The movie is a follow up to the commercially successful but critically panned X-Men Origins: Wolverine from 2009. Over the last few days, it seems that Aronofsky has been inching closer and closer to the project. He even turned down an offer from Warner Bros to direct Tales From The Gangster Squad. According to Wolverine star and producer Hugh Jackman, Aronofsky will direct him in the sequel and that’s straight from the horses mouth!

Jackman recently spoke to the folks over at the New York Times, and revealed that he’s getting back into shape for the movie and he’s already altered his diet. It was in this conversation that he announced that Aronofsky will direct Wolverine 2 and he plans on making it a lot more serious than what we’ve seen in the past.

“I’m starting; I’m having my six meals a day. With Aronofsky directing, this will not be a usual “X-Men” movie.” “This is, hopefully for me, going to be out of the box. It’s going to be the best one, I hope,” he said, “Well, I would say that, but I really do feel that, and I feel this is going to be very different.”

He also went on to say that Aronofsky’s background in dark, psychological drama won’t hinder the Wolverine franchise.

“This is Wolverine. This is not Popeye. He’s kind of dark.” [Aronofsky's] going to make it fantastic. There’s going to be some meat on the bones. There will be something to think about as you leave the theater, for sure.”

We want to believe him but we can’t. There’s no doubt that he wants to make a “real” Wolverine movie and Aronofsky might feel the same way, but what does Fox want? They are known for putting in their two cents and altering director and screenwriter’s visions when it comes to their major franchises. Aronofsky is a successful indie director who’s trying to make a leap to major studio films. And we wonder if he’ll be able to keep his creativity in tact when the execs from Fox start breathing down his neck.

Do you think Fox will allow Aronofsky and Jackman to make the movie they want?

Darren Aronofsky Moves Closer to Directing Wolverine 2

Krystal Clark — Tue, 12 Oct 2010 20:32:15 +0000

The countdown to Darren Aronofsky directing Wolverine 2 can officially begin. One obstacle that was in the film’s way was the Warner Bros production Tales From the Gangster Squad. Aronofsky was being heavily courted for the project after the studio decided to hire Zack Snyder to direct the Superman reboot Man of Steel, which Aronofsky was also in the running for. According to Deadline, he’s opted against directing Gangster Squad, which leaves the door wide open for Wolvie.

It’s no secret that X-Men Origins: Wolverine was visual cancer that placed the scarlet letter on the franchise. Fans are hoping that 20th Century Fox can get it right and hire someone who can restore the hero to his former glory. The studio is offering him $5 million against 5% of gross, which will be a nice pay day if the film’s a hit like its predecessors.

Fox sees Wolverine 2 as the project that can move Aronofsky from low budget, modest grossing films to blockbuster tentpoles, much like Christopher Nolan and Bryan Singer. Their trust in him is only compounded by the positive buzz he’s received from critics regarding his latest work, Black Swan. The thriller opened this year’s Venice Film Festival and has Oscar written all over it.

Can we get this man to sign on the dotted line already?

What do you think of Aronofsky turning down Tales From the Gangster Squad? Should he direct Wolverine?

Darren Aronofsky Offered Wolverine 2

Krystal Clark — Wed, 06 Oct 2010 16:41:30 +0000

Earlier this week it was announced that Zack Snyder would direct Warner Bros’ Superman reboot Man of Steel, which left fellow candidate Darren Aronofsky in the dust. He was said to be the front runner for the gig, but the studio obviously decided to go in another direction. Their loss is 20th Century Fox’s gain, because there’s been movement on the Wolverine 2 front and it has Aronofsky written all over it.

According to a report in Vulture, Aronofsky has gone into negotiations to direct Wolverine 2, now that Superman is no longer an option. Back in August we reported on Fox’s interest in him to helm the sequel but nothing was ever confirmed. Now, sources are claiming that their interest has resumed and Aronofsky has moved closer to making a deal.

On another note, Warner Bros may offer Aronofsky a “consolation prize” in the form of Tales From the Gangster Squad. It’s a high priority project that the studio originally offered to Ben Affleck but he turned it down. It’s said to be a cops and robbers drama that takes place in the 1940s.

If the director wants to break out into mainstream cinema Wolverine 2 would be the way to go, but Tales From the Gangster Squad, creatively, seems like it’s more up his alley. What should he choose?

Do you think Aronofsky has what it takes to bring Wolverine to greatness? Should he take the offer?

Darren Aronofsky Could Direct Wolverine 2?

Krystal Clark — Mon, 30 Aug 2010 21:18:15 +0000

It’s been well documented that Darren Aronofsky has no problem taking on campy or oddball material. He was attached to the reboot of RoboCop for over a year before MGM decided to pull the plug on it. Now we’re hearing his name in the same sentence with an upcoming comic book sequel — Wolverine 2.

Previously we learned that David Slade (30 Days of Night, The Twilight Saga: Eclipse) was the lead candidate for the job, but now Deadline is reporting that Aronofsky has a decent shot. Hugh Jackman, who stars and produces the film, has a huge say in who directs and he’s met with Aronofsky several times. The two have a good working relationship that dates back to their collaboration on the fantasy thriller The Fountain.

The big question is, who really wants to see another Wolverine movie? The X-Men franchise as a whole has been on the decline and I’m really surprised that Aronofsky would even entertain the idea of doing this film. Please give the job to David Slade, he’s already dampened his reputation with Twilight, let’s leave Aronofsky with some dignity.

Do you think Aronofsky would take on Wolverine 2? If he doesn’t direct the film, who should?

Twilight Eclipse’s David Slade To Direct Wolverine 2?

Krystal Clark — Fri, 20 Aug 2010 15:53:34 +0000

Earlier this week we reported that Hugh Jackman had dropped out of the upcoming film Avon Man (which he’ll also produce) to begin training for Wolverine 2. The film should begin production pretty soon but it still doesn’t have a director. The first installment of the X-Men Origins series was directed Gavin Hood, but he won’t be returning for the sequel. Instead, Fox has their eye on a new guy, David Slade.

According to Vulture, Slade is the first choice to helm Wolverine 2. He previously directed this summer’s The Twilight Saga: Eclipse, and prior to that 30 Days of Night and Hard Candy. But he’s not the only one who has the studio’s attention. Another contender who’s running a close second with Slade is Robert Schwentke who helmed The Time Traveler’s Wife and Flightplan. Both of them have been given the stamp of approval by the powers that be so it’s just a matter of who they want more.

The screenplay for Wolverine 2 is being written by Christopher McQuarrie and will center on the Japanese samurai story from the comics. It will follow Logan as he engages in “a forbidden romance with a Japanese woman whose hand in marriage is, unfortunately, promised to another man.” He doesn’t take no for an answer and ends up battling her “furious father and samurai-sword-wielding brothers.”

The Silver Samurai will probably be one of the main villains in this film. You can’t have Wolverine in Japan and not touch on the Samuari story. People would be highly pissed, even more than they were with the treatment of the characters in the first movie (Gambit, Deadpool).

Who do you think should direct Wolverine 2?

ScreenCrave.com » Wolverine

Wolverine Pirate Does Jail Time

Related Posts

Interview: Hugh Jackman on Real Steel

Related Posts

Hugh Jackman Talks Darren Aronofsky’s ‘Wolverine’ Departure

Related Posts

Darren Aronofsky Says The Wolverine Screenplay Still A Work in Progress

Related Posts

Darren Aronofsky Will Direct The Wolverine in April, Cuts Two Year Deal With Fox

Related Posts

Wolverine Sequel Gets New Title: ‘The Wolverine’

Photo Gallery:

Related Posts

Wolverine 2 Cast List Reveals Silver Samurai?

Related Posts

Hugh Jackman Confirms Darren Aronofsky for Wolverine 2

Related Posts

Darren Aronofsky Moves Closer to Directing Wolverine 2

Related Posts

Darren Aronofsky Offered Wolverine 2

Related Posts

Darren Aronofsky Could Direct Wolverine 2?

Related Posts

Twilight Eclipse’s David Slade To Direct Wolverine 2?

Related Posts