It seems the director of X-Men spin-off Wolverine 2 will, indeed, be Darren Aronofsky, according to latest reports…
It's been a week or two since the rumour first circulating regarding Darren Aronofsky as a possible director for Wolverine 2. It's been clear for some time that X-Men Origins: Wolverine helmer Gavin Hood wasn't likely to be asked back, but Aronofsky had more recently been linked with the Superman job. However, that went, in the end, to Zack Snyder, leaving Fox to seize its chance and offer Aronofsky a major blockbuster gig.
This isn't the first time that's happened, mind. Off the back of films such as Requiem For A Dream and Pi, he was attached for a while to Batman: Year One. But Warner Bros eventually opted to go with Christopher Nolan's planned Batman reboot of the time, and the rest there is history.
Aronofsky, meanwhile, has delivered the terrific The Wrestler, and is already winning acclaim for his new movie, Black Swan. But finally, it appears that the director is closing in on a big blockbuster project.
According to Deadline, Aronofsky is edging away from one of his planned projects, Gangster Squad for Warner Bros. And instead, Wolverine 2 looks higher up his agenda. It'd be a massive signing for the franchise, too, and Deadline reckons the director will get a bumper payday for his trouble.
Fox seems to be following the Nolan template here, where you get a quality director not usually associated with massive blockbusters to lend his talents to a franchise. Here's hoping this one comes together, then...