Whenever I think of X-Men Origins: Wolverine, I’m filled with what you might poetically call “a berserker rage.” It’s the one time in my young and polite life that I’ve yelled at a movie screen. It’s probably the only time no one around me could have possibly cared.
I told myself I was done with Wolverine movies. Hugh Jackman could keep teasing me with “I’m going to take Wolverine to Japan and make him a samurai, just like you always waaaaaanteeeddd ….” but I wouldn’t listen. Nope. It would just end up all mangled like Weapon X did.
But Jackman knows our weaknesses. Deadline Hollywood is reporting that Darren Aronofsky (the Darren Aronofsky, not his lesser talented cousin or anything) is in talks for Wolverine 2. Supposedly, it’s coming down between David Slade (a story Renn Brown reported earlier) and Aronofsky. Robert Schwentke has dropped out.
It’s hard to believe Aronofsky would really jump on board anything so popcorn. He seems to have found his niche in dark and obsessive dramas, and doesn’t appear to lack the funding for them. But he also seems to hanker for something like this. Not so long ago he was attached to remake Robocop. Before that there was talk he would tackle Lone Wolf and Cub. And yes, once upon a time, he was to direct a Batman movie.
There’s no doubt Aronofsky would knock it out of the park. Frank Miller’s Wolverine is quite the tender story under the oft-repeated catchphrase, full of longing, obsession and despair. It’s a romance above all else. We know Aronofsky can do that, and we know he can wring the manly tears out of Jackman like no one ever bothers to do. The potential is vast.
But would 20th Century Fox actually allow it all to happen? Would they keep their grubby mitts off and allow it to be good? Yeah. I don’t think so either. But I’ll be damned if the little flame of hope didn’t just spark up a little bit ….