While other movie studios continue to find interesting talent to attach to their major superhero projects, Fox just keeps on going after the lamest directors possible. I’ll admit that I found both Fantastic Four and X3 passable and basically enjoyable, but does anyone really think that they were as good as they could have been? Imagine if Fox had not gone for Tim Story or Brett Ratner but instead had found real talent and not just guys who can point cameras at things.
The trend continues, as IESB reports that DJ Caruso, director of one of the worst movies I have ever seen, Taking Lives, is the studio’s first choice to helm the Wolverine movie. And get this – if Caruso is unavailable, since he’s being wooed back to Dreamworks after Disturbia, they want to get Len Wiseman to direct. Holy shit – at least Caruso has made two movies that are watchable, if not great.
I take this news as gospel, since it’s Fox-related and comes from IESB – that site is symbiotically connected to Fox, I believe. You’ll remember that Fox has ended the X-Men franchise because it cost too much, although there have been persistent rumors that Fox honcho Tom Rothman just really didn’t like it (I don’t know how true that is, but I do love the idea of a guy crapping on his mega-successful franchise out of personal distaste. That would only ever happen in Hollywood). Instead of doing more team films, the studio has been developing Wolverine and Magneto spin-offs; the Wolverine script, which really leaves a lot to be desired, is by one of my favorite writers, David Benioff and deals with Wolvie’s secret origins and junk.
I know that back in the Marvel Studios offices they’re praying for Rothman to just keep delaying these movies so the characters can eventually revert back to them and they can do something decent with the property.