thinkgreenthursday

Y'all. I am so worried about the continued reports / rumors that Darren Aronofsky is making a superhero picture next. First they said he wanted the Superman reboot that now belongs to Zach Snyder. (Great, just what traditional placid loveably corny Superman needed... a tricked up slo-mo enthused "hip" director. Yikes!) Now, Vulture reports that Aronofsky is close to signing for Wolverine 2: No Longer Forced Into Awkwardly Origin Titling (2012).



I realize that the Aronofksy/Weisz NYC lovenest probably doesn't come cheap. And I realize that after 5 straight winners showcasing your visual originality, gift with actors, and massive cojones, anyone would be tempted to cash in. But how exactly is that going to look on the filmography? Is he just hoping to get the acclaim that Chris Nolan has from the public by going more mainstream? (If you ask me he's a better director than Nolan but Nolan makes high tech sci-fi/superhero movies so naturally he's a million times more beloved.) Will this sequel be an unsightly blemish or am I just worried because of the permanent scarring from the 100% joy-free X-Men Origins: Wolverine?

Best Case Scenario: On the plus side the only way is up. Wolverine's Japanese detours in the comics are among the hero's most intriguing and could offer enormous possibilities for visual triumphs. Plus, if Aronofsky's filmography to date is any indication he is incapable of making a movie as dull as the first Wolverine, in which no action sequence could raise a pulse because nothing was ever at stake with invincible / indestructable people in every corner. In fact the only sequence that had any electric snap was the watery escape but that was entirely the fault of the mighty power of Naked Hugh Jackman and consider: Aronofsky got more indelible star mojo from that man when forcing him into pajamas and a bald cap.

So maybe it'll be great to see Jackman reinvigorated as an actor within his signature character? It is hard to give a bad or lazy performance in a Darren Aronofsky movie... and they're obviously comfortable with each other via The Fountain. Presumably a director is choosy about which actor he'll direct making love to his longtime girlfriend onscreen.

To make a long story short, this movie is bound to look rosy in comparison to the first Wolverine. And if anybody deserves some safety cushion funding for their next few weirdo projects, it's Aronofsky. So why not cash in?



Worst Case Scenario: The homogeny-loving power of both suits and fanboys sap most comic book projects of any chance at originality and specificity, so what if Aronofsky's artistry is violently sucked from him, the tragic victim of status quo vampirism? What if he makes his first dud? That'd be so sad.

It's true that I haven't seen Black Swan yet and it's true that many people hate The Fountain (but you can't exactly knock it for being generic, can you?) so perhaps I protest too much. But from The Wrestler to Black Swan to... a sequel to someone else's vision?

I worry.

Maybe you don't. Are you already salivating to see the claws come out again or just to see this director/star pair reunited?