Darren Aronofsky’s ready to go from pointe shoes to adamantium claws as he preps production on “The Wolverine,” the latest big-screen adventure of the X-Men’s berserker-raging bad boy.
“It's not a sequel,” Aronofsky told PopcornBiz, though he’s still playing close to the vest on the storyline specifics (which reportedly derive from the character’s seminal Japanese adventure in the 1982 Marvel Comics miniseries by Chris Claremont and Frank Miller). The director did, however, explain why he signed onto a superhero film after the Oscar-stalking success of “Black Swan.”
“I just love working with Hugh Jackman,” said Aronfsky, who previously collaborated with Logan’s Aussie actor alter ego on 2006’s “The Fountain.” “And I think there's something to be done in that world that hasn't been done yet. I'm also excited to do something that everyone wants to make, as opposed to being the only person that wants to make the film at the beginning.”
When PopcornBiz asked if his plans for the film involve adapting his directorial style to the superhero genre or breaking the mold for his own specific interpretation, the filmmaker remained noncommittal. “I have no idea,” he grinned. “We'll see what happens.”
Meanwhile, Aronofsky continues stumping his way through awards season as “Black Swan” – and especially its star, Best Actress frontrunner Natalie Portman – gets poised for the Academy Awards. And he admits having gone through the Oscar gauntlet before with “The Wrestler” has made this latest moment in the spotlight more graceful and less bone-crunching.
“It's so great for these movies that are these tiny films when they start out that only the people making them believe in, and then suddenly you have a worldwide population believing in the films and talking about the movies,” he said. “So anything that you can do to get the word out there is great – and that's really why these awards are great.”
“If you look at it, it's really interesting,” he added. “It's me and David O. Russell and the Coen Brothers… All these independent filmmakers that are suddenly at the Academy Awards, and it's just great that you can come up making micro-budget films and get to this place. [“Winter’s Bone” director] Debra Granik's done it one film. It took me five to get here. So it's pretty cool.”
