14 DAY TRIAL // To say that many fans were disappointed with “X-Men Origins: Wolverine” is somewhat of an understatement. These should be happy to hear that not only does the new “Wolverine” film have a new director, but it also won’t be a sequel per se.
As we also noted on a previous occasion, acclaimed director Darren Aronofsky (“The Wrestler,” “Requiem for a Dream”) will helm the next installment – and judging from what he said in a recent interview cited by Moviefone, fans won’t be disappointed in it.
Aronofsky repeatedly said he wasn’t interested in doing superhero movies and even declined to do “Batman” when he was presented with an offer. Therefore, that he’s looking to break with tradition shouldn’t really come as a surprise.
“Aronofsky revealed some additional reasons for us to think the next ‘X-Men’ spin-off starring a solo Hugh Jackman will be unlike the last,” Moviefone writes.
“The filmmaker stated that his Wolverine movie will be titled ‘The Wolverine,’ and it will be a ‘one-off,’ not a ‘sequel in the conventional sense’,” the same e-zine reports, based on an interview Aronofsky gave to promote his latest film, “Black Swan.”
While the idea that the next “Wolverine” will be a standalone movie instead of a spinoff of the original “X-Men” movies and knowing that Aronofsky will be at the helm mean a lot for fans, the new official title leaves a lot to be desired.
“A lack of direct ties to previous installments and storylines fits the tradition of comic books, to a certain extent, yet the logic of such a decision would also seem to require a better title,” Moviefone argues.
“Not that Hollywood needs encouragement to continue its current favor for extra-long titles, but something to the tune of ‘Wolverine: Scarlet in Glory’ or even ‘Wolverine Goes to Tokyo’ – the film is expected to bring the character to Japan (and Mariko Yashida?) – would be a whole lot better,” the same report states.
“Not necessarily those admittedly cheesy suggestions, just anything with some kind of specific story title. Otherwise, if further films are to also (hopefully) be stand-alone narratives, what will they be called? ‘A Wolverine’? ‘This Wolverine’? ‘The Logan’?” Moviefone also asks.
In a recent interview, Hugh Jackman also promised a “Wolverine” film unlike its predecessor, saying it would be dark and better, because “this is not Popeye, this is Wolverine.”
Fans will have to wait some more until they see whether all these promises stand any chance of becoming true.