UPDATE: I’ve begun hearing directing candidates to replace David O Russell for Lionsgate’s Pride, Prejudice and Zombies: Mike Newell (Prince of Persia) is the early front runner, but they are still meeting filmmakers and I am hearing Descent’s Neil Marshall is in the mix. Details below.
EXCLUSIVE: One of Hollywood’s biggest directing gigs looks done. Darren Aronofsky’s deal to direct 20th Century Fox’s X-Men Origins: Wolverine 2 is close enough that discussion has turned to shooting the sound stage portions of the film in New York so the filmmaker and Hugh Jackman don’t have to inconvenience their families. A March start date is being eyed so that Aronofsky has time to open Black Swan and be available for the inevitable awards season obligations. When the New York scenes are completed, they’ll head to Japan to shoot the bulk of the Christopher McQuarrie-scripted movie. Deadline told you last week that Aronofsky had set his sights on Wolverine after passing on the Warner Bros period crime drama Gangster Squad.
With the Wolverine job all but sealed, what’ll be the next hot job helmers will compete for? I’m told a lot of directors are lining up for Lionsgate’s Pride, Prejudice and Zombies, the Seth Grahame-Smith revisionist novel that enhances Jane Austen’s tale of class and manners in 19th Century England with the much-needed infusion of bloodthirsty brain-eating zombies. I’m told that after Natalie Portman backed out of playing Elizabeth Bennet, David O Russell had Scarlett Johansson ready to play the heroine and Bradley Cooper to play Mr. Darcy. Then, Russell himself left to focus on his collaboration with Vince Vaughn Old St. Louis and Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune at Sony.
Lionsgate claims no cast is set and that other actors are in the mix too. And certainly a new director might want to pick their own leads. So consider them front runners, and Johansson showed she can handle the action when she played Black Widow in Iron-Man 2. Directors are lining up because the Pride, Prejudice and Zombies script that Russell leaves behind is strong. Don’t be surprised to see David Slade in the mix here. He was a finalist for not only Wolverine 2 but also Lionsgate’s Hunger Games, a job that went to Gary Ross. And beyond scoring a hit last summer with Twilight Saga: Eclipse, Slade’s got a distinguished horror credit in 30 Days of Night.
I thought the next “X-Men Origins” fick would be about Storm?
Please baby Jesus, protect and support Aronofsky on this project….
V
It would be if Halle Berry wanted it, she’s the reason Professor X was killed off in ‘Last Stand’, Halle wanted more screen time and so we had X-Men without the X.
Xavier was not killed off because of Halle Berry. Xavier was killed off to show Jean Grey had turned into a crazy uncontrollable force who had turned on her friend and father figure who tried to surpress her powers.
We haven’t had a Storm movie because studios stopped making superhero movies with female leads after Aeon Flux, Catwoman, Elektra and Ultraviolet all sucked and bombed.
I hate how they blame it on having a female lead rather than a shitty script/direction -_-’
Maybe though with the success of the latest Resident Evil movie and Salt they’ll give chick action heroes a chance again? Maybe?
Being a female lead doesn’t seem to be the problem here; it’s who that female is. Catwoman back lash is taking a while to kill. It doesn’t surprise me that no one is quick to put Halle back in the superhero lead spot.
thats because your stupid. No one had even mentioned that you rube! Why are you on this site because twilight happened to be mentioned? Jesus
Great! More regurgitated badly-written crap from Hwood. Exactly what we need right now.
Actually, it might be good this time. Christopher McQuarrie wrote the script and w/ Aronofsky directing, it might be awesome.
Just a shame they didn’t bother starting Wolverine on a good note. Gavin Hood wasn’t ready to direct tentpole and Skip Woods is amazing only in that each new screenplay is more awful than the last.
After G.I. Joe, I thought the guy should be banned from H’wood. And I hear he’s writing the final Die Hard film as we speak. It makes me want to cry.
You forgot to include THE A-TEAM even though Joe Carnaham-n-cheese boasts the loudest credit over Woods.
Aw, Natalie really backed out of the project? Does anyone know why? It looked like she had made another winning acting decision by taking the role.
B/c it’s a crap project.
Our leading directors fighting for a shot at a comic book adaptation spinoff sequel.
Movies were never quite art, now they aren’t even glamorous. We are at best the roller coaster operators of the new millenium. Hands inside the car, everybody!
Oh well, for the time being at least it’s still a living.
Neil Marshall? YIKES. Centurion sucked and Crapsday was an absolute bomb that made Rogue implode. And he continues to cast his wife…
Why is Scarlett Johansson so in demand ? Yes, she is young and gorgeous- but can’t act worth crap. She is only step above Megan Fox. Hollyweird is absolutely scary.
Don’t be ridiculous! If you like monotone delivery and an occasional side of bland along with your one-note performances, ScarJo’s the best thing going out there…
Well, she did just win a Tony. Broadway crowd is pretty tough…
Wait when did Gary Ross make the deal to direct thhe hunger games? I thought they were still deciding.
Mike Newell (Prince of Persia) is the early frontrunner…
Are you fucking kidding me? PoP was the worst piece of action garbage I’ve seen in my life! Didn’t that film perform disastrously in theaters?
Scarlett has zero charisma for the leading lady. She was terrible in The Other Boleyn Girl, another movie that asked her to speak with British accent (fail!). Granted, the movie sucked but Portman acted the s*** out of her role and totally eclipsed Johansson. Not saying Portman should play with part just that Johansson works better as a supporting actress, not as the leading one. other Johansson movies back this up too.She`s a background player, curves or no curves.
All I can say is Fox has a lot of work to do to build back the fans trust with the Wolverine and X-Men movies. First Class is not winning any accolades with the comic book fanboys. Lauren Shuler Donner says she feels these new movies will right these wrongs. I’m feeling doubtful.
Will it be Aronofsky/McQuarrie who finally get the Wolverine character right? He’s supposed to be thuggish, confrontational, aggressive and violent with a glimmer of humanity only when it matters most. The sensitive, thoughtful Wolverine has been garbage that’s only been saved by Jackman’s star power.
Guarantee the main reason a great talent like Aronofsky would do a superhero sequel is because of the great character there thats yet to be brought to film. …Plus all that freakin’ money.
If Clint Mansell does the score this movie will be great.
Neil Marshall for the Pride and Prejudice and Zombies movies sounds like a perfect match.
Neil Marshall? Seriously?
30 Days of Night had one of the most atmospheric openings I’d seen in a long time, only to be ruined by blowing his wad 25 minutes in.
You have THIRTY DAYS to terrorize a town, yet you have all-out bedlam on the first night?
Um…have you ever heard of BUILDING suspense?
I hope this guy learned from his mistakes, and doesn’t have half the Bennet family killed in the first 30 pages of the script.
Neil Marshall didn’t direct 30 Days of Night. That was directed by David Slade. Marshall has done Dog Soldiers, The Descent, Doomsday and Centurion.
I’d love to see him do a period zombie flick.
Good point, although I did like it. But, absolutely, it could have been better.
The problem with Wolverine is, and has always been, Hugh Jackman. Like a commenter above pointed out, Wolverine is supposed to be savage, not thoughtful. Yeah, Jackman has star power, but can he play the brute that Wolverine is supposed to be? I say no. Besides, he doesn’t even LOOK like the character!
You want a radical, out of the box casting choice: Mickey Rourke. The guy’s not a sex symbol, or young, but you can bet your ass he’d pull off the role with gusto. When I read the comics growing up, that’s the type of guy I envisioned in the role. The X Men movie franchise suffered because of the miscasting of the crucial Wolverine role. Some of you might not want to admit it, since Jackman’s been synonymous with the role for a decade, but deep down you know the truth.
“Neil Marshall for the Pride and Prejudice and Zombies movies sounds like a perfect match.”
I was thinking of him too after watching Centurion. he also directed The Descent and Dog Soldiers.
He’s also british. that’s a plus.
kaya scodelario is perfect for the lead. it’s her time to shine. the british k-stew!
First- prof wasn’t exactly killed off – if you watch after the credits the comatose body that was at excalibur earlier in the movie is possesseed by the prof- he even talks about it during the movie – questioning the students on why can’t a powerful enough mind go out of body and into another. second other than wolverine, the other origins movies they are planning are – ” Magneto” and ” first class” which would be the originals- how they would do that after changing the timelines in the x-men movies i don’t know– the originals were cyclops, jean, iceman, angel and beast