A few weeks ago we reported that the prep for Wolverine 2 was full steam ahead, with two directors in line to direct: Darren Aronofsky and David Slade. Well it seems that Aronofsky is being offered the job.

NY Mag are saying that it’s Aronofsky who has the offer. As he was in the run to direct the latest Superman movie (which was ultimately given to Zack Snyder), his Hollywood value shot through the roof, and now the follow up to Wolverine seems to be the consolation prize. Plus, Hugh Jackman has already worked with the director and despite the box-office failure of the beautiful The Fountain, they must still respect each other. But now the question is whether Aronofsky will take the bait.

I suspect he will say no (unless of course he’s suffering personal financial problems, which is unlikely since he’s the husband of Rebecca Weisz). Aronofsky is known to be a driven director with a unique and somewhat original visual and intellectual take on his films. For every visceral scene of drug abuse (Requiem for a Dream) or fighting (The Wrestler) there’s far more moments of philosophical reflection. For Aronofsky to embrace the sequel of a generally disliked brainless blockbuster would seemingly go against what he stands for. Just watch the Black Swan trailer to see what Aronofsky does best. Even the director’s initial next project, a remake of Robocop, was set to be a reboot into Aronofsky’s vision. Unless he could completely rewrite the Wolverine character, it would be a surprise for him to take the reins. Also, the aforementioned NY Mag article also speculates that Aronofsky didn’t get the Superman job because the script wasn’t ready, and that the studio (who has to release a Man of Steel movie by 2012 for rights reasons) were worried Aronofsky would stall until the script was right. But why wouldn’t he do the same for the Wolverine sequel, especially since the script was so awful in the first film?

The article finally mentions that Aronofsky is also being offered Tales From the Gangster Squad, a 1940′s cop thriller that Ben Affleck has passed on. Ultimately, I’d prefer to see something Aronofsky has developed himself, so we can keep getting the kind of films he has been making, as they’re some of the best in recent US cinema history.