David Slade And Robert Schwentke Are Possible Wolverine 2 Directors
Fox’s sequel toX-Men Origins: Wolverineis moving forward, and the studio is reportedly on the cusp of hiring a director. The shortlist is very short, indeed:David Slade(Hard Candy,The Twilight Saga: Eclipse) is said to be the frontrunner, withRobert Schwentke(Red) as a backup option.
Vulturesays the decision will now come down to a choice made by starHugh Jackman. The studio has reportedly approved both men as director, and next week Jackman will meet with them, after which a decision will be made. Vulture quotes a source saying that David Slade will most likely get the job.
Whoever gets the gig will direct Jackman in a story based in part on the classic Wolverine mini-series by Chris Claremont and Frank Miller. The story sees Wolverine in Japan, where he falls for a Japanese woman who has been promised to someone else. Conflict ensues with her father, and Wolverine has to fight off a host of sword-wielding enemies.
The question is: who’s better for the job? Frankly, I don’t have enough faith in Fox that I think it matters much. I’ve heard great things aboutRed, and I like the footage we’ve seen, but without seeing the full film it’s hard to make a call on Robert Schwentke. (Flightplancertainly isn’t a film I’d like to use as a reference for him, andThe Time Traveler’s Wifeis probably also not the best reference point.)
And then there’s David Slade — again, tough to make a call there. I likeHard Candyquite a lot, while30 Days of Nightwas pretty dismal. And what kind of creative call can we make based onEclipse? I’d guess that movie is exactly the reason Fox wants the director — he turned in a more action-filledTwilightfilm on a budget, and did it on time. Fox has got to like that. Of course Eclipse was awful, but you can’t really peg Slade for that.
