The prolonged drama and very anti-climatic event that was Fox's nervous decision to choose the right man for the directors chair seems to have come to an end today. Back In May, the studios had their short list of directors for the Wolverine sequel. Well today yes.. Hit the jump.
The several directors included on the shortlist were Jose Padilha [Elite Squad, the upcoming Robocop reboot] Doug Liman [The Bourne Identity] Antoine Fuqua [Training Day] Mark Romanek [One Hour Photo] Justin Lin [Fast Five] Gavin O’Connor [Miracle] James Mangold [Walk the Line] and Gary Shore [a bunch of TV commercials.] Darren Aronofsky was actually originally set to helm the project but he opted out because of family commitments.
So according to Deadline the studios have decided and James Mangold is 20th Century Fox’s and Hugh Jackman’s choice to direct The Wolverine. Mangold, who has directed a few Oscar winning performances, is an interesting choice for the job. Anyone who's seen 3:10 To Yuma, the director's 2007 adaptation of an Elmore Leonard short story, will respect his ability to film intense action scenes that are still grounded set-pieces. His most recent directorial effort, 2010's Tom Cruise and Cameron Diaz redundant Knight and Day, however, was less impressive. The Wolverine has basically been delayed kicking off and this is certainly a factor in the choice.
