The rumours about who might be in the running for the director’s chair of the new, Chris Nolan-sponsored version of Superman are starting to arrive faster than the proverbial speeding bullet. Just last week there was talk of Nolan assembling a list of possible names, including Duncan Jones, Tony Scott and Cloverfield/**Let Me In’**s Matt Reeves. Now you can add one extra person: a Mr Darren Aronofsky.
At this point, it bears repeating that all of the director talk so far has been on the back of speculation and uncorroborated sources, so take anyone mentioned with a pinch of Kryptonite. But the Heat Vision Blog, which isn’t usually known for just pushing out any old clag, has heard that Aronofsky is in the running.
It makes sense that Warner Bros. would spread the net as far as possible to find the right person, especially since Supes is such a high profile project for the studio, which is hoping that Nolan can track down the talent to turn Clark Kent into the next Dark Knight-style mega-hit and avoid the disappointment of another Superman Returns.
Aronofsky could certainly bring skill and texture to the Man of Steel, and he’s riding high after the early awards talk ladled on to his latest, Black Swan. Plus he has form with superheroes, at least in development – he flirted with making a Batman movie himself years ago, based on Frank Miller’s The Dark Knight Returns. Ironically, that movie’s failure to leave the limbo Bat Cave meant Nolan got his shot to make** Batman Begins**.
But you can cross one name off, at least for now: Ben Affleck, who is soaring after **The Town **became both a critical and commercial hit, and who actually played Superman (or at least the man who previously played him on TV, George Reeves) in Hollywoodland, took a meeting about possibly taking the job, but has apparently moved on to other things. Presumably because the Warners executives told him he wasn’t allowed to set the story in Boston. Kidding, Ben…