Pi Director Continues Equation

Darren Aronofsky who directed mathemetical thriller Pi, will begin shooting his second film, Requiem for a Dream, mid-April. The film will be based on the Hubert Selby Jr. novel, delving into drug addiction and delusional dreams in the lives of a young man (Jared Leto), his girlfriend (Jennifer Connelly), best friend (Marlon Wayans) and mother (Ellen Burstyn). A week's worth of footage already exists for the picture which Aronofsky - who adapted the screenplay - shot last December. Shooting will resume on location in Coney Island. After reading the novel as an undergraduate, Aronofsky and his producer partner Eric Watson sought out Selby and personally bought the film rights for a minimal fee. Aronofsky made his debut film Pi for just $60,000 - he went on to sell it at the 1998 Sundance film festival for a cool million. Choosing once again to walk the independent path, this second film is budgeted at about $4.5 million. "I want to make studio movies, but I've always had a passion for more different material, more challenging material," Aronofsky said. "My aspiration is to be like John Sayles. He writes studio films and directs independent films. I'd like to direct studio films and make my own personal ones, flowing between the two."