Two of the stranger announcements of recent memory involved Requiem for a Dream, The Wrestler, and Black Swan director Darren Aronofsky. One was when we were informed that he would be directing a remake of RoboCop and the other was news that he was going to take on a sequel to the not-so-popular comic book spin-off X-Men Origins: Wolverine, titled The Wolverine.

It didn’t take long before RoboCop fell apart, but there was a point in time where it seemed like he was really going to join star Hugh Jackman and deliver a Wolverine flick. Now comes word, unfortunately, that Aronofsky has decided to step away from the movie, though it seems as though he had little choice in the matter.

Before today, a script for The Wolverine was finished by Chris McQuarrie and all indications were that it was very good, following Wolverine’s Samurai storyline in Japan. Aside from a couple of delays, it appeared that production would begin some time in the near future.

The problem came with the recent decision between the director and actress Rachel Weisz to separate. The film would see Aronofsky over in Japan for around a year with the majority of it being filmed there, and with the breakup and trying to figure out custody arrangements for their son, it would have been far too long for him to be away.

Aronofsky had this to say about the decision:

No word has been given yet as to who will take over the movie or how long production might be further delayed now, but it is a significant setback. Few people had any expectations for another Wolverine movie, but the thought of Aronofsky directing surely added a healthy dose of intrigue.

[Source: Deadline]