Darren Aronofsky's 'The Wolverine'

Bringing director Darren Aronofsky onto the upcoming film "The Wolverine" is like gilding a lily. The lily is Hugh Jackman retaining his much revered role as Wolverine in a screenplay by Oscar winner Christopher McQuarrie. Aronofsky is a director that can take this already pristine combination and make it golden.

"Gilding a lily" is often referenced to something unnecessary; why embellish an already perfect object in gold? Some fans of Marvel's Wolverine may be questioning why it's necessary to make another adaptation? The award winning team of Jackman, McQuarrie and Aronofsky is irresistible in cinematic possibilities.

Aronofsky's "The Wolverine" will be adapted from the 1982 Chris Claremont and Frank Miller collaboration, which finds Logan/Wolverine in Japan. The film's setting itself will capture something subtle, yet thrilling in the hands of Aronofsky. Think back to Aronofsky's use of Brooklyn's scenic trademarks in Coney Island for "Requiem for a Dream." Aronofsky is not a director who just captures a few skyline sweeps of a city to denote setting; he infuses the city with his characters.

It's not just the urban settings familiar to Aronofsky's explorations, but the fantasy realm as seen in "The Fountain." This is where fans should feel comfortable in putting Hugh Jackman in Aronofsky's hands, reuniting from their collaboration in "The Fountain." The fantastical world Aronofsky constructed around Jackman's character and his inner turmoil was riveting and completely emblematic.

With Wolverine, Aronofsky can bring the emotional rawness of character, (ie. "Pi") into a visually stunning budget (ie. "The Fountain"). While Aronofsky's genius is evident as screenwriter and director, the films he directed based on another writer's work always reached higher acclaim. "Requiem for a Dream" was based on Hubert Selby Jr.'s novel; "The Wrestler" was scripted by Robert D. Siegel; "Black Swan" was scripted by a cadre of screenwriters.

Christopher McQuarrie won the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay with "The Usual Suspects." It's no doubt that Aronofsky has the guts to take on the edgy, hardboiled twists McQuarrie is known for. Most of all Aronofsky and McQuarrie focus on the development of character to propel plot, giving us densely packed characters that keep us wondering well beyond the movie theater.

As Hugh Jackman said in an interview, "the planets are finally aligned to make a great movie." McQuarrie's masterful dialogue and structure will arm Jackman's perfect embodiment of Wolverine, all helmed by the visually enthralling and visceral Aronofsky. With that combination atop the complex portrait of an outsider in a foreign land, while tearing up some ninjas, how can you go wrong?

Truth is it can go horribly wrong if Aronofsky doesn't abandon his art house tendencies, leaving comic book fans alienated. Though, much like Wolverine, Aronofsky has also been a cooler outsider to the mutant crowd at the art house. In his heart the director is a Wolverine fan and he's been talking about making a comic book film since his breakthrough more than 12 years ago.

Aronofsky will bring something genuinely dark to the mythology of Wolverine, something he proved in the mythology of "Black Swan." I expect Aronofsky will do for Wolverine, what Christopher Nolan did for "Batman." Especially if he brings on collaborative cinematographer Matthew Libatique, who shot "Tigerland" and "Iron Man", additional to Aronofsky's films.

Aronofsky channels Oscar worthy performances, such as Ellen Burstyn ("Requiem for a Dream"), Mickey Rourke and Marisa Tomei ("The Wrestler") and Natalie Portman ("Black Swan"). All roles written by other writers, but captured brilliantly by Aronofsky. Could Hugh Jackman put another notch for comic books at the Oscars? If any filmmaking team can pull it off, it' s these cinematic knights wielding the dark recess of Wolverine's psyche.