As we all know, Darren Aronofsky nearly burned down the Internet when it was announced that he would direct the sequel to X-Men Origins: Wolverine. Then he tried to put that fire out with gasoline when he announced, “Eh, eff this.” He cited wanting to spend time with his family as a reason for his departure but a more likely reason was he realized he was attached to The Wolverine. It looks like Mangold has no such qualms. And, hey, it can’t be any more silly than when he and Hugh Jackman teamed up for Kate & Leopold. (Deadline)

It’s possible that all these names aren’t familiar to you. For one, Gary Shore is mostly a commercial director. The rest are directors of a blend of relatively anonymous action movies like Knight and Day, and art films like Never Let Me Go. It remains to be seen which direction FOX will go in – but no matter which way they go, it’ll probably be better than the first Wolverine movie. (Variety)

Mangold shot first.

The West ain’t as wild as it used to be, but all it takes is a couple of guns, a few pretty girls, and a heavy dose of hell bent vendetta to change all that. Oh, and a little directorial oversight from Wild West film pro James Mangold couldn’t hurt either.

Mangold is attached to direct The Gunslinger, a contemporary re-imagining of the western genre set in the present day. The film, penned by Underworld 4 writer John Hlavin, will follow a former Texas ranger on a blood-soaked journey to avenge his brother’s murder. No word on whether the hero will ride off into the sunset at any point.

Mangold’s last western excursion, the 2007 remake of genre classic 3:10 to Yuma, was a critical and commercial hit. Whether the Knight and Day director can parlay that success into another win is yet to be seen, but as long as he keeps Tom Cruise far the hell away everything should be alright. (THR)

Seeing dollar signs in all things faaaaaaabulous, Universal is moving forward with a film adaptation of the Broadway musical hit Wicked. The movie will take the Wicked Witch of the West back to high school, where she is terrorized by the popular Glinda the Good Witch.

The studio is taking meetings with a few directors, ranging from the awesome to the willing to make this kind of movie. First up, The potential directors are JJ Abrams, James Mangold, Rob Marshall, and "Glee’s" Ryan Murphy. I really don’t see Abrams hopping aboard this one due to his busy schedule of not sucking. The other three seem more well-suited for the material, given their experience with bringing musicals to film. I did notice that Universal has seemed to overlook Adam Shankman. He’s probably sitting somewhere crying his eyes out over this snub. But in all fairness, he cries while watching "The Bachelorette." (Deadline)

_{Cruise wouldn’t pay ten bucks for a Boston Market sandwich.}

If you thrive on non-stop explosions, car chases, and witty sarcasm then you’re gonna have one helluva time watching this new international trailer for Mr. & Mrs. Smith Two a.k.a. Killers a.k.a Knight & Day. Hey, I enjoy a fun ride just as much as the next John reclined in the driver’s seat of his Corolla, but there’s a point when action set-pieces become more exhausting than five minutes of coitus.

Having said that, no one does Jerry Maguire like Tom Cruise, and I still get tickled by his restrained fits of rage and amorphous torso. Seriously, what kind of crunches give you a three pack? Introduce some symmetry to your abs, Cruise.

Check out the trailer after the jump. Knight & Day crashes into theaters June 25, 2010.