It’s almost starting to feel as if director Darren Aronofsky is like a scorned lover who keeps going back to the same person, certain that it’s going to be different this time, not matter they’ve done in the past.
The director first tried to team up with Brad Pitt on The Fountain, before the actor bailed, causing a major down-shift in the budget and Aronofsky not being able to bring his full vision to the screen. They then tried to work together on The Fighter, but once more Pitt left the movie, and shortly afterwards so did the director.
Undeterred, Darren’s going in for another shot, as he’s currently working on an adaptation of John Vaillaint’s fact-based book, The Tiger, with Pitt attached to star. Variety says the story ‘takes place on the Siberian plain, where human development is encroaching on the tigers habitat and one tiger turns on the intruders. With townspeople being tracked and hunted with an almost supernatural power, a conservationist game warden must face down the tiger. It is a fight that only one of them can win.’
Although that sounds a bit like Ghost And The Darkness, there are also echoes of the Jaws seuqels, as the tiger attacks ruthlessly and things seems to have been orchestrated as if the animal is taking revenge for a previous slight. It’s an intriguing premise, but going on Pitt and Aronofky’s past history, it’s difficult not to be more than a little sceptical that they’ll actually make the movie together. Who knows, perhaps it’ll be third time lucky, but as The Tiger is currently only being billed as a potential star vehicle for Pitt, don’t be surprised if he once more jumps ship.