Darren Aronofsky fans will be delighted to hear that the artistic filmmaker is set to direct a new period drama pilot for HBO called Hobgoblin. According to Variety, the in-development pilot will feature magicians, con men, and Hitler.
The pilot involves a group of “con men and magicians who use their skills of deception to help defeat Hitler and the Germans during WWII.” Michael Chabon and Ayelet Waldman will write the pilot.
Aronofsky’s directing style is often surreal and highly artistic, just look at recent Academy Award winner Black Swan. His films Requiem for a Dream and The Fountain both had the same dream-like visuals and atmosphere that make his work so compelling.
I for one was disappointed at the news that he wouldn’t be directing the Wolverine reboot due to time constraints. His style would have brought an intriguing dimension to the super-hero action genre.
As for this new pilot, I think it’s a good choice. Since the pilot for Hobgoblin sounds like it has an interesting element of fantasy involved, I’m excited to see what Aronofsky will bring to the table.
Writer Michael Chabon is known around town as a first-class “script doctor” as well as a published novelist. His novel Wonder Boys was made into the Michael Douglas-starring film in 2000. His wife Ayelet Waldman has written non-fiction and fiction works, with one of her novels being adapted for the screen as The Other Woman, which starred Natalie Portman.
All signs point to promising for this one and it will be interesting to see what the trio comes up with.