This is grim news indeed for The Wolverine, which has a lot of making up to do for the damage done to the X-Men/Wolverine film franchise in X-Men 3 and X-Men Origins: Wolverine. Aaronofsky's appointment as director was a sign that things were looking up for the old Canucklehead, but according to the Hollywood Reporter, Aaronofsky is stepping down based on the grounds that completing the film would keep him out of the cuontry for too long.

Plus - Hugh Jackman is just nowhere near as hot in ballet clothes as Natalie Portman.

No word yet on who will fill Aaronofsky's shoes, but I'll cross my fingers and keep you posted.