Hugh Jackman: Snow White’s new Huntsman? Or The Wolverine finds new director?

Since Viggo Mortensen decided to ditch the enchanted forest, SNOW WHITE AND THE HUNTSMAN is in desperate need of that Huntsman. And Universal is hoping Hugh Jackman will dance on in for the role (he is a helluva dancer, after all), especially now that THE WOLVERINE has been delayed.

Or… has it? I don’t know, but I can offer speculation: Deadline says that while Universal wants the Aussie hunk to play mentor to Kristen Stewart’s Snow and protect her from Charlize Theron’s evil witch, the possibility of THE WOLVERINE coming back to life with a new director may prevent Hugh from turning fairy (tale).

Fox is reportedly kicking around some names to pit the adamantium-clawed mutant against a ninja clan, with Duncan Jones (SOURCE CODE, MOON) and David Slade (TWILIGHT: ECLIPSE) among those mentioned.

Slade would be the obvious choice to facilitate the process, since he was thisclose to directing the movie before Darren Aronofsky swooped in (and then swooped out). But Slade is already attached to Fox’s reboot of DAREDEVIL, which faces the threat of the property rights reverting back to Marvel if the studio doesn’t utilize the character soon. So it depends on whether they’d want to replace him on the Man without Fear, and how quickly the studio wants to get Logan back to slashing — the Chris McQuarrie script is apparently solid, but the movie is set (and was to be at least partially filmed) in Japan, which is suffering through a major disaster.

Meanwhile, Relatively and director Tarsem Singh’s own BROTHERS GRIMM: SNOW WHITE project already has its main cast filled with Armie Hammer, Lily Collins and Julia Roberts.