With the news that Hugh Jackman may join Kristen Stewart for an action romp in the woods in "Snow White and the Huntsman," there are big questions being raised on when the next "Wolverine" film may occur.

Darren Aronofsky was brought on board late last year and was readying a Fall 2011 start for the Japanese-set sequel to 2009's "Wolverine."  "The Wolverine," as it was known, would be a completely unrelated story that would reboot the series in a less pulpy direction inspired by the character's classic 1980's limited series. That storyline found Logan looking for honor as he learned the ways of the samurai.  Now, Aronofsky has jumped ship for personal reasons and Japan may not be a reliable shooting locale because of last month's disastrous earthquake and Tsunami.  In fact, the island nation was hit with another powerful aftershock just on Friday. 

With no new director on board, word is "The Wolverine" is clearly on hold.  Studio 20th Century Fox already has a busy summer for 2012 and could easily wait for the mutant hero to return in 2013.  Jackman's discussions on "Huntsman," which would begin shooting this summer, certainly give credence to those rumors. Still, at this time Fox nor Jackman have given any official word on "The Wolverine's" intended release date.