After stunning cinephiles by taking on the next “Wolverine” flick, Darren Aronofsky, one of Hollywood’s hottest directors, has backed out of the superhero project.

Shooting was set to begin this spring in Japan, but the “Black Swan” director said he didn’t want to be out of the country for as long as production would take.

“I was not comfortable being away from my family for that length of time,” he said. “I am sad that I won’t be able to see the project through, as it is a terrific script and I was very much looking forward to working with my friend, Hugh Jackman, again.”

In the abscense of “The Wolverine” Aronofsky is said be developing “Machine Man” a sci-fi for Mandalay, though he has no projects on the immediate horizon, his reps told Variety.

The announcement that the sought after director won’t helm the tent pole release leaves 20th Century Fox in the hunt to fill his place.

“While we are, of course, disappointed that Darren can’t do ‘The Wolverine,’ we also understand and respect his reasons,” Fox said in a statement. “Having done both ‘The Wrestler’ and ‘Black Swan’ with Darren, we know he is an extraordinary talent and we look forward to working with him on other projects in the future. Hugh Jackman and Fox both remain fully committed to making ‘The Wolverine.'”