Director Ben Affleck's The Town has enjoyed excellent business at the box office in its two weekends in theaters plus a hefty helping of critical acclaim. It's no surprise, then, that Warner Bros. wants the up-and-coming filmmaker for one of its flagship franchises — but that doesn't mean Affleck wants anything to do with it himself.

According to Heat Vision, Affleck has passed on the opportunity to direct the Christopher Nolan-produced reboot of the Superman franchise. A rising star at Warner Bros. after The Town, Affleck reportedly met with executives about the project last week, and has since decided not to pursue it. Perhaps the actor-director has simply had enough of the Man of Steel in his career, previously playing ill-fated Superman star George Reeves in Hollywoodland.

But as Affleck leaves the Superman race, a new name enters the ring: none other than Black Swan filmmaker Darren Aronofsky, also a rumored contender to direct Wolverine 2 for 20th Century Fox. The director is reportedly in early "active talks," while Moviehole reports that discussions have gone as far as suggesting Aronofsky's Black Swan star Natalie Portman for Lois Lane.