Matthew Vaughn Seeks Retired Superheroes.

[Paroxysm]

EXCLUSIVE: Kick-Ass and X-Men: First Class writer/director/producer Matthew Vaughn tells me that a major Hollywood studio is very keen to fully fund his next big project: The Golden Age about a retirement home where superheroes end up. And the title is also a reference to early comic books of the 1930s when Superman and Batman first appeared. It's based on the yet-to-be-published comic book written by Brit TV chat show host Jonathan Ross, who’s a huge comics buff. Vaughn is currently in LA editing X-Men: First Class for Fox, but tells me he wants to get actors attached to the new project before the script is written. His wish list is Clint Eastwood, Jack Nicholson, and Warren Beatty to play the retired superheroes who help out their grandchildren when their middle-aged parent screw up the world.

Vaughn believes the success of The Expendables and Red shows that audiences are open to the idea of older action heroes. “You have these great star names and they’re mainly playing supporting roles now. I want to give them the lead again and let them have some fun.”

It’s not certain whether Vaughn's partner Jane Goldman, who has co-written X-Men: First Class and Kick-Ass for Vaughn to direct, will be penning this one, though. Vaughn says he may hire other writers. And he may not direct it himself either. He may produce The Golden Age.

http://www.deadline.com/2011/02/matthew-vaughn-seeks-retired-superheroes/#more-103556

This sounds really awesome.

 

[Rowsdower!]

Damn, Vaughn is becoming the superhero go-to guy. Sounds cool though. Not sure if he's going to get that cast he's looking for, though.

 

[DACrowe]

Boo-hiss.

I wanted Vaughn to do Kick-Ass 2 right after XFC. If he doesn't do KA2 next it will likely never happen because Chloe Moretz will have aged out of playing Hit-Girl. Why do this retread of Expendables and RED from last year (though I would hope it would be better than those snoozefests) when KA and Hit-Girl vs. Red Mist's army in Times Square is in the potential offing?

Besides, the idea of has-been superheroes who are over the hilll was done very sharply in Watchmen. They had two generations of superheroes dating back to the Depression-era through the Boomer generation, with both being past their prime in the 1980s. It wasn't done for laughs but it was done well.

I honestly hope this falls through and he fast tracks KA2. After that as KA3 (if Millar ever can get to writing KA3) is said to take place 10 years in the future when the protagonists are adults. That would allow Millar to leave the franchise for a long time or all together if he wanted. Come back to the Watchmen comedy at another time.