The last time we reported on Matthew Vaughn’s (Layer Cake, Stardust) forthcoming superhero movie entitled Kick-Ass was last year when one of the stars, Nicolas Cage, was commenting on his role within the movie. Since then, the movie has been shot and is currently listed as being in post-production.
The movie has been financed by Vaughn’s production company MARV Films, with no big studio ties nor any sort sort of release/distribution info attached as of yet.
Based on the ongoing Mark Millar comic of the same name, Kick-Ass follows a young, normal New York City high school student who one day decides to go from a simple fan of comic books to becoming a real life superhero himself, despite not having any superpowers or training. Along the way he meets with dangerous situations, notoriety as an “everyday superhero,” and other superhero wannabes just like him. For those of you thinking by the sound of the basic story outline that it’s a “light” tale, think again: It has lots of strong language and brutal violence, with a comparison made by Millar himself as, “Spider-Man meets Eli Roth.”
Even though there are no release dates in sight for the actual Kick-Ass movie, there has been one set for the companion book (the latest is that the book’s release date has been pushed back to some time in 2010), which is oh-so-shrewdly called Kick-Ass: The Movie Book. The book has a release date on Amazon of September 22nd, and can be yours for the price of $13.57. Here’s the official production description for the Kick-Ass companion book:
“‘Kick-Ass’, the bestselling comic book series by Mark Millar (writer of the graphic novel ‘Wanted’, which became a smash-hit movie) and artist John Romita Jr., is now an eagerly awaited film, and this is the essential companion book! What would happen if you tried to be a superhero? What would happen when an ordinary kid in a spandex costume comes face-to-face with the criminal underworld? Comic book fan and high school student Dave Lizewski, aka the self-styled vigilante Kick-Ass, is about to find out…and it’s going to get really, really violent! With Mark Millar as your guide, ‘Kick-Ass: The Movie Book’ gives you the lowdown on the making of the film, with eye-popping art from the original comics, script extracts and hundreds of movie photos! It is suitable for adults only.”
As our friends over at Joblo ask, is this September 22nd release any indication of when we can expect the actual Kick-Ass movie? Will it be a couple of months after that date, or even sooner, that the movie will be released? I don’t think they’d set a date for the companion book if they didn’t have a date at least in mind… so does that mean we can expect the release date for the movie pretty soon? I certainly would guess so.
The story for Kick-Ass sounds like it could be something pretty cool to see on the big screen. We all love the idea of superheroes – the fantastical superpowers and the idea of day-to-date excitement they have to offer – and I think exploring the idea of an everyday person trying to become one, even without superpowers, is a great idea (it kinds of seems like a DIY Watchmen for the younger generation).
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Kick-Ass is similar to Watchmen in that it’s about people who play at being superheroes – without any powers. It’s also similar in that it has a “hard edge” of strong language and violence. So does that mean its potential at the box office is in any way similar to that of Watchmen? Watchmen undoubtedly has a lot more fans than Kick-Ass does, but nonetheless they do share some things in common – and if the Kick-Ass movie stays true to the source material, the general movie going public may view the two as being similar. Hopefully there will be lessons learned from the marketing of Watchmen.
On the directing front, Matthew Vaughn being at the helm certainly doesn’t hurt Kick-Ass. In fact, I’d say it’s kick ass (sorry, I had to…)! I loved his Snatch-like Brit-gangster flick, Layer Cake, and although I wasn’t a fan of his fantasy tale, Stardust, I still appreciated the imagination on display. I’m sure he’ll display more of that imagination with Kick-Ass… that’s whenever the movie gets a release date, that is.
Kick-Ass stars Aaron Johnson, Nicolas Cage, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, Mark Strong, Xander Berkeley, Lyndsy Fonseca and Chloe Moretz. It is directed by Matthew Vaughn and written by Vaughn and Jane Goldman.
Are you looking forward to Kick Ass? Will you be purchasing the Kick Ass companion book?
Kick Ass does not yet have a release date, but as stated, Kick Ass: The Movie Book is available for pre-order on Amazon.
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