10 May – Cult favourite, "Kick-Ass" is set for a sequel, if rumours about Universal's talks with original's director Matthew Vaughn are true, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
Based on Mark Millar and John Romita Jr. comic-book miniseries, "Kick-Ass" debuted to critical acclaim in 2010, which makes an impending sequel likely. The film grossed US$96 million worldwide despite its relatively low budget of US$30 million.
However, Vaughn will not be back in the director's seat for "Kick-Ass 2", as he had handpicked Jeff Wadlow, who helmed 2008's "Never Back Down" himself, while he is currently billed to produce the film.
Apart from that, Vaughn also wrote the script for the project. The sequel will not only draw on the main comic's narratives, but also from the spinoff "Hit-Girl" comic, which is touted to be in stores next month. The "Hit-Girl" storyline would comprise the first act of the film's sequel.
In "Kick-Ass", audiences were left with three surviving characters, which were played by stars Aaron Johnson (Kick-Ass), Chloe Moretz (Hit-Girl) and Christopher Mintz-Plasse (Red Mist). It is expected that all three of them will return for the sequel.
Currently, "Kick-Ass 2" is expected to start filming by early September. This is not the first time Universal has distributed a sequel for a comic-book whose first instalment was released by another company; in this case, Lionsgate.
Back in 2008, Universal released the highly successful "Hellboy II: The Golden Army" after "Hellboy", which was originally distributed by Revolution Studios.
