3 Studios are Circling Vaughn’s Kick-Ass! film
Hollywood Reporter’s Risky Biz Blog is claiming that three studios are now circling Matthew Vaughn’s film adaptation of Mark Millar’s comic series Kick-Ass! Lionsgate, Paramount and Universal are in the running for the pic, which Vaughn has financed independently after some studios found the project’s violence too graphic and some of its dialogue too profain and decided not to board it at the script stage.
Comic-Con had a huge response from the fans, which has convinced studios to reconsider their previous situation on the series. Buyer screenings followed the week after Comic-Con and several studios began circling the project.
Studios interested in Kick-Ass see a chance to pickup Vaughn as well, even at a price in the solid seven figures. Vaughn is an attractive director with films like Stardust and Layer Cake. The film stars Nicolas Cage, Aaron Johnson and Chloe Moretz, Vaughn penned with writing partner Jane Goldman. Universal seems right being they have distributed another similar Mark Millar comic, Wanted but Paramount distributed Stardust and has a contract with Marvel. Lionsgate just reported a surge in its fiscal first quarter profit last night after the bell. The movie studio posted net income of $36.3 million, or 30 cents per share, as compared to 3 cents per share in the same quarter last year. So both studios are poised strong for an investment into this film.
