Matthew Vaughn has made no effort in hiding his love of superheroes. The filmmaker has previously directed superhero films such as “Kick-Ass” and “X-Men: First Class,” and his ‘Kingsman’ franchise is basically a superhero film series minus the capes and with tuxedos instead. So, it makes sense that Vaughn had been pitching a ‘Superman’ film to Warner Bros. years ago, before “Man of Steel.” In fact, he’s still ready to make one, if they’d have him.
Speaking to The Wrap, Matthew Vaughn explained his history with pitching a ‘Superman’ film to WB. He also talked further about where he thinks the studio went wrong with its current iteration of the character, played by Henry Cavill.
“I was desperate to do a ‘Superman’ film. Desperate,” Vaughn said. “I pitched a big ‘Superman’ movie before they made ‘Man of Steel.’ I just got to work with Henry Cavill, which was lovely, on ‘Argylle’ and he’s unbelievable in it. I still think there’s room for a new ‘Superman’ film, but a proper ‘Superman’ film. A colorful, fun ‘Superman’ movie. Not a dark one.”
As for the current state of the character, Vaughn said he’s still interested in working with Cavill on a new ‘Superman’ film but isn’t sure how it could happen. That said, he does think he’s nailed down where WB went wrong with the character in recent years, primarily with the follow-up of “Man of Steel” being “Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice.”
“I just thought it was a mistake putting the Batman vibe into the Superman world,” Vaughn explained. “I just think they’re two separate — they’re just not relatable in any way, in my mind. It should be fun. I mean, look, ‘The Dark Knight’ was obviously different, and it made sense and it was brilliant, as a film and as a comic. But Superman was always… I loved the [Richard] Donner ‘Superman’ movie, and I think ‘Wonder Woman’ worked because, I think, ‘Wonder Woman’ was basically remaking [Donner’s] ‘Superman’ in a weird way. Yeah, I love Superman.”
During this current press tour, where Vaughn is promoting “The King’s Man,” the filmmaker has already talked about bringing back “Kick-Ass” and why he loves James Bond. So, him talking about ‘Superman’ shouldn’t immediately make fans think that he’s got a superhero film on the docket featuring the Big Blue Boyscout. That said, if WB is looking for a filmmaker to bring their new J.J. Abrams-produced version of the Man of Steel to life, Vaughn isn’t a horrible choice. He clearly has a passion for it.