Matthew Vaughn has stated what he learned from the mistakes of Kick-Ass 2, and how those realizations will be incorporated into any subsequent installments of the Kingsman universe. Kick-Ass 2 was second and increasingly likely final installment of the action comic book adaptations, while the third Kingsman movie may begin filming this year, and is a prequel that despite widely reported as being subtitled The Great Game will in fact be called something else, and is set for release later this year.

When Kick-Ass 2 was released in 2013 it was met with a far more lukewarm reception than the far praise upon its predecessor, the general consensus being that it suffered from a bloated cast and an absence of the black humor and sense of subversive fun that made the original so popular. Although Vaughn directed Kick-Ass he declined to do so for the sequel, instead staying on in the capacity of producer, with many critics agreeing that his absence in a creative role was sorely felt.

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The subject came up during Screen Rant’s interview with Vaughn, when he spoke about things he would have done differently, specifically taking a more hands-on role as a producer. He stated:

“I wasn’t involved enough on Kick-Ass 2, to be blunt. I was following my mantra that a producer just backs the director. And I think that as a director being a producer again, I took it too far of just blindly following where he went. And secondly, just really trying to be disciplined but keep trying to be original and move the story. Do it if it warrants it. Kingsman 3 is going to be warranted, because there’s a story I think that needs to be told. Likewise, the prequel. And I’ve got a big idea for the Statesmen… It has to be good, feel right, but it’s hard. I wish I had Kevin Feige’s brain, because he’s the man who seems to understand how to keep doing it. And I’m honestly excited about that, because now I am working with Disney. Disney are brilliant at planning out universes and thinking more long term. I’m looking forward to getting under the hood with them.”

He went on to say:

“I think with Kick-Ass 2 I learned a lot. That movie really wasn’t the film I hoped it would be. If we did another Kick-Ass, we’d have to be sure that it’s got a chance of being as good as if not better than the first one.”

The director of Kick-Ass 2, Jeff Wadlow, had only directed two features prior to landing the job of helming the comic book sequel, the slasher flick Cry Wolf and high school fight club drama Never Back Down. Neither was met with much in the way of a favorable reception, but the latter was financially a minor a sleeper success, and  it was the unflinching violence it portrayed that led to Vaughn selecting Wadlow to direct the film.

Few people would deny that Kick-Ass 2 was a disappointing follow up to its predecessor that could have used a more experienced creative at the helm. But to be fair, Matthew Vaughn had also only directed two features when he unleashed Kick-Ass upon the world. However, his efforts, drug dealing drama Layer Cake and family fantasy Stardust, were a far better pair of films with which to make an initial impact upon the world, while his earlier producing work on British crime capers, most significantly with Guy Ritchie on Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels and Snatch, yielded favorable and popular results. It’s not often that someone in Hollywood flat-out admits they made a mistake, and if Vaughn intends to incorporate the lessons of Kick-Ass into the future production of Kingsman films, then that’s all the more reason to be positive about their future potential. The story route the series is taking is certainly encouraging, expanding the mythos of the world instead of merely continuing a linear series following the same characters, and if Vaughn were to step back from directing them, he could do worse than stay on as a guiding hand to ensure they remain heading in the right direction.

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  • Kingsman 3Release date: Nov 08, 2019
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Andrew Marshall
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Scottish wordsmith Andrew Marshall was raised on a steady diet of Blockbuster rentals and late night Channel 4, sparking a love of the varied wonders the world of film has to offer.

His reviews have been quoted in media and on physical releases, and he can be found as a lead writer for genre magazine Starburst, and contributor to nerd culture site Kneel Before Blog and its podcast Kneel Before Pod. He is also a former editor of world cinema specialist Subtitled Online, and has contributed to speculative fiction and review site Strange Horizons, alt-culture magazine Front, and analytical list site Taste of Cinema, amongst others. His voracious appetite for film, TV, books and comics is yet to be satiated, and he can often be found stalking conventions and festivals celebrating each medium.

He is also a keen creative writer, with works encompassing urban fantasy, horror, sci-fi, high fantasy, crime, mystery, cyberpunk and erotica, not always in different stories.

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