Kick-Ass comic creator Mark Millar has already seen quite a bit of Kick-Ass 2, and he's pretty excited about it, saying that it will be better than the first film. He recently sat in on an editing session, and took to his blog to talk about about the movie. He also addresses the Matthew Vaughn Star Wars rumor and teases three new film projects that will be announced soon.
Let's start out with the Kick-Ass 2 talk...
But Kick-Ass 2. What can I say? Let me tell you that yesterday as I was sitting in Eddie Hamilton's edit suite (think James Coburn's apartment in Our Man Flint) I literally for the first time thought this might actually be BETTER than the original. This was a huge moment for me because there is no bigger fan of the first movie than me. I think it's pretty close to perfect. But there's so much in this, the whole thing so rich, that I honestly think this might be the Empire Strikes Back to Star Wars. I'd seen over 40 mins before, but seeing the edited version of the next 20 mins gave me a very comprehensive look for how the finished movie is going to look and I was actually quite shocked. I won't spoil scenes for anyone who hasn't read the source material (the Hit-Girl series and Kick-Ass 2 comic), but there are so many great moments here. Kubrick said that a great movie has eight terrific moments. I lay in bed this morning and counted fourteen genuine movie-moment scenes. You can look at the book and probably guess these, but they're articulated so beautifully. I was really happy when I came away a couple of weeks back, but the Millar Gang and I were ecstatic when we left Eddie's suite yesterday. People are going to LOVE this and we all had a feeling that this was going to go really wide when it opens next June.
He then goes on to talk about Hit Girl, and Chloe Mortez' performance, and how much more badass she is.
To get myself vibed up, we watched the first Kick-Ass again before we went down and the thing that pleased me was the fact this feels like a continuation and an evolution as opposed to a retread. It doesn't have that Hangover 2 thing where it's just same jokes. It feels very new and fresh and all the new characters really work. Chloe's scenes work especially well. She hadn't had that much edited when I saw it a couple of weeks back, but this time I'm really getting a flavour of what she's doing with this kid who's never had to deal with social situations before. The tiny death-dealer from the first movie was a great gag, but the fact she's 3 years older now works great as it makes the movie go into a slightly different place, allowing her to be teased and bullied by people in school she's not allowed to kill. She's a 14 year old girl who's into John Woo more than 1 Direction and this stuff is AGONISING when you see it. Again, I won't give any spoilers, but she just hits all the marks as beautifully as you'd expect. And Claudia Lee totally dazzled me as her arch-nemesis in the school yard. We were all blown away by her audition, but she's phenomenal in these scenes and I predict she's going to be one of the biggest female stars under 30 in the next few years. Somebody save this and read it back in 2016. This kid is the next Rachel McAdams or Scarlett Johansson.
I can't wait to see what he's talking about! Hit-Girl is my favorite character in the story, and it sounds like it going to be awesome seeing her back in action! Millar then goes on to address those Vaughn Star Wars directing rumors saying,
...Vaughn departed X-Men because our Secret Service project was being copied by a few scripts doing the round and we didn't want anyone to beat us out there with our own idea. Star Wars has since, of course, announced an Episode 7 and he's been touted as a possible director for that movie. All I can say is that if he DOES get picked to helm the next Star Wars there would be nobody with more passion or enthusiasm for the project. I really don't think there could be a better choice, especially as we've referenced Star Wars pretty much every day in the 5 years we've known one another.
Not sure what to make of this, Millar capitalized the word DOES for some reason. I guess it could mean that Vaughn actually is in the running. If they are fast tracking The Secret Service into production, I guess Vaughn could fit in Star Wars right after, if he gets hired to direct it. So it looks like there might be some truth to this rumor. I hope so! Millar also teases some other projects that have yet to be announced, saying he was working on a secret project that that we'll find out in the next couple of days,
You know about Kick-Ass 2, Nemesis and The Secret Service in various stages of movie adaptation, but there's three more you'll get news on soon and the one in the next week or two is a secret project you literally haven't heard a word about in any medium. So that's all very exciting.
Do any of you have any ideas what these projects might be? Can't wait to see what he's got cooking! Millar also goes on to address the internet chatter that the first 45 minutes of Kick-Ass 2 will focus on Hit Girl, apparently it's not true...
When I said the first 45 mins of this flick is Hit-Girl I'm talking about the Hit-Girl SERIES, which Dave and Chris also appear in. The idea that it's about someone else for 45 mins is just insane. How can these guys be that literal?? But it seems to go quite wide when I checked this morning and smacked my forehead. Dave, Chris and Mindy are seeded all the way through this movie and get equal screen time so don't worry!! I'm also stunned that some sites still reporting sub-heading Balls to the Wall, which I told everyone two years ago we weren't using. It's Kick-Ass 2, people.
So there ya go! What do you think about what Millar had to say about Kick-Ass 2 and Vaughn possibly directing Star Wars?