X-MEN: FIRST CLASS And KINGSMAN Director Matthew Vaughn Once Again Rumored To Be Working On DCU Project

X-MEN: FIRST CLASS And KINGSMAN Director Matthew Vaughn Once Again Rumored To Be Working On DCU Project

Now the WGA strike is over, work can resume as planned on the DCU, and a new rumour once again claims X-Men: First Class and Kick-Ass director Matthew Vaughn is planning to collaborate with DC Studios...

By JoshWilding - Sep 27, 2023 01:09 PM EST
Filed Under: DC Studios

After helming movies like Kick-Ass, X-Men: First Class, Kingsman: The Secret Service, Kingsman: The Golden Circle, and The King's Man, it's fair to say Matthew Vaughn is no stranger to comic book movies. 

We've been waiting a long time to see the filmmaker step back behind the camera to helm a Marvel or DC blockbuster and his name has once again come up in regards to DC Studios' planned DCU relaunch. 

He's previously been attached to The Authority and in World of Reel's recent report about Christopher Nolan potentially helming the next James Bond movie, it's said "the once-rumored Matthew Vaughn is out as he's committed to the DC Universe for the immediate future."

The site doesn't elaborate on what he'll be so busy with but, again, we're hearing it will be The Authority. Considering the fact the movie is likely to be R-Rated and will probably boast the same unique tone as Vaughn's previous projects, he seems like the perfect choice to bring the team to the big screen. 

The Authority was published by DC Comics under the Wildstorm imprint in 1999. Created by Warren Ellis and Bryan Hitch, they're a team that gets the job done by any means necessary (their extreme methods care little for politics and law). 

While we'd advise taking this next bit with a pinch of salt, it was recently revealed that the movie could end up starring Sam Worthington as Midnighter, Alexander Skarsgård as Apollo, Kiera Knightley as Jenny Sparks, Gerard Butler as Jack Hawksmoor, Keke Palmer as the Engineer, and Riz Ahmed as the Doctor. 

As for The Authority's villain, rumours have swirled that Ken Watanabe is being eyed to play Kaizen Gamorra. The dictator of the island nation of Gamorra, which he named after himself, Kaizen often came into conflict with StormWatch (a precursor to The Authority). 

"The Authority are a group of superheroes who think the world is broken, and they want to fix it by any means necessary," Gunn previously explained. "I think it’s a very different look at superheroes."

He'd add that The Authority "will interact with all of our primary DCU characters," suggesting they'll be front and centre in future stories. 

The Authority doesn't currently have a release date but is part of DC Studios' "Chapter 1: Gods and Monsters." Do you think Vaughn would be a good choice to helm this DC Comics adaptation? As always, let us know your thoughts in the comments section.

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JFerguson
JFerguson - 9/27/2023, 2:07 PM
Would be surprised if it wasn't The Authority movie. And the entire rumored cast seems bland as hell btw especially with zero-charisma Sam Worthington and Gerard Butler being apart of that cast
ObserverIO
ObserverIO - 9/27/2023, 2:21 PM
@JFerguson - Also it's a Mark Millar book and like 75% of Vaughn's filmography are Mark Millar adaptations.
jst5
jst5 - 9/27/2023, 3:33 PM
@JFerguson - Watching Worthington act is like watching paint dry...
WakandaTech
WakandaTech - 9/27/2023, 2:08 PM
Hopefully Gunn can bring back some success to the DC brand

But 7 Straight movie flops has to be some kind of record for a movie franchise

Usernametaken
Usernametaken - 9/27/2023, 3:43 PM
@WakandaTech - Well, we can't fault them for not being consistent.
mastakilla39
mastakilla39 - 9/27/2023, 4:23 PM
@WakandaTech - thats why it needed a reboot, never understood why they fans thought making Man of Steel 2, Old Man Batman, or =Justice League 2 was going to save the Snyder verse. No DCEU film after Aquaman 1 has grossed 400 mil and the only ones that did are TP's Joker and Reeve's Batman which aren't DCEU films.
AmazingFILMporg
AmazingFILMporg - 9/27/2023, 2:12 PM
Vaughn use to be good but lately he kinda sucks😳
Usernametaken
Usernametaken - 9/27/2023, 3:47 PM
@AmazingFILMporg - When he said no to directing Kick Ass 2, he said it was because he's not interested in doing more than one movie in a franchise.

It looks like he was right because he started to suck when he started making sequels for Kingsman. I'm kind of glad the last one tanked because now he has to do something new.
asherman93
asherman93 - 9/27/2023, 3:52 PM
@Usernametaken - IIRC, he actually dropped from Kick-Ass 2 because he was supposed to helm Days of Future Past after the success of First Class. Then he dropped from that to do Kingsman.

(IIRC, in between dropping DOFP and doing Kingsman, he was also briefly in negotiations to helm TFA. Speaking as someone who LOVED TFA and thought the sequel trilogy was decent overall, I would've absolutely loved to see how he'd have done at least Episode VII.)
Saga
Saga - 9/27/2023, 2:13 PM
The director lineup so far is great, Matthew would be an incredible addition. If it aint the Autority then most def Supergirl, the guy loves Superman everytime he talks about him he just gets it
Usernametaken
Usernametaken - 9/27/2023, 3:51 PM
@Saga - Mangold, Gunn and Matthew Vaughn are a very strong start.
I'm still on the fence about Muschietti though, especially for Batman, the most important DC franchise.

I still think Guillermo Del Toro will be signed up on a project in the near future.
mastakilla39
mastakilla39 - 9/27/2023, 4:27 PM
@Usernametaken - GDT has said recently that "no" he is no longer interested in making superhero films or sequels to big ips like lord of the rings. He said he's too old and doesn't have much time left and would rather direct something that will never be made without his involvement like stop motion Pinnochio or Nightmare Alley's remake.

There will always be directors willing to do a superhero film but not alot willing to make an original ip anymore.
Usernametaken
Usernametaken - 9/27/2023, 4:45 PM
@mastakilla39 - He makes good points. I will watch whatever he comes up with anyway, he's a great director.
ObserverIO
ObserverIO - 9/27/2023, 2:19 PM
Just rewatched First Class for the first time in a long time a couple of days ago. Man, a lot of that movie holds up. (a lot doesn't, but that's mostly the director's attitudes towards women rather than a lack of quality or anything).

If they'd just done the actual First Class team and maybe the OG Brotherhood under Shaw's control (or some substitute for Shaw) it would've been a perfect X-Men movie. It would have bee such an easy rewrite too. It wouldn't have cost the movie anything to have had the other Summers brother or Iceman instead of Banshee. Or two young twins (Quicksilver and Scarlett Witch) instead of Azazel and Emma Frost.

Back on topic: Solid filmmaker. Get frequent Matthew Vaughn collaborator Jane Goldman on board too and you'll have a solid movie.
...That will probably flop due to the pre-existing superhero universe that was never earned or established.
Origame
Origame - 9/27/2023, 2:57 PM
@ObserverIO - wtf are you talking about with his attitude toward women? Are you not aware when the film is set?
ObserverIO
ObserverIO - 9/27/2023, 3:10 PM
@Origame - Yes and I get that it works for that period, of course. I was talking more about his sensibilities as a director in general and in his personal life.
ObserverIO
ObserverIO - 9/27/2023, 3:14 PM
I mean, I'm not trying to cast any aspersions or anything. Even Nolan's films kinda failed in this respect until recently. Maybe it's something to do with being a rich, private school Englishman or something. You know they all go to boys schools and stuff. So women are probably like a strange alien species to them.
Origame
Origame - 9/27/2023, 3:20 PM
@ObserverIO - ...literally every female story in this is about how they aren't being respected despite their clear skill.

In his other series, kickass, two of the most powerful characters there are women. In fact by the end of the series hit girl is pretty much the only superhero.

Seriously, what in these movies is showing any attitude the director has for women other than respect?
ObserverIO
ObserverIO - 9/27/2023, 3:44 PM
@Origame - Sheesh do you wanna list? Well.. um, tough. I mean, that's a lot of work. But yeah mostly he seems to view women as sex objects. Except for Hit Girl, because she's not a woman. And Stardust. But that's (like a lot of his work) based on a pre-existing work and adapted by a woman (Goldman).
Origame
Origame - 9/27/2023, 4:09 PM
@ObserverIO - ...you literally had a scene of Emma frost using a man's view of her as a sex object to get what she wanted.

And when we're Roxy or gazelle treated as sex objects in kingsman?
ObserverIO
ObserverIO - 9/27/2023, 4:38 PM
@Origame - Geez, alright, there is never any such thing as a man portraying a woman as a sex object in a movie. And you will rush to the defence if anyone who is accused of such is this miltarily anti-woke world. Got it.

I'm just saying, if you're writing a report on the male gaze in modern cinema, Matthew Vaughn is a great director to study. Just pointing it out. I'm not attacking him, he's a great director. It was like one little aside I said in parenthesis. Don't be so defensive about this shit.
Origame
Origame - 9/27/2023, 4:46 PM
@ObserverIO - you clearly haven't seen magic Mike. That whole series is about men being viewed as sex objects.

But back to the subject at hand, you clearly just love giving generalizations and no real examples. In every case a woman is kinda considered a sex object, the movie frames this as wrong. Hell, first class also features a scene where Charles and Erik go to visit angel proposing a job offer that'll take her away from being a sex object.

And sure, not attacking him but painting him as a sexist who views all women as sex objects. I've provided two adult women who aren't treated as sex objects by any stretch of the imagination. And two more that either try to get out of that life because the narrative agrees its bad or use their perception of being a sex object to take advantage of men.
ObserverIO
ObserverIO - 9/27/2023, 4:52 PM
@Origame - If you can't see it you can't see it. I have seen Magic Mike, but that's not really the Male Gaze. That's the Female Gaze.

So give me all the examples of men being viewed as Sex objects in Magic Mike. Just kidding, but now you know how I feel. There's a lot. That Emma Frost one you mentioned for instance. Women using sex to get what they want. How many times did any male character use sex to get what they want in that film?
Origame
Origame - 9/27/2023, 5:47 PM
@ObserverIO - 1) wtf are you talking about? Your point I was addressing was that men aren't treated as sex objects. Guess what? Magic Mike is all about men being treated as sex objects.

2) And the Emma frost scene as well as instances of women using sex to get what they want isn't them being used as sex objects. It's women taking advantage of men who view them as sex objects. We used to have a word for that. You know, EMPOWERMENT!

Even if you don't view it as empowerment for the women, bare minimum you have to see the narrative of the films themselves don't view these women as sex objects. In fact they're being critical of men who do by making them weak willed idiots who get punished for that view.

Then you have characters like Charles and Erik who are shown to be right by saying "hey, let's get you a job that involves putting your clothes on."

3) Charles literally uses the feelings Moira has for him to get her mind erased while she's kissing him. But even if that weren't the case, it doesn't mean he's being sexist. It means he's being realistic. Because men simply don't do that to the extent women do. It's how our species courts. Women simply don't have to put in the effort to get male attention the way men have to to get female attention. Just a girl approaching a guy is enough to get things moving 95% of the time. For a guy to any girl? Not so much.
ObserverIO
ObserverIO - 9/28/2023, 5:28 AM
@Origame - 1) I know, that's what I was saying.

2&3) Compare all this to the men in the movie. None of them need scenes involving them taking their clothes off at all, but all the women do (Emma Frost, Moira MacTaggart, Mystique, Angel). The women in the movie could do with a little less of Matthew Vaughn's patented 'empowerment'.
Origame
Origame - 9/28/2023, 6:16 AM
@ObserverIO - 1) no, you didn't. You said no movies had men as sex objects. And when I pointed out magic Mike, you said it didn't count because of "male gaze".

2) ...yes. because again, men don't have the kind of sexual power that women do. And it's not just Matthew Vaughn who views it as empowering for women. And again, any man who the women use this on is treated as wrong, weak, and an idiot.

On top of this you're being incredibly disingenuous about this. Only Moira and Emma do this. Angel only took her clothes off for a job prior to the events of the film, and left specifically because the narrative of the movie insisted that was beneath her. And mystique took off her clothes as part of her own character arc to embrace her mutant side.

This is just not accepting the reality that sex appeal is a unique and powerful ability women have over men and that they can (and often times do) use it to take advantage of weak willed men. Ffs, Emma frost had power over a Russian general because of this. Enough so she was capable of starting the Cuban missile crisis. If that's not empowering, idk wtf is.
ObserverIO
ObserverIO - 9/28/2023, 6:26 AM
@Origame - !) I never said "No movies had men as sex objects", I never said anything remotely like that. I said it doesn't count AS 'Male gaze'. It counts as 'Female gaze'. If it was Magic Michelle, then it would be the male gaze.
It's also not a film directed by Matthew Vaughn.

2) I want to say that you're doing a really good job convincing me that there is no male gaze in X-Men: First Class. I want to say that, because you're putting in the effort. But all 4 women DO take their clothes off and none of the men do.

Also, you say that only women can use their sexual power to exploit men and not the other way around and yet you were the one that brought up Magic Mike which is a film about men exploiting their sexual power over women.
Origame
Origame - 9/28/2023, 7:14 AM
@ObserverIO - 1) lowering the bar...

2) so you're basically admitting to ignoring everything I've said because women take their clothes off and men don't. It's clear you're just committed to seeing sexism in everything. Which, bare minimum, means we can stop taking you seriously. Especially since you're painting a director as this way yet you can provide only one movie as an example which was a period piece specifically about discrimination. Can't justify literally any other film, including contemporary films like kingsman and kick ass where that isn't the case.
ObserverIO
ObserverIO - 9/28/2023, 10:53 AM
@Origame - Yes, I am ignoring the supposed empowerment because the fact remains that they are the ones that take their clothes off for men, no matter how the film chooses to justify it.

Imagine if these women were not anorexic supermodels. If the cast Amy Schumer and Leslie Jones as Angel and Moira MacTaggart. I doubt Angel would have been a stripper then. None of the men had to be strippers. Moira's CIA partner didn't have to take his clothes off to infiltrate Colonel Hendry's meeting with Shaw.

Why put all that in the script in the first place? Do you see my point?

Let me answer that for you: No, you don't. You think First Class is empowering and feminist. Okay then. I can see how it's written to be an 'empowering' justification of all the lead actresses who are played by anorexic women of Matthew Vaughn's choosing (y'know he married a supermodel) taking their clothes off.

I can see what it is you are saying. But I am indeed ignoring that because it should need to be justified in the screenplay in the first place. That's a result of Jane Goldman, a woman (oh believe you me, that is a woman if I ever I saw one) trying to justify scenes that Matthew Vaughn wanted in the film.

That's a woman trying to balance the mae gaze with excuses.

Oh and just for the sake of proving at least one of my points, here is a picture of X-Men: First Class writer Jane Goldman:

Origame
Origame - 9/28/2023, 11:24 AM
@ObserverIO - 1) angel was literally the only one taking her clothes off for men, as part of her job before even doing anything in the plot and in one scene where the whole point is "let's let you use your actual talents instead of just having you take your clothes off". In fact, that's almost exactly what was said in that scene. Then she never stripped again.

Emma and Moira took their clothes off for their mission, with the clear point being taking advantage of weak willed idiot men. Basically, "yeah, you're getting your rocks off, but I'm making off with this world changing secret you're hiding". And mystique took her clothes off purely for herself. She didn't even try doing this to arouse a man. And the first person she showed herself to was Charles, who was like a brother to her, to show him she's embracing being a mutant.

2) really? You're point is that unattractive people wouldn't use their sex appeal to be a stripper or for their spy work? Of course they wouldn't. Because obviously it wouldn't work. That's the point.

And the male Cia partner didn't have to do that because there weren't male strippers for him to pose as.

3) what it added was to show how women were being underestimated at this time. A woman can get close to all these powerful people when men can struggle to. Pretty much just because the men want the company and don't view them as threats. It's part of the overall point of the film actually since this is before mutants are revealed to the world. The idea is people discriminate, so of course they're gonna discriminate mutants when they're revealed.

4) it was justified. You're completely ignoring the context, by admission, on the simple basis that women take off their clothes "for" men.

5) if it was just that Matthew Vaughn just wanted scantily clad women in his movie, then why didn't he include them in the likes of kingsman or kickass?

6) to counter the idea of this being something that isn't empowering, there's the movie hustlers. It's directed and written by a woman. It was based on a magazine article by a woman, which is based on what real women did. And it's starring a mostly female cast.

The plot is entirely what you're criticizing from first class. Women take up stripping to seduce and steal money from weak willed idiot men. Is hustlers sexist? Because I really don't get the logic of something being backwards like this when you have a movie actually made by women which is doing the same thing.

It's not even like first class is trying to titilate the audience with how they film the women ffs.
ObserverIO
ObserverIO - 9/28/2023, 11:47 AM
@Origame - Hustlers is about strippers. That's the entire basis of the movie. X-Men is about mutant superheroes.

Again, I understand everything you are saying, there is justification in the movie. I get it.

But they still chose to do it. At every turn. With every lead female character.

Also, Mystique actually did take her clothes off to arouse a man (Magneto) and Matthew Vaughn does actually have scantily clad women in every one of his movies.
Origame
Origame - 9/28/2023, 12:23 PM
@ObserverIO - so in other words, it's justifiable but they still did it, reasoning be damned.

And you expect us to take this point seriously.
ObserverIO
ObserverIO - 9/28/2023, 4:55 PM
@Origame - exactly. But not too seriously, obvs.
Origame
Origame - 9/28/2023, 5:14 PM
@ObserverIO - as long as you admit it.

Makes sense you use owl man as your profile pic. You have the same level of logic.
Forthas
Forthas - 9/27/2023, 2:21 PM
Does The Authority have a huge fan base? Who is asking for this?

Get the better known and anchor heroes of the DC universe correct and in place and build out from there. This studio never learns. They are retreading the same strategy that gave us Jonah Hex, Steel and Catwoman. Films featuring obscure DC characters that nobody asked for.
asherman93
asherman93 - 9/27/2023, 3:48 PM
@Forthas -
"Does The Authority have a huge fan base? Who is asking for this?"
The Guardians of the Galaxy didn't have a particularly large fanbase either and yet - in spite of my mixed feelings regarding some of the deviations from DnA's run - Gunn managed to turn them into mainstream icons of the MCU to the point that - even amongst the mixed reactions to the post-Endgame MCU projects and in spite of the firing, re-hiring and six-year time gap - Volume 3 was considered one of the greatest superhero trilogy cappers ever.
The Suicide Squad may not have done great BO-wise, but it still got got critical acclaim and apparently did major numbers streaming-wise.
Peacemaker was a massive critical success and clearly did well enough to secure a second season, and likely got Gunn the job to take over the DCU and do Superman: Legacy.

"They are retreading the same strategy that gave us Jonah Hex, Steel and Catwoman."
The problem with those adaptations was never the choice of source; it was diverging so wildly from the source material and not even making the changes compelling, engaging, or entertaining enough.
(Severing Steel's connection to Superman to make it a star vehicle for Shaq; Catwoman being an in name only adaptation that was rumored to have started as an unrelated script before they slapped the name of Batman's most iconic love interest on it; giving Jonah Hex supernatural powers when the whole point was that even was a gritty western antihero who's normality was meant as a stark contrast to how wacky and fantastical the wider DCU could get and who's main adventures would feel right at home amongst spaghetti westerns.)

In the right hands, with the right material, those lesser known characters could easily support their film.
Hell, I'm certain that Steel could wind up being one of the best takes on the Superman mythos ever put to film if they focus on John Henry Irons taking inspiration from both the folk tale he's named after and the death of the Big Blue Boy Scout.
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