Matthew Vaughn’s big screen adaptation of Mark Millar’s Kick-Ass will hit theaters on April 16th 2010, scheduled up against Piranha 3-D and MacGruber, and a week after the Sylvain White adaptation of the DC/Vertigo Comics series The Losers. As many of you know, the film was independently funded because none of the studios wanted to tackle the story which fused ultra-violence with children (the be more specific, a 10 year-old who chops bad guys in half and spews vulgar obscenities). The film was bought by Lionsgate after sneak preview footage rocked San Diego Comic-Con International 2009, topping most top ten lists for the Con. We raved about the footage in a previous video blog. After the film sold, I speculated that the movie would take the Mid-March Zack Snyder 300/Watchmen slot, and I wasn’t too far off.
Kick-Ass tells the story of (beware of possible comic book spoilers) “Dave Lizewski, a kid growing up in a rundown suburb of Americ. He isn’t a gamer, he isn’t a jock, he isn’t a mathlete, he’s just a regular kid. When he is not hanging out at the local comic store with his friends Todd and Marty, he is fantasising about his school teacher and Katie Deauxma, the class hottie. The only thing that is unusual about Dave is that about a year ago his Mother died. But somehow through this blend of normality, teenage angst and irritation at being continually mugged, Dave makes the decision to become a superhero’ KICK ASS! Dave’s first foray into being a Superhero results in him being stabbed and run over. When Dave recovers he realises he can’t walk away from being a hero, and when he successfully steps in on a mugging he brings himself to the attention of the US media and Frank D’Amico could this be the guy who knicked his coke? As Dave gets sucked into the dark world of vigilante crime fighting he gains a sidekick named ‘Red Mist’.”