Before Zack Snyder signed on to helm Man of Steel back in 2013, reports did the rounds that Matthew Vaughn was one of Warner Bros.' top picks to direct the Superman reboot. A few years later, around the time Batman Vs. Superman entered production, the Kick-Ass filmmaker was said to be in the mix to take the iconic DC Comics superhero in a new direction.
We don't know how close Vaughn came to landing the gig, but it sounds like the director is still more than keen to deliver his Richard Donner-inspired interpretation of the big blue boy scout.
“I was desperate to do a Superman film. Desperate,” Vaughn revealed to The Wrap. “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.”
While some may take issue with the use of the word "proper" here, there's no denying that a lot of fans would be interested in a slightly lighter take on the character if Cavill was to return to the role. As for Vaughn, he didn't mince words when it came to direction Snyder took Superman in The DCEU with his follow-up to Man of Steel.
“I just thought it was a mistake putting the Batman vibe into the Superman world,” the filmmaker continued. “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.”
What do you guys make of Vaughn's comments? Would you like to see him take a crack at Superman? The King's Man hits theaters this weekend.