After the recent back and fourth word-of-mouth that ended in director Matt Reeves (Cloverfield, Dawn of the Planet of the Apes) officially signing on to helm The Batman and Mel Gibson (The Passion of the Christ, Hacksaw Ridge) in possible consideration for Suicide Squad 2, DC comics’ other big name hero is on the market for his next director, and Warner Bros. is hoping that they have already found one in Matthew Vaughn.
According to Collider, Warner Bros. executives have been in early talks with director Vaughn, their top choice for the job, to helm the next Superman solo film in their DC Cinematic Universe, the tentatively titled Man of Steel 2.
Vaughn is certainly familiar with handling comic book material and big budget superheroes as his R-rated cult favorites Kick-Ass and Kingsman: The Secret Service originated as graphic novels and his soft X-Men reboot, X-Men: First Class, became a veritable instant classic that ushered in a new era for Fox’s mutant franchise.
Vaughn and frequent collaborator Mark Millar (comic writer and creator of the original Kick-Ass and Kingsman comics) had previously pitched to the studio their vision for a Superman feature in 2010. Warner Bros. ultimately went in another direction that resulted in Zack Snyder’s bombastic universe launcher Man of Steel, but Vaughn did offer a note to WB before that film’s production. Vaughn is quoted as saying, “I think that’s the one thing not to do with Superman, trying to do the serious The Dark Knight version. Superman is about color and fun, or it should be, for me.”
This can quote can provide a glimpse into what kind of film is to be expected from Vaughn’s Superman, if he is later actually confirmed to direct, but only time will tell if Superman’s next solo outing will be as explosively melancholic and brooding as his previous cinematic adventures.