It seems every day we hear about another DC film project that was cancelled. George Miller’s Justice League: Mortal, J.J. Abrams’ Superman: Flyby, and Darren Aronofsky’s Batman: Year One are all projects that never saw the big screen. Now, we can add Matthew Vaughn’s Superman trilogy to the list.
While speaking with Polygon, Matthew Vaughn talked about his scrapped Superman trilogy he pitched Warner Bros. in 2008. Vaughn described the trilogy he worked on with Mark Millar as “a massive, uplifting, hopeful thing.” It also looks like it would have departed from the comic book character’s norm.
Per the Polygon story:
Vaughn revealed that the first film in the proposed trilogy was meant to take place almost entirely on Krypton, and focus on Jor-El and the impending explosion of Krypton. Though the alien planet would still face destruction, Vaughn and Millar’s take would have the event take place much later in the timeline, allowing Superman to grow up on his home planet and gradually become familiar with Earth, maturing into an adult before having to reckon with his loyalty to both planets.
That’s quite a different take from Superman crashing to Earth as a baby. I don’t know if I would want the character to grow up on Krypton until adulthood, but I’d be down for a young teenage Superman to have to leave Krypton due to a blood feud, and end up on Earth under the care of the Kents. Maybe then Zod comes to Earth to wage war as Krypton is slowly dying, and Superman has to then make the ultimate choice: save his birth planet or save the planet that took him in as if he was one of its own.
Instead of Vaugn’s Superman trilogy, we ended up with 2013’s Man of Steel, which is a good film, if not forgettable. There were rumors that Warner Bros. and Matthew Vaughn were in talks for Vaughn to direct a Man of Steel sequel, but it looks like they died down. However, Vaughn told Polygon that if was offered the Superman directing gig again, “It’d be hard to say no.”
Personally, Vaughn knows how to blend heroism, comedy, action, and darker, serious moments together (look no further than the first Kingsman movie). I think he’d be a great choice to direct a Man of Steel 2 as he’d be able to bring some of that hopefulness back to the character while retaining the more serious take that Zack Snyder incorporated.
Would you like to see Matthew Vaughn direct a Superman film? If not, what other DC Comics character would you give him to handle?
