X-Men: First Class and Kingsman director Matthew Vaughn has recently discussed his failed pitch to bring his version of Superman to the big screen that would have seen the filmmaker tell the last son of Krypton’s story across three movies.
Per Variety, Vaughn appeared on the Happy Sad Confused podcast and freely discussed his relationship with several Hollywood franchises. The conversation eventually gravitated towards the DC Universe, with Vaughn confirming he had pitched Warner Bros. a trilogy of Superman movies alongside famous comic book creator Mark Millar before the studio decided to produce Zack Snyder’s Man of Steel. “Mark and I sat down and plotted out a three film trilogy, pitched it to Warner Bros. before Man of Steel. We pitched how to do a trilogy of Superman movies, and Warners said they weren’t interested. That’s as far as it went,” he said.
Vaughn’s version of Superman would have paid homage to Richard Donner’s 1978 classic and would include some of the Big Blue Boy Scout’s most iconic villains. The director holds Donner’s Superman in high esteem. “I think Donner nailed it,” he said. “Wonder Woman worked very well because it was basically a Donner/Superman film but reimagined as Wonder Woman. I would have done a modern version of Donner. Our big idea was that Krypton doesn’t blow up. It does eventually. The dad was right, but he got his timing wrong. When Superman is grown up suddenly there’s a mass exodus, and all hell breaks loose. That was our main idea.”
Vaughn Believes His Kingsman Star Would Make a Compelling Lex Luthor
Vaughn revealed that he had been in touch with DC Studios co-heads James Gunn and Peter Safran as they map out a new direction for the DC Cinematic Universe. The director might helm one of their upcoming projects. One such project he will definitely not be shepherding is Gunn’s Superman: Legacy, but that has not stopped Vaughn from suggesting who should play Superman’s eternal nemesis, Lex Luthor, “Taron (Egerton) would make an amazing, intelligent villain. He’d be an amazing Luthor,” he said.
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Vaughn’s Kingsman lead Egerton has been widely fan-cast as the popular X-Men character Wolverine. The director insists, however, that the actor suits Lex Luthor better. “He’d be better as Lex Luthor. He shouldn’t be Wolverine. I don’t think he is right for it,” he said. “You got to really go back to the comic. Hugh [Jackman] is brilliant as Wolverine, but I’d go back to what the comics are. He’s a small, grizzly, tough guy. Hugh has made it so iconic that if you go into that version, no.”
DC Studios’ Superman: Legacy will premiere in 2025.
Source: Happy Sad Confused Podcast via Variety
