Kick-Ass, X-Men Director: Hollywood Has Killed Superheroes

Hollywood has killed the superhero movie, and there’ll only be another couple of movies before the genre dies entirely – at least temporarily. Those aren’t my thoughts, but those of X-Men: First Class director Matthew Vaughn, who didn’t shy away from telling the LA Times’ Hero Complex blog that he’s making his contribution to the genre while he still has the chance:

I’ve always wanted to do a big-budget superhero film and I think we’ve kind of crossed the Rubicon with superhero films. I think [the opportunity to do one], it’s only going to be there two or three more times [and then] the genre is going to be dead for a while because the audience has just been pummeled too much.

I’ve been thinking that the superhero movie genre was due to burn out for awhile now – I had pretty much pegged last year’s Watchmen as the tipping point – but part of me wonders whether that’s even going to matter anymore, considering all the movies that are in the works, between Marvel’s Thor/Captain America: The First Avenger/The Avengers trilogy (and subsequent Runaways and Iron Man 3) and DC’s Green Lantern, Flash and Whatever The Dark Knight Follow-Up Is Going To Be Called. If there is an audience backlash, the sheer amount of movies already in various stages of production may end up riding over it and coming out the other side. But whether or not that’s the case, there’s something refreshing about Vaughn owning up to getting in while the going’s good. Wonder if this means he’ll not be making Kick-Ass 2, then…?

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richardsrussell

A completely ho-hum genre? Dubious. For instance, I see no end to romantic comedies or cop movies. I think the key is — as the geniuses at Pixar remind us with every unlikely story that steals our hearts — a good story well told. Cases in point: Even tho Westerns and big musicals had largely become passé, “Unforgiven” and “Chicago” won Best Picture Oscars — as did a couple of movies about the barely visible sport of boxing: “Rocky” and “Million Dollar Baby”.
drad098

He thinks there’s only 3 left, and he’s going to use one up on an X-Men prequel?

Jerk.
jeia56

Noooooo, Kick-Ass 2 must happen. Then the genre can die.
tereglith

Perhaps a ‘genre’ dying is a good thing, because the truly great movies that come out, even if they were within a ‘dead’ genre would continue to live. If the superhero genre were dead and both Spiderman 3 and The Dark Knight came out despite that fact, Spiderman 3 would flop as it deserved to, but The Dark Knight, by virtue of being a good movie independent of genre, would still be successful.
hoopla

personally i don’t think genre will ever die, well at least not for the fans. I mean the usual audience that tends to go for the romantic comedies and whatnot might get tired of it but me (and i am sure as well as many others) can”t even wait until more of it is released.