Having helmed two comic book adaptations in quick succession with Kick-Ass and X-Men: First Class, Brit director
Matthew Vaughn has apparently set his sights on an "Expendables esque" celebration of the superhero genre that could potentially be his next film.
Deadline report that Vaughn is looking to strike a deal for
The Golden Age, a comic book movie that would focus on retired superheroes who help out their grandchildren when their middle-aged parent screw up the world". Excitedly, Vaughn wants Hollywood legends but retired actors
Clint Eastwood,Warren Beatty and the semi-retired
Jack Nicholson to star and an unnamed but major Hollywood studio are said to be 'very keen to fully fund' the project. The film would be based on an upcoming comic series co-written by British t.v. presenter
Jonathan Ross, presumably the work that has kept him busy since resigning from the BBC over 'Manuelgate'. Ross is of course the husband of Jane Goldman, the screenwriter of Vaughn's last three movies - so there's a huge chance Vaughn/Goldman will collaborate on this, despite Vaughn saying he's only producing The Golden Age at this point and may hire someone other than Goldman to scribe. Perhaps it boils down to whether Vaughn ends up directing sequels to X-Men: First Class or Kick-Ass?
Of course, just because Vaughn is aiming for the stars with the trio of Eastwood, Nicholson and Beatty to star, that doesn't at all mean he's guaranteed to even secure one of them. A wishlist is just a wishlist. I mean hell, I could wish to sleep with Scarlett Johansson, Keira Knightley and Eva Longoria, but it doesn't mean I could convince them to go to bed with me. Rather amazingly, Vaughn wants a cast secured before pen is even put to paper on a screenplay, which would make the commitment of these kind of Hollywood legends all the more improbable. Vaughn says;
You have these great star names and theyre mainly playing supporting roles now. I want to give them the lead again and let them have some fun.
Would love to see it happen though, who wouldn't? A Watchmen/Dark Knight Returns esque superhero movie, basically the genre's version of Red or The Expendables (two movies I didn't like by the way, but I'm certain under Vaughn they would be more entertaining) and if stars like Eastwood or other vets such as Gene Hackman, Tommy Lee Jones and Robert Redford can be attracted, who wouldn't want to see this?