After “Justice League” floundered in production in 2016 and Zack Snyder left the film (and the DCEU), his Snyderverse fell apart. Everyone knows Joss Whedon took over “Justice League” after Snyder left, but as for who would chart the DCEU’s course into the future, there were dozens of rumors over the years of who could have taken over. Christopher McQuarrie was one name that came up, but another is Matthew Vaughn, former “X-Men” director and spy movie extraordinaire.
READ MORE: Matthew Vaughn Says He Has No Shot Of Directing Bond: “They’re Not Keen On Me”
Asked if the rumors were true that he and DC had been discussing him taking over for a “Man Of Steel 2,” Vaughn told the “Happy Sad Confused” podcast in a new interview the truth. Vaughn wasn’t shy about shooting down the rumors, but he did admit that before the Snyderverse era, he and comic book writer Mark Millar pitched a trilogy to Warner Bros. that they eventually turned down.
“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,” Vaughn said. “That’s as far as it went.” Vaughn said Richard Donner’s “Superman: The Movie” was the guiding North Star principal; Krypton wouldn’t have blown up right away but later into the picture, and the villains of the three films would have included Lex Luther, Zod, and Brainiac.
Vaughn praised Donner’s 1978 film. “I think Donner nailed it,” Vaughn continued. “”Wonder Woman” worked very well because it was basically a Donner/Superman film but reimagined as Wonder Woman. I would’ve 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.”
So if Vaughn ever had the opportunity to make a film for DC and Warner Bros., his proposed Superman trilogy was it. But what about helming some kind of project for the new DCU? Vaughn admitted that he had touched base with DC Studios heads James Gunn and Peter Safran but said there were no projects on the table at the moment (“We’ve been talking”). So, never say never there, but Vaughn does have his hands full with his “Kingsman” and “Argylle” franchises (and a third spy franchise he’d like to kick off at MARV).
Lastly, Vaughn did have to weigh in on one casting rumor. Taron Edgerton, his “Kingman” Eggsy character, as Wolverine? No way, but he thinks Edgerton would be perfect for Lex Luthor. “He’d be better as Lex Luthor,” Vaughn said. “He’d be an amazing Luthor. He shouldn’t be Wolverine. I don’t think he’s right for it. You got to really go back to the comic. Hugh is brilliant as Wolverine, but I’d go back to what the comics are… [he’s] small, grizzly, tough guy. Hugh has made it so iconic that if you go into that version… no. Taron would make an amazing, intelligent villain.”
Watch the entire “Happy Sad Confused” podcast conversation with Matthew Vaughn below.
