Before Zack Snyder kickstarted DCEU with Man of Steel, Matthew Vaughn once pitched a Superman trilogy idea to Warner Bros. The movie idea, conceptualized alongside his friend Mark Millar, was eventually dropped by the studio. Recently, Vaughn shared details about his proposed Superman movie and it’s wildly different from the Man of Steel version.
Vaughn had previously directed superhero films like X-Men: First Class and Kick-Ass. Interestingly, Vaughn was in talks with Warner Bros. to direct the Man of Steel sequel in 2017, but later it was announced that he was no longer involved in that project.
Matthew Vaughn’s Version Of The Kryptonian Had A Different Backstory
Matthew Vaughn came up with the idea for his Superman trilogy after drawing inspiration from Richard Donner’s classic 1978 version of Superman. Vaughn and Mark Millar, the famous comic book writer, developed a story where Kal-El grew up on Krypton. During an appearance on the Happy Sad Confused podcast, Vaughn went into the details of his first potential DC association. Vaughn told the host, Josh Horowitz:
“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.”
Vaughn further explained that his Superman idea was a modern interpretation of Donner’s film. He added that the DCEU film, Wonder Woman, worked so well because it was reimagined from Donner’s classic. In Vaughn’s story, Jor-El’s prediction doesn’t happen until much later when Kal-El is an adult, and the story starts at the point of the Krypton exodus. The Argylle director explained to Horowitz:
“I think Donner nailed it. 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.”
However, Warner Bros. didn’t like the idea, and they went ahead with Zack Snyder‘s Man of Steel project instead. Snyder presented a dark and gritty Superman, a departure from the usual Superman movies, something Vaughn was not a fan of. The response to the film was a little underwhelming, but it remains one of the superior outings from the franchise.
Matthew Vaughn Is Once Again Associated With DC To Direct A Film
Vaughn’s long-wanted dream of directing a DC project is finally coming to fruition. It is reported that studio head James Gunn has brought in Vaughn to direct one of the major films in the new DCU’s first chapter, Gods and Monsters. Vaughn will direct The Authority, a movie exploring a superhero team with no moral compass.
While he did not get to direct his dream Superman movie, the Stardust director happily accepted the job, even reportedly rejecting the offer to direct the next James Bond film. Interestingly, Mark Millar has written 12 issues of The Authority for DC comics and will likely be involved in Vaughn’s project. Despite his non-involvement, Vaughn has made a valuable suggestion to Gunn for the latter’s directorial venture in DCU, Superman: Legacy.
The Kingsman director suggested one of his trusted actors, Taron Egerton, for the role of Lex Luthor. While Egerton is a fan favorite to play the Wolverine, Vaughn argued on the Happy Sad Confused podcast that the actor would be better suited for the villainous character.
Man of Steel and other DCEU films are now available for streaming on Max.
