MATTHEW VAUGHN
Matthew Vaughn reveals new studio Marv, and his own cinematic universe
A big announcement from the director. Sadly, not ‘Mean Machine 2’.
THERE’S ALWAYS BEEN something of the movie mogul about Matthew Vaughn. A producer-turneddirector who works both inside and outside the studio system, self-funding blockbusters such as Kingsman: The Secret Service and its sequel, last year’s The Golden Circle. So, it’s perhaps no surprise to find that he’s going all in with the formation of Marv Studios. “I’d like to be the modern version of what a studio can be,” he tells Empire. “One where creativity really does win and is at the foremost of every decision. The older you get, the more responsible you start feeling. But we’re going to go for it.” To that end, Vaughn is lining up a slew of eye-catching films with which to launch his new venture over the next couple of years. To wit:
ROCKETMAN
Co-produced with Paramount, the tale of Elton John will see Vaughn reunite with his Eddie The Eagle star/director, Taron Egerton and Dexter Fletcher, for a biopic with more edge than you might expect. “It’s going to be the first R-rated musical,” says Vaughn of the first film out of Marv’s gate. “Elton’s life beyond the music was more colourful than the music. It’s got drugs, sex, rock ’n’ roll. And you should hear Taron singing as Elton. It’s unbelievable. It’s a type of musical people haven’t seen for years, with massive songs. It’s Elton John, for Christ’s sake.”
KINGSMAN
“We’re developing the world of Kingsman,” says Vaughn, who is aiming to shoot two very different movies back-to-back. “It’s going to be a universe of love letters to anything to do with espionage.” First up is Kingsman: The Great Game, a movie that will explore the origins of the Kingsman organisation in the first two decades of the 20th century. “Whole new cast, new characters, huge in scope,” adds Vaughn, who co-wrote the screenplay with Karl Gajdusek. “If Kingsman 1 and 2 were the love letter to Roger Moore, this is the love letter to Connery.” The plan is to simultaneously release an eight-hour TV series. “We’re going to do things differently.” Following that, he’ll segue into Kingsman 3, co-written once again with Jane Goldman. “That is the conclusion of the Harry Hart-eggsy relationship,” teases Vaughn. There are also plans to expand the world of the American agents played by Channing Tatum, Jeff Bridges and Halle Berry in Kingsman: The Golden Circle in their very own Statesman spin-off.
KICK-ASS
“I mucked up on Kick-ass 2,” says Vaughn. “But I learned a hell of a lot.
You’ve got to make mistakes to learn.” The sequel seemed to put the kibosh on the fledgling franchise, but Vaughn has other ideas. “We’re going to reboot Kick-ass and Hit-girl,” he reveals.” look what Mark Millar is doing with the comic for clues.” Millar, the writer who created Kick-ass, has recently introduced a brand-new hero in the green and yellow onesie — patience lee, an african-american single mother battling for her family’s future. and then there’s Hit-girl, with two potential options: a prequel, exploring how young Mindy Macready and her father became Hit-girl and Big daddy, and a sequel, which could see chloë Moretz return as an older, not necessarily wiser, version of the gun-toting vigilante. “it would be interesting to see her handle life as Hit-woman,” says Vaughn. “Deadpool has proved there is room for fun, attitude-filled, R-rated superhero movies.”