16 Years Ago Today, One of the Best Non-Marvel/DC Superhero Movies Released (& It Has 2 Sequels Waiting for Release)

Marvel and DC are the two reigning champions of superhero movies, but a few franchises have been able to make cinematic names for themselves without the backing of these two Titans. One of the best examples was released 16 years ago today, and it still isn’t over.

Nowadays, studios aren’t constantly trying to start their own cinematic universes and superhero franchises, as the popularity of superhero movies has declined over the past few years. In the 2010s, however, every studio wanted a piece of the MCU’s cake, with films like Bloodshot and failed cinematic universes like Universal’s Dark Universe attempting to recreate Marvel’s success. The franchises that were able to successfully pull this off were few and far between, but this is one of the best examples.

Kick-Ass Was Released 16 Years Ago Today

Mark Millar and John Romita Jr. created the popular Kick-Ass comic franchise, which was launched in 2008. It was met with critical and commercial success, with it becoming one of the most well-known parts of the Millarworld. The success of Kick-Ass was undeiably helped by the fact that a feature film was released only two years after the launch of the comic series: 2010’s Kick-Ass.

Directed by Matthew Vaughn, Kick-Ass was released on April 16, 2010, meaning that it hit theaters 16 years ago today. The film follows Aaron Taylor-Johnson’s Dave Lizewski, a teenage comic nerd who decides that he wants to become a vigilante. Things go horribly wrong, but after getting some bones replaced, his high pain tolerance allows him to become a successful hero. Taking up the mantle of Kick-Ass, Dave goes viral and realizes that there is a much bigger world of vigilantes than he could have ever imagined.

Kick-Ass has 78% on Rotten Tomatoes and made $96.2 million on a budget of $30 million, making it successful enough to warrant a sequel. Kick-Ass 2 was released in 2013, and while many of the first film’s most popular superheroes returned, it wasn’t as successful as its predecessor. The sequel made only $60.8 million on a $28 million budget, and has only 33% on Rotten Tomatoes.

Although Kick-Ass hasn’t released a new movie in over a decade, it has left a lasting legacy as one of the most fun superhero franchises of the 2010s. While Marvel and DC mostly stuck to PG-13 superhero outings, Kick-Ass wasn’t afraid to tell a more mature story filled with blood, guts, and swearing. There is still a lot to enjoy in the Kick-Ass franchise, even if some parts haven’t aged as well as fans would hope.

The Kick-Ass Franchise Has Two Movies In Development

Even though Kick-Ass 2 was released in 2013, the franchise isn’t over yet. As it turns out, two movies in the Kick-Ass franchise are currently in development. Mark Millar originally had plans for Kick-Ass 3 immediately after the second film, but the previous film’s box office failure prevented it from happening. Millar also wanted a Hit-Girl movie to be made, although this never came to fruition.

In 2018, original Kick-Ass director Matthew Vaughn announced a new film production company called Marv Studios, which would be behind future Kick-Ass movies. Vaughn wanted to make a proper Kick-Ass 3 before rebooting the series, but these plans never came to fruition. Instead, Marv Studios released projects like Silent Night, The King’s Man, Tetris, and Argylle.

After over a decade of undeveloped projects, it seems like Kick-Ass is finally coming back. Stuntnuts: The Movie will be the next film in the franchise, and it will follow a group of athletes and gymnasts who hire themselves out as stuntmen. The film will star Greg Townley, Paul Lowe, Bobby Holland Hanton, Chris Hemsworth, and
Sam Rockwell. There is currently no word on when the film will be released, but it is known that it will start a new Kick-Ass trilogy.

The sequel to Stuntnuts will be titled Stuntnuts Does School Fight, but the story and release date of the upcoming film aren’t known. The sequel will also star Greg Townley, Paul Lowe, Bobby Holland Hanton, and will set up a third film. Although it still hasn’t been revealed how the Stuntnuts films will connect to Kick-Ass outside of sharing a universe, it is exciting to know that the franchise is finally coming back nearly two decades after its start.

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