Matthew Vaughn is a man now inherently wrapped up with the superhero genre. He’s already delivered Kick-Ass, a satiric take on the whole thing, and he’s now hard at work on X-Men: First Class, the X-Men prequel due to be released next summer.
However, in a recent interview with The L.A. Times, Vaughn expressed his view that the superhero genre hasn’t got long left before it subsides once again. He explained:
“It’s been mined to death and in some cases the quality control is not what it’s supposed to be. People are just going to get bored of it.”
“I’ve always wanted to do a big-budget superhero film and I think we’ve kind of crossed the Rubicon with superhero films. I think [the opportunity to do one], it’s only going to be there two or three more times. Then the genre is going to be dead for a while because the audience has just been pummeled too much.”
That would explain why Vaughn decided to helm X-Men: First Class despite turning down the opportunity to direct X-Men 3 a few years ago. Because he knows it’s a case of now or never, or at least now or not for a very long time.
I do agree with Vaughn that the current trend for superhero movies is only going to last for a finite time. And next year’s glut of films could be the straw that breaks the camel’s neck.
So if you’re a fan of superhero movies, make the most of any that come along. Because there’s bound to be a few years when none appear. And those that do will fail to draw big audiences. Or am I and Matthew Vaughn talking crap?
Did you know that if you buy Kick-Ass as a digital download by this Sunday (8/15) from the PlayStation Store, you’ll receive an exclusive original comic book in digital form?!