Is it possible Kick Ass 3 is a thing? Fans of the movies may not realize that the comics have been going for a while now, deepening and complicating the life of Dave Lizewski and Mindy MacReady, aka Kick Ass and Hit Girl. That second movie didn't exactly light the world on fire, however, so could there really be enough left in the tank to close out the trilogy?
In an interview with the architects of the Kick Ass universe, Mark Millar and John Romita Jr., at Comic Book Resources, the writer and the artist leave the door open for a possible Kick-Ass 3 - but only a bit. Millar says,
"With Kick-Ass, it was a no brainer. It was made for $28 million and made $100 million back, and then made another $140 million on DVD. So for the money guys, it was a $28 million investment that made $240 million. That's a slam dunk. You're getting your sequel. The second one didn't make as much. It cost a little less at around $24 million, made $61 million and made about $100 million again on DVD and TV rights. It was still profitable. It was by no means The Lone Ranger. But does that mean we'll make another one again? I don't know. It's definitely up in the air, and we'll just have to see. Matthew [Vaughn] is a guy who I trust to make that decision. If he decides he does want to do it, I know he'll get it done well. And he's got the movie rights, so it's ultimately his decision. I speak to Matthew every day, and we haven't discussed Kick-Ass 3, so who knows? The option is always open."
First of all, kudos to Millar for eliminating the doubt that Hollywood movies don't make any profit. That second Kick Ass was considered a disappointment after actually making $63 million worldwide on a $24 million budget because it probably cost around $40-$60 million to promote. But that home market can be lucrative, and both movies in the series have done huge business in the Blu-ray marketplace. Box office "flops" are only theatrical flops: once you get those alternate revenue streams involved, you find out that making movies is NOT as much of a money-losing proposition as you had been told.
Secondly, where does Kick Ass go after part two? The comics have a very conclusive, movie-ready ending in regards to volume three. Could that be the fates of Kick Ass and Hit Girl? The second one had some pretty harsh reviews, and for good reason. While the first film interrogates the idea of superheroes in mainstream society, the second film seems to revel in it, to the point where the satire is lost.
There's also the discussion about the portrayal of violence, which was controversial enough to make Jim Carrey speak out and refuse to promote Kick Ass 2. The opinionated Romita had something to say about that as well.
"As for Jim Carrey, I know I'll never work with that bonehead again, so let me say this. I think Mark and I have talked about this before, but here's a guy who could have capitalized on the character he played and played it toward his anti-gun stance. The character he played gave up weapons -- gave up guns -- and became a good guy. Anybody with three quarters of an education could have figured out how to fold that idea in with their anti-gun ideas. He's not a smart enough guy to do that. He cashed his check and took his money, and then he went and pulled a bunch of crap on our film. I say "our film," because a lot of people worked on that. He made people suffer that had jobs and needed every dime from this. I'm not talking about Mark and I. I'm talking about people in the offices and people behind the camera that worked their butts off for this. He took money out of their pockets, and he should be ashamed of himself. I've always wanted to say that, and I'll stand on a chair and look him in the eye and tell him that's what I think."
Well then! People involved in these movies like Chloe Moretz have aired out their opinions thus far, but not to this extent. Guess Carrey won't be in Kick Ass 3, will he? (If it ever even actually happens)
