A new red-band trailer has been released for Matthew Vaughn’s highly anticipated Kick-Ass starring Christopher Mintz-Plasse, Chloe Moretz, Aaron Johnson, and Nicolas Cage. Check it out below via Myspace. Read the full story

A new international trailer has been released for Matthew Vaughn’s highly anticipated Kick-Ass starring Christopher Mintz-Plasse, Chloe Moretz, Aaron Johnson, and Nicolas Cage. Check it out below. Read the full story

Lionsgate has given Hitfix the exclusive premiere of a brand new poster for Matthew Vaughn’s adaptation of Mark Millar’s comic book Kick-Ass. The film stars Aaron Johnson, Chloe Moretz, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, Mark Strong, Xander Berkeley, and Nicolas Cage. Check out the trailer here and the full poster below. Read the full story

Matthew Vaughn’s adaptation of Mark Millar’s comic Kick-Ass will have its official premier at the South by Southwest (SXSW) Film Festival. The Lionsgate distributed film had a very good reception at a secret screening in December as part of the twenty-four hour line-up for Butt-num-a-thon.

Kick-Ass gives us a comic-book fanboy, Dave Lizewski (Aaron Johnson), who is tired of sitting on the sidelines and watching the crime get worse and worse. He decides to take his superhero obsession and transform himself into a crime fighting Kick-ass superhero — you don’t need super powers to kick someone’s ass. Along the way he meets other teenagers who were inspired by his example; forming an alliance to take care of the local mob boss Frank D’Amico (Mark Strong). They prove that sometimes you have to take matters into your own hands and as one poster for the film said, “I can’t fly, but I can kick your ass.”

Kick-Ass opens nationwide on April 16, 2010, and is guaranteed to be a major hit with the superhero genre crowd. Check out the trailer here.

The complete line-up for SXSW will be released in February, but the following films have been announced today in addition to the opening night film:

Cold Weather – SXSW Alum Aaron Katz directs this feature about a former forensic science major and avid reader of detective fiction, who, after making a mess of his life in Chicago, returns to his hometown of Portland, Oregon. There, he, his sister Gail, and new friend Carlos become embroiled in something unexpected.

Elektra Luxx – Following the successful world premiere of Women In Trouble at SXSW 2009, writer/director Sebastian Gutierrez returns with the world premiere of its hotly anticipated sequel. The film follows a hectic day in the life of former adult film superstar Elektra Luxx as she tries to survive in the straight world. The film stars Carla Gugino in the title role, and Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Timothy Olyphant, Emmanuelle Chriqui and Malin Akerman.

Hubble 3D – SXSW will present the first public screening of Hubble 3D at the Bob Bullock IMAX® Theater. Through the power of IMAX® 3D, Hubble 3D will enable movie-goers to journey through distant galaxies to explore the grandeur and mysteries of our celestial surroundings, and accompany space-walking astronauts as they attempt the most difficult and important tasks in NASA’s history. The film is directed and produced by Toni Myers.

Lemmy – A documentary from director Wes Orshoski, the film delves into the personal and public lives of heavy metal icon and Motörhead frontman Lemmy Kilmister. Nearly three years in the making, and featuring appearances by such friends/peers as Metallica, Dave Grohl, Billy Bob Thornton and pro wrestler Triple H, the film follows Kilmister from his Hollywood bedroom to the hockey arenas of Scandinavia and Russia.

SATURDAY NIGHT – Directed by actor James Franco, the documentary looks at what it takes to create an episode of the legendary comedy show, Saturday Night Live. Follow behind the scenes as the actors, writers and producers go through one frenetic week of trials and tribulations as each volley to get sketches on air.

Are you saving for a film badge for SXSW now?

IGN (via /Film) has debuted the final poster for Matthew Vaughn’s Kick-Ass, and this features Chloe Moretz as Hit Girl, a twelve year-old assassin, who according to people who have seen the film, is the single most entertaining aspect of the movie. The poster can be viewed below or in higher resolution at IGN: Read the full story

Coming off the insane hype at the Butt-Numb-a-Thon screening a few new pieces from Matthew Vaughn’s Kick-Ass have surfaced. Thanks to UGO we have the first poster for Big Daddy, played by Nicolas Cage. Check out the poster and clip below. Read the full story

The 11th Annual Butt-Numb-A-Thon (BNAT 1138) recently finished up at the Alamo Drafthouse in Austin, Texas. For those unfamiliar, it is a 24-hour film festival in celebration of Harry Knowles (of AICN)’s birthday. The invitation-only (by application) event features secret premieres, clips, and other entertainment. The top programming included a premiere of Martin Scorsese’s Shutter Island as well as early screenings of Kick-Ass, Avatar, Micmas, and Frozen. The new Iron Man 2 trailer was shown as well. Check out some reviews/impressions I’ve rounded up for the most well-received films, Kick-Ass and Shutter Island, as well as the full line-up here and a recap by Knowles himself. Read the full story

Lionsgate has released the teaser trailer for Matthew Vaughn’s adaptation of Mark Millar’s comic book Kick-Ass. The independently produced film stars Aaron Johnson, Chloe Moretz, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, Mark Strong, Xander Berkeley, and Nicolas Cage. Read the full story

Last week we reported that director Matthew Vaughn’s comic book movie Kick-Ass was gaining the attention of studios Paramount, Lionsgate, and Universal.  I predicted that Universal was most likely to pick up the project, as they last year distributed Wanted, which, like Kick-Ass, was based on a comic by author Mark Millar.

I was wrong.

Well, technically, I was sort of right, because I predicted that the only other likely studio would be Lionsgate, due to their willingness to distribute more graphic material than other studios (Saw, Punisher: War Zone, Rambo), and now they can add Kick-Ass to that repertoire.  The first people to break the news were Variety (I found it at /Film, but you need to give credit where it’s due) and the deal has been described as “big” and the movie will get a wide 2010 release.  This is great news, as this seems like the kind of movie that deserves to be seen by as many people as possible, partly because it sounds like a terrific shock to the senses.  Kick-Ass has become on of my top three most anticipated movies for next year, as it sounds like a great mix of both violence and humor, along with what is said to be impressive action direction.  The movie was financed by both Vaughn’s Marv Films and Brad Pitt’s Plan B Entertainment, and has an estimated budget of around $50 million, extremely high for an independent production.

The story of a teenager named Dave Lizewski (Aaron Johnson), a teenager who decides to become a superhero who he calls Kick-Ass, and must face a nemesis named Red Mist (Christopher Mintz-Plasse), and who also receives the help of an eleven year-old girl who calls herself Hit Girl (Chloe Moretz), Kick-Ass will be released in 2010, and good God I can’t wait.

What do you think of Kick-Ass getting proper distribution by Lionsgate?

When the footage for Matthew Vaughn’s (Layer Cake, Stardust) adaptation of Mark Millar (Wanted) and John Romita Jr’s. ongoing comic book series Kick-Ass premiered at Comic-Con, the reaction was ecstatic, apparently bringing a standing ovation, due to it’s humor, violence, and who was committing the violence.  The only thing is, the film was financed independently for these reasons, as no major studio would want to fund a movie this unflinching in it’s content and style.  But now that the movie has been received so well by the Comic-Con crowds, studios want a piece of Kick-Ass.

The story of a teenager named Dave Lizewski (Aaron Johnson), a teenager who decides to become a superhero who he calls Kick-Ass, and must face a nemesis named Red Mist (Christopher Mintz-Plasse), and who also receives the help of an eleven year-old girl who calls herself Hit Girl (Chloe Moretz).

According to Risky Biz Blog (via /Film), Paramount, Lionsgate, and Universal all want the rights to distribute Kick-Ass, with it coming down to the highest bidder.  If I had to make a guess, I would go for either Lionsgate or Universal.  Lionsgate because they’re known for producing more graphic material than most other studios (Saw, Punisher: War Zone, Rambo) and this would seem like a good fit for their slate of properties.  Universal, on the other hand, were the people behind Wanted, another adaptation of a Mark Millar comic book series, which did very well for them, and which they currently have a sequel planned.  As for Paramount, I think they may be too “big studio” for a movie like this, and even though foreign distributors of a risky movie like Watchmen, most of that movies development came from Warner Brothers.  /Film also speculated that a March 2010 release seems likely, and as long as we get this movie soon enough and unedited, I’ll be happy.

Are you excited for Kick-Ass, and do you hope to see the movie as soon as possible?