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Matthew Vaughn No Longer Directing Thor
What is with Matthew Vaughn signing up to direct Marvel movies and then dropping out (or being dropped). As some of you remember, Matthew Vaughn (who did an amazing job directing “Stardust”, probably the single most over looked movie from last year) was originally supposed to direct the last X-Men film but then he backed out at the last minute to then be replaced by Brett Ratner.
It was with great joy that we then heard Vaughn was brought on to direct the new Marvel film “Thor”. This was great news for the god of thunder. However, it appears that yet again, Matthew Vaughn is off a marvel film he was supposed to do. The good folks over at IGN give us this:
“Matthew Vaughn no longer is attached to direct the project because his holding deal expired December.” Marvel Studios is currently waiting for I Am Legend screenwriter Mark Protosevich to turn in a script polish. “It’s very much a Marvel superhero story but against the backdrop of nothing you’ve seen before,” Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige said of Thor.”
So another possible Vaughn directed superhero movie dream gets shattered yet again. I can’t really tell if this was a matter of Vaughn deciding to drop out, or if the studio decided to go in a different direction. It doesn’t matter… this is BAD news. I love Vaughn’s style and I think he would have done a masterful job with Thor. Having said that, they can still get another great director who could also do a great job… it’s just a shame that it won’t be Vaughn.
What are your thoughts? Who could you see directing Thor now that Vaughn is off?
Well his contract expired with marvel and then he decided to do a movie on a comic book called “Kick Ass”. So he is probably busy with that.
I expect Thor to be directed by some no name director or someone who hasn’t made a film in quite some time.
I am glad Vaughn is gone.That is two Marvel films screwed up now with him attached. As for Directing Thor, Ridley Scott maybe, not sure really. I am just glad that Vaughn was gone well before filming was set to get underway, unlike what he did with X-Men 3.
It is also interesting that we are only hearing this 5 months after the fact. That makes me believe that he wasn’t getting the script down to budget which was the problem with his version in the first place. I doubt that they weren’t in negotiations with him all this time. They probably weren’t happy with what he was doing or maybe he came up with the same “excuse” as before. “I don’t want to be gone from my family for so long”. If he didn’t want to be gone from he family that badly, then he shouldn’t be a director. The time required for a director is enormous and you have to make sacrifices in the way of family to be one. unfortunate, but true. Or what ever other reason he gave. He gave a couple of different ones if I remember correctly.
This is really tragic news i think. The reason i was looking forward to Thor was because i was so looking forward to him directing it. I want Thor to be different to most other Marvel movies in that i want it to be not afraid to deal with the fantastical nature of the concept. I want Thor to be magic and there are very few directors that i think are suited to that kind of film.
Ridley Scott would be great but i think the chances of him doing it are less than zero. One choice might be Kevin Lima, director of ‘Enchanted’ but i suppose he’s chained to Disney right now.
give ang lee another shot on a marvel movie or maybe even gus van sant?
i wonder how sly stallone would look in a blonde wig? he could star and direct it.
I think Doug Nagy should direct.
John Milius, who helmed Conan The Barbarian
Jean-Pierre Jeunet who did the otherworldly City Of Lost Children
or
Mel Gibson (you can’t say those battle scenes in Braveheart weren’t epic)
plus it’d be a nice way to polish up that image & stretch his already diverse directorial resume.
with Nagy & Walt Simonson as creative consultants.
Perhaps this paves the way for WWE wrestler Triple H to be cast as Thor, as has been considered in the past. I know that Vaughn was vehemently against him being considered for the role. With him out of the picture, perhaps it is time to … play the game?
only if you want wooden acting. then get Triple Homo.
i still say a buffed up Kevin McKidd would own it.
Haole, you stole the words right out of my mouth.
NO HHH. He can’t act. He proved that in Blade III.
Well that’s strange, because KICK-ASS is a comic published by? That’s right you guessed it! MARVEL….
It’s not BAD news for a potential director to “exit stage left” before the project even gets off the ground. Big deal. BAD news is when MARVEL decides to let Boll direct Iron Man 2.
Well, in HHH’s defense(and I really don’t want to defend the big-nosed bastard), Thor isn’t exactly a heavy-duty acting role. Sure, getting a great actor in a superhero movie increases the chances of the movie being great. If RDJ wasn’t in Iron Man, that movie would not have been the same, but Thor isn’t an emotionally deep character, is he? Doesn’t he just run around with the hammer and yell a lot? If so, HHH could probably pull it off, as long as you give him three lines for the entire movie:) Looks-wise, he IS Thor. Acting-wise, meh.
Fuck, Mel Gibson could be awesome.
@Kristina:
The reason we don’t want HHH is because he can’t act. We need a really good actor to be able to pull off the role without it coming off as just a pile up huge smelly cheese. Of course great writing is also a must. HHH just can’t pull it off, IMO.
How about Mark Romanek? It’s like he’s doing anything these days.
@Steven Carroll
I understand your point completely. My point is, Thor is a cheesy character, and it will be difficult to take this character seriously if they stick strictly to the comic book, no matter how great an actor they get for the role. I could be wrong, wouldn’t be the first time, but we’ll see.
Hopefully we don’t have to worry about it.
It’s a shame, because, I, too, liked Stardust a lot, and it was without a doubt the most underrated if not overlooked film of last year. However, I like the idea that he backs out now than halfway into prep like he did with X-Men. I also like the idea that Marvel put him on the spot with this. Think: “Iron Man” did better than expected, it opens up possibilities for Marvel “studios”. They make calls, see where the rest of the ‘projects’ are.
So he stepped down from Thor.
Let’s take inventory.
* Del Toro can’t do it because of Hobbit (and possibly Hellboy 3 OR Doctor Strange-if that Del Toro/Gaiman team up talk last month had merit)
*Kevin Smith won’t do it, but he should be asked anyway.
*Mel Gibson. Great suggestion! He won’t do it, but if he did… at least a third of the film will be in the ancient tongue of the Norse!
Now, here’s my top three choices for consideration, the *last* being my first choice. Kill me later.
1) Peter Berg.
Like Favs, Gibson , and Nick Cassavettes, an actor turned director. Berg’s helmed “The Rundown”, “Friday Night Lights” and “The Kingdom”…he could lure good actors. Also, while Thor WON’T be TripleH, he might still work with someone like HHH in a smaller role. (Note: I prefer Kevin McKidd myself in the lead.)
2) Frank Marshall.
Just because.
and finally, the true olive branch goes to…
3) Gore Verbinski.
Yes, the Pirates are done! Time for the vikings and the Norse God of Thunder!!
@ kristina
yeah thors so wierd he always speaks like whoever the hell wrote the bibble “thou art thi shalt indeed perhaps whatever dude!”
i think this movies gonna be SICK but…
isnt this the same guy that brought us mean machine and stardust?????????
this movie needs a director? arent there like comic books about this guy? just make them read the comic books instead of a script or something…
i wish one day theyd make a movie that has the same person doing everything like they do all the time in sitcoms….
JAMIE
directed by: JAMIE
written by: JAMIE
jamie as: HIMSELF
crazy cat killing neighbor: JAMIE
ect, ect, ect……
Part of the reason I was looking forward to Thor is because Vaughn was directing, but alas we are left to hope and dream that another capable director will take the reins.
I honestly hope that Marvel makes smart decisions now that they have one film down, which is a huge success. It’ll be interesting to see where it goes from here. We know their desired movie schedule, so now it’s time to get the screenwriters and directos then the actors.
For all that is good and holy keep wrestlers out of the superhero movies!! Tyler Mane was passable as Sabertooth because they ruined the character in XMen. Had they treated the character more than an oversized beastie-man then I’m not so sure he would have even been passable.
Mel Gibson is a good suggestion, but if Stallone can handle working with effects, I’d love to see it.. I was really impressed with Rambo and the way the action was handled.
Doug Nagy could co-direct with whoever they choose to ensure maximum macho.
His “holding deal” expired in DECEMBER and this just happens now? WTF. 6 months later?
Well, ladies and germs, don’t be surprised if Marvel Films unveils Vaughn’s replacement at the San Diego Comic Con this July.
Something tells me they’re going make ALOT of big annoucements and what not…
Marvel would be stupid not to go full steam ahead with this one.
I hope the lesson they learned from the big success of IRON MAN is that you need a good cast first and foremost if you want to bring something to the table that people are still interested in, particularly in this genre.
Director-wise, I honestly don’t have an opinion really, you always have to see who’s available at the moment. As long as it’s not Brett Ratner or Tim Story.
Del Toro of course would be my choice, but he will be pretty busy for the next 5 years so he’s not an option.
Especially with a cheesy concept like THOR, you basically just have two options: You either go into full-on camp mode or you take it dead-serious. They want to tie this into one franchise (Avengers) at one point so I guess camp is not an option, it wouldn’t work in combination with IRON MAN and HULK.
Get a good actor for Thor. That is what matters the most. IRON MAN proved this, Downey made that movie. If they cast some Wrestler just because he’s big and has long blond hair, they are doomed.
As others already said, get Kevin McKidd. He is an awesome actor, knows how to kick butt (see ROME as proof for both) and can beef up, although he’s already quite built if you ask me.
One name…Sam Raimi. He has proven he can do it all and the fact that he was this close [fingers near touching] to doing “The Hobbit” proves that many in the biz feel he can do an epic scale film which is kind of what “Thor” would be like.