Although plans to make Kick-Ass 3 never ended up happening following Kick-Ass 2’s release in 2013, this ultra-violent superhero property isn’t done being cinematically adapted. Back in 2018, it was announced that Kick-Ass would be rebooted under the guidance of Matthew Vaughn, who directed the first movie. Six years later, Vaughn has revealed some particularly interesting details about the reboot’s progress, though now I’m perplexed by what he has planned for the movie.

Kick-Ass Will Be The Third Movie In A New Trilogy

Yes, you read that correctly. Rather than the Kick-Ass reboot simply launching a new era for the property that started out as a comic book series created by Mark Millar and John Romita Jr., it will instead be the third movie in a trilogy preceded by two non-Kick-Ass movies. As Vaughn told Collider, the trilogy begins with an action movie that’s already been shot called School Fight, which he produced and was directed by stunt coordinator Damien Walters. The second movie in this trilogy, which Vaughn is simply referring to as Vram for the time being, is currently shooting, and then the Kick-Ass reboot will follow.

When the filmmaker was asked if the plan was for all three of these “connected” movies for be finished before any of them are released, he responded:

Now I’m wondering what the thought process was behind tying the Kick-Ass reboot to these two separate, presumably original action movies rather than try to launch a new Kick-Ass universe from scratch. That will surely become more apparent once plot details for School Fight and Vram are shared, but let’s also not forget that when the reboot was announced in 2018, it was also said that Hit-Girl would get her own movie. Has that project been scrapped in favor of this unusual trilogy, or will it be made after the new Kick-Ass comes out and wraps up the trilogy?

The Kick-Ass Reboot’s Script Is Pretty Far Along

Clearly there are a lot of questions that need to be answered regarding Kick-Ass’ cinematic future, including whether this will be a full-fledged reboot, i.e. set in a separate continuity from the previous movies, or if it will exist in the same continuity and be more of a relaunch. However, Matthew Vaughn also mentioned that the script is pretty far along, saying:

Since not even School Fight has a release date yet, naturally we’re a long ways off from seeing what the Kick-Ass reboot will have to offer, but it sounds like Matthew Vaughn is making an effort to ensure that audiences get something special with it. Once more concrete details come out about the project, we’ll pass them along.

In the meantime, Vaughn’s newest movie, Argylle, will be released in theaters on February 2 and later become available to stream with an Apple TV+ subscription. Those of you who are now in the mood to stream the first Kick-Ass movie can do so with a Peacock subscription, and otherwise you can look through the 2024 release schedule to learn what other cinematic entertainment is arriving soon.

Action movies have always been a tried and true genre in the film industry. This trend has only increased in recent years thanks to the various superhero properties currently competing for box office supremacy. Plus there’s the 007 franchise, with Daniel Craig’s tenure as Bond coming to an end with No Time to Die. Actor Aaron Taylor-Johnson is a popular choice by fans to replace Craig, and there have been rumors about him taking on the role for years. Taylor-Johnson recently responded to those rumors, while also saying he “didn’t really care for” his role in Avengers and other franchises.

Aaron Taylor-Johnson made his MCU debut as Pietro Maximoff in Avengers: Age of Ultron, with his character dying to save Jeremy Renner’s Hawkeye. While fans have hoped he'd return to that role, it still hasn’t happened. In fact, Evan Peters played a fake Pietro in WandaVision. Taylor-Johnson is returning to the superhero genre as the title character of Kraven the Hunter, which he’s seemingly way more invested in. The 33 year-old actor recently spoke to Esquire about this career, where he got honest about some of this previous genre work. In his words:

Well, that was honest. While some actors would kill for a role in a blockbuster movie, that wasn’t necessarily how Aaron Taylor-Jonhsnon felt at the time. Although he did explain more about these complicated feelings. What’s more, he seems thrilled to be bringing Kraven to life in live-action for the first time.

Per his conversation with Esquire, the Kick-Ass actor was getting a ton of offers for roles in blockbusters, which would require a ton of time to film. It was the time away from his family that discouraged him from taking on more of these roles. As he put it,

Talk about a unique attitude. While some movie stars can get caught up in their on fame and starpower, Aaron Taylor-Joy simply didn’t give any fucks. But that’s not the case given his upcoming Marvel movie, which technically isn’t in the main MCU.

Of course, there’s plenty of fan who want to see ATJ suit up as the next James Bond. There have been rumors about him as 007 for a long time, and they’ll likely continue until a new one is found. When pressed about this fan casting by Esquire, Aaron Taylor-Joy said:

What a cryptic way of sidestepping the question. Taylor-Johnson didn’t deny interest in playing James Bond sometime in the future. Instead he shared just how much work he put into Kraven the Hunter. We’ll just have to see if that superhero flick ends up being a bonafide franchise in the future. As a reminder, you can see the Kraven trailer here.

It’s unclear when a new 007 will be crowned, but the powers that be at Eon are likely already in that process. Finding James Bond will be the first step into the next stage of the franchise, following Daniel Craig’s acclaimed tenure in the role. Fingers crossed we get news sooner rather than later.

Kraven the Hunter is expected to arrive in theaters on August 30th, 2024. In the meantime, check out the 2023 movies release dates to plan your next movie experience. 

Chloë Grace Moretz has been a Hollywood staple for over a decade. While she’s been acting as long as she can remember, it’s safe to say that Moretz’s mainstream breakthrough came courtesy of 2010’s Kick-Ass. Playing the mature and skillful Hit-Girl endeared her to millions of moviegoers, but getting fame and success so early caused a privacy problem for the Tom & Jerry star. Years after starring in the film, Moretz got candid about her chaotic paparazzi experiences following her breakthrough role.

The Kick-Ass 2 star spent the past decade starring in notable films, including The Equalizer and Neighbors 2, but it appears that playing Hit-Girl stuck with her in a surreal way. Of course, Chloë Grace Moretz does remember her life before achieving Hollywood fame. The 25-year-old actress lived the life of a regular kid despite being a child actor. She opened up to Hunger about how being in the superhero comedy led to a dangerous moment between her family and the photogs.

Despite becoming an A-lister at 12 years old, she recalled being “blissfully unaware" of her celebrity. The intrusive nature of the paparazzi didn’t really hit her until much later. The moment happened after doing a red-carpet event at age 18. It shifted Moretz's perspective on the reciprocal nature of celebrity and media. She recalled the existential crisis she experienced, saying:

Chloë Grace Moretz's identity crisis led to seeking therapy to deal with her private and public personas colliding. Being filmed every minute or hour started to take its toll on the Suspiria actress’s self-esteem and identity. Age 18 can be a life-changing time for any young person, especially someone famous since early adolescence. There’s endless questioning around one’s identity and purpose as you shift from a child to an adult. It puts Moretz's withdrawal from several high-profile projects in 2016 in a new perspective. At age 25, she called acting another form of therapy for dealing with her fame and notoriety.

Things appear to be better for Chloë Grace Moretz as her acting career thrives. She is set to appear in the Netflix animated film Nimona, which will premiere in 2023. You can watch the film with a Netflix subscription when it debuts. On the TV front, the Hollywood actress will headline the sci-fi series The Peripheral, which will debut on Amazon Prime on October 21. Get an Amazon Prime Video subscription to watch the series on its release date. 

While Chloë Grace Moretz won’t be on the big screen in 2022, there are still upcoming movies to look forward to seeing this year. Just stream Kick-Ass on HBO Max to see why it's one of the best non-Marvel or DC superhero movies.

Aaron Taylor-Johnson hasn’t spoken much about his role as Kraven the Hunter (though we have gotten a sense of what his physique will look like, thanks to a ripped photoshoot he did ahead of filming the Spider-Man spinoff). Of course, he isn’t a stranger to the superhero genre, having previously played Quicksilver in the Marvel Cinematic Universe  and the vigilante Kick-Ass. Though his turn as the famous comic book antihero should be something very different. On that note, Taylor-Johnson recently discussed changing things up for the next installment in Sony's Spider-Man Universe after playing his former superhero roles.

It's fair to say that Kick-Ass' Dave Lizewski and Avengers: Age of Ultron's Pietro Maximoff are two very distinct characters. And that's a testament to the fact that Aaron Taylor-Johnson never aims to play the same character twice. The star opened up about how he views his role as the big-game hunter and, as he explained, the role is a new challenge for him to take on as he continues to evolve as a performer:

The 32-year-old actor seems very invested in playing the iconic Spider-Man antagonist. Whereas Kick-Ass and Quicksilver were seen as rather reserved guys fighting for the average citizen, Sergei Kravinoff is a maniacal and brazen man with an over-the-top personality. This makes him a great character to bring to the big screen. Many actors say that playing the bad guy is more fun than being the hero. The Nocturnal Animals alum is sure to relish his time as Kraven and, in the process, it could help him break new ground in his career.

As mentioned during the same interview with THR, the actor scored the role after impressing Sony executives through the dailies for his latest film, Bullet Train. Things further worked out for Aaron Taylor-Johnson after he hit it off with Kraven the Hunter director J.C. Chandor and producer Matt Tolmach. He called the meeting “one of those magical and rare moments where the stars align.” Taylor-Johnson also celebrated the fact that the Spider-verse film was shot on location, saying that the practical aspect was important in making the lead character's story more authentic and personal.

In addition to Aaron Taylor-Johnson, the Kraven the Hunter cast is filled with some notable names. Playing Kraven's love interest, Calypso, is West Side Story's Ariana DeBose, while White Lotus' Fred Hechinger plays his half-brother, classic Spidey villain The Chalameon. Russell Crowe is in the mix and playing an undisclosed role, with Christopher Abbott and Alessandro Nivola as the film’s villains. 

At this point, fans only know a few things about Kraven's solo outing. But one thing we can at least infer from Aaron Taylor-Johnson's comments is that he won't be leaning heavily on his former comic book movie performances (or any of his past work, for that matter) to bring the lead character to life.

Kraven the Hunter is set to arrive in theaters on January 13, 2023. In the meantime, check out CinemaBlend’s 2022 movie schedule for info on the flicks that are hitting theaters during the remainder of the year.

Actors have their own inspirations for what helps them get into character. Academy Award-winner Nicolas Cage had his own idea of who to model for inspiration when he was in Kick-Ass. He played the character of Big Daddy who helped train his daughter, Hit-Girl, and made himself into a real-life superhero. So to better prepare for one of his best movies, what hero did Nicolas Cage draw from for inspiration to play a real-life Batman? Batman himself, of course! Nicolas Cage shared what Adam West told him when he revealed to him that his Batman was the inspiration for his Kick-Ass character.

Adam West was known for playing Batman in the 1960s Batman series over the course of two years. In an Ask Me Anything board on Reddit, a fan asked Cage if Adam West was his only inspiration for his role of Big Daddy or if there were any other sources he drew from. Here is what Nicolas Cage had to say to that:

Well, it proves that no matter how many Batman movies there are out there, nothing will ever surpass the original portrayal of the infamous superhero character. Nicolas Cage is not the only actor who used Adam West as inspiration to play a superhero. Adam West also inspired Amazon’s The Tick about an unassuming account who doubles as a superhero in a blue tick suit fighting crime. Like Batman, the character of The Tick also has no superpowers. Peter Serafinowicz, who played The Tick, felt like his show was like a modern take of Batman and found it “flattering” when fans compared his performance to West.

Nicolas Cage did an amazing job in Kick-Ass playing the role of a dedicated yet whimsical father who had an unconventional relationship with his daughter. He taught this teenage daughter how to use deadly weapons and just kick ass in general. Did you know that Brad Pitt was originally going to be Big Daddy in Kick-Ass? Because Quentin Tarantino snagged him for Inglourious Basterds, Pitt was not going to be able to don a Batman-like suit as Big Daddy does. When Brad Pitt was no longer an option, it was easy for director Matthew Vaughn to think of Nicolas Cage since he knew the Raising Arizona actor loved comic books and superheroes. With Vaughn describing his script as “a love letter to superheroes,” this project was perfect for Cage.

If you want to see Nicolas Cage kick ass in his role as Big Daddy, you can watch it now using your HBO Max subscription. 

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Depending on who you ask, the list of the best Aaron Taylor-Johnson movies is made up of superhero action films like Avengers: Age of Ultron or Kick-Ass, sprawling and epic historical dramas like Anna Karenina or Outlaw King, and dark and twisted thrillers like Nocturnal Animals. And honestly, none of those choices are bad or any lesser than the others, which says a lot about the range of the Golden Globe-winning actor.

But with so many great outstanding performances from Aaron Taylor-Johnson, deciding on one, two, or even 10 movies is no easy task. To help out with that, we’ve put together a list of the best streaming, digital rental, and DVD/Blu-ray options for the actor who will soon go back to the world of comic book movies when he takes on the role of Kraven the Hunter in the Sony Pictures Universe of Marvel Characters.

Nocturnal Animals (2016)

Tom Ford’s 2016 psychological thriller Nocturnal Animals follows art gallery owner Susan Morrow (Amy Adams) as she receives a manuscript written by her ex-husband and novelist Edward Sheffield (Jake Gyllenhaal). In the pages of the Edward’s latest work, Susan reads of a family traveling through the American West on vacation that slowly unfolds into an unbearable and gut-wrenching nightmare for all involved parties thanks to a gang led by the sadistic Ray Marcus (Aaron Taylor-Johnson in a Golden Globe-winning performance). A revenge story told across two storylines, Nocturnal Animals features memorable performances by its expansive and talented ensemble cast which also includes Michael Shannon, Isla Fisher, Armie Hammer, and Laura Linney.

Stream Nocturnal Animals on Netflix.

Rent/Buy Nocturnal Animals on Amazon.

Buy Nocturnal Animals on DVD/Blu-ray on Amazon.

Avengers: Age Of Ultron (2015)

The second major crossover event in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Joss Whedon's Avengers: Age of Ultron follows Earth’s Mightiest Heroes as they band together to stop a product of their own creation (or at least a preventative measure gone wrong by Tony Stark). To make matters worse, the villainous Ultron (James Spader) has a pair of twins — Pietro (Aaron Taylor-Johnson) and Wanda Maximoff (Elizabeth Olsen) — on his side who use their respective powers to turn the superhero group against one another. Although more of a world-building story than the other three Avengers movies, this 2015 summer blockbuster features several iconic moments that are still just as remarkable more than a half-decade later.

Stream Avengers: Age of Ultron on Disney+.

Rent/Buy Avengers: Age of Ultron on Amazon.

Buy Avengers: Age of Ultron on DVD/Blu-ray on Amazon.

Nowhere Boy (2009)

Directed by Sam Taylor-Johnson (the actor's future wife), the 2009 biographical drama Nowhere Boy sees Aaron Taylor-Johnson portray a rebellious teenage version of John Lennon as he discovers his love of music and figures out who he is as a person in 1950s England. The film largely deals with the future Beatle rekindling his relationship with his estranged mother who he was separated from when he was five. Over the course of several years, the film follows John as he meets his future songwriting partners Paul McCartney (Thomas Sangster) and George Harrison (Sam Bell), forms his first band, and starts his journey to become one of the most important lyricists and musicians of the 20th Century.

Stream Nowhere Boy on Pluto TV.

Rent/Buy Nowhere Boy on Amazon.

Buy Nowhere Boy on DVD/Blu-ray on Amazon.

Kick-Ass (2010)

Released in 2010, Matthew Vaughn’s comic book adaptation Kick-Ass follows Dave Lizewski (Aaron Taylor-Johnson) as he transforms himself from a meager teenager into one of New York City’s newest crimefighters, albeit without out any superpowers or specialized skills. Still, though, Kick-Ass partners up with Big Daddy (Nicolas Cage) and Hit Girl (Chloë Grace Moretz) to take on the Big Apple’s most dastardly villains. But even with the a close-knit group of heroes, wiping the streets clean of crime proves to be no easy task in one of the best movies on Amazon Prime.

Stream Kick-Ass on Amazon.

Rent/Buy Kick-Ass on Amazon.

Buy Kick-Ass on DVD/Blu-ray on Amazon.

Godzilla (2014)

Gareth Edwards’ 2014 Godzilla, which kicked off the Legendary MonsterVerse, follows Navy bomb expert Ford Brody (Aaron Taylor-Johnson) as he finds himself in the middle of an international crisis that could bring forth the destruction of the entire planet. Starting off in Japan with the rekindling of his relationship with his estranged father, Joe (Bryan Cranston), Ford follows close behind the legendary kaiju as he takes on a pair of fierce monsters who have set their sites on San Francisco.

Rent/Buy Godzilla on Amazon.

Buy Godzilla on DVD/Blu-ray on Amazon.

Tenet (2020)

The 2020 mind-bending and action-packed Tenet sees director Christopher Nolan do what he does best: confuse the hell out of audiences with sometimes hard-to-follow narrative choices and enough explosions and muffled dialogue to send you to an ear specialist. Armed with one word, tenet, the Protagonist (John David Washington) embarks upon a journey that will seem him traverse multiple realities and timelines as he sets out to save humanity with a little help from the closest thing he has to friends: Neil (Robert Pattinson), Kat (Elizabeth Debicki), and Ives (Aaron Taylor-Johnson).

Stream Tenet on HBO Max.

Buy Tenet on Amazon.

Buy Tenet on DVD/Blu-ray on Amazon.

Anna Karenina (2012)

The sprawling 2012 period romantic drama Anna Karenina sees director Joe Wright bringing Leo Tolstoy’s landmark 1877 novel of the same name to the big screen in spectacular fashion. Set in the Russian Empire in the late 19th Century, the sprawling epic follows Anna Karenina (Keira Knightley), a high-ranking member of society who creates a major scandal when she cheats on her husband (Jude Law) and starts an affair with Count Alexei Kirillovich Vronsky (Aaron Taylor-Johnson), a charming and decorated cavalry officer. When caught in the act, Karenina is given a choice: end the affair and live her luxurious life or go into exile with her lover and never see her child again. And then there’s the beautifully-choreographed dance scene for all those waltz fans out there.

Stream Anna Karenina on Amazon.

Rent/Buy Anna Karenina on Amazon.

Buy Anna Karenina on DVD/Blu-ray on Amazon.

Albert Nobbs (2011)

The 2011 period drama Albert Nobbs tells the story of a shy butler (Glenn Close) who has a secret that could upend the lives of multiple people: he is actually a woman dressing up like a man. Always one to keep her true identity under wraps, Nobbs experiences a great change when she meets Hubert Page (Janet McTeer), another woman living her life as if she were a man. Also playing a major role in the events of Rodrigo Garcia’s Academy Award-nominated film is Aaron Taylor-Johnson, who portrays Joe Mackins, an ill-tempered man who cons his way into a job and the heart of a maid at the hotel where Albert works.

Stream Albert Nobbs on Kanopy.

Rent/Buy Albert Nobbs on Amazon.

Buy Albert Nobbs on DVD/Blu-ray on Amazon.

Outlaw King (2018)

One of the best movies on Netflix, at least in terms of the gritty dramas set in early 14th Century Scotland, David Mackenzie’s Outlaw King follows Robert the Bruce (Chris Pine) as he is sent to live in exile by King Edward I of England (Stephen Dillane) not long after word begins to spread that Robert has been declared the king of Scotland. Together with a band of outlaws that includes James Douglas (Aaron Taylor-Johnson) in its ranks, Robert sets out to take back his throne and reclaim Scotland for his people, free of the tyrannical reign of the English monarchy. All of this leads to the epic showdown at the muddy and bloody Battle of Loudoun Hill, a historical military affair that is still being researched centuries later.

Stream Outlaw King on Netflix.

Angus, Thongs And Perfect Snogging (2008)

The 2008 coming-of-age teen romantic comedy Angus, Thongs and Perfect Snogging follows Georgia Nicolson (Georgia Groome) as she does everything in her power to win over her classmate and crush Robbie Jennings (Aaron Taylor-Johnson) through any means necessary. Based on a series of books by Louise Rennison, Gurinder Chadha’s adaptation sees Georgie try to get Robbie’s attention by acting like her cat, Angus, is missing, taking “snogging lessons,” and other means dreamt up by the hopeless romantic on a journey to make the charming and charismatic musician feel the same way about her.

Rent/Buy Angus, Thongs and Perfect Snogging on Amazon.

Buy Angus, Thongs and Perfect Snogging on DVD/Blu-ray on Amazon.

This is all just a small portion of Aaron Taylor-Johnson’s extensive filmography dating back to his first film appearance in the 2000 made-for-TV movie The Apocalypse. Over the years, Taylor-Johnson has shown up in everything from Shanghai Knights as a young Charlie Chaplin, The Illusionist, and alongside John Cena in the 2017 war drama The Wall. Only in his early 30s, it is safe to say we’ll be seeing a lot more of the talented actor for years to come.

To see what Aaron Taylor-Johnson and the rest of Hollywood has in store for audiences in the coming months, check out CinemaBlend’s updated schedule of all the 2021 movie premiere dates.

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Recently, I thought it might be fun to revisit the career of Evan Peters, one of the breakout stars of American Horror Story, but not for any particular reason. It especially has nothing to with his surprising turn as Quicksilver in the X-Men movies, even though I am very interested in taking another look at those. But, again, out of no specific cause.

Acting since he was a child, the now 34-year-old St. Louis native has established himself as one of the most versatile and charismatic talents of his generation by playing a vast plethora of unique individuals in equally unique projects. Even in his smallest roles, you can tell that his attention to character is always a priority of the utmost importance.

If you happen to have also caught an interest in watching some of the most notable, fun, and even obscure films and TV shows starring Evan Peters, how about I save you some time by sharing my binge list with you? The following are a few examples of the actor’s greatest hits that are all currently available to stream on most of your favorite streaming services, starting with the show made him a household name.

American Horror Story (Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Prime)

A family discovers their new house is a haven for the dead, a wrongfully diagnosed mental patient discovers his institution is a haven for evil, and a group of counselors discover they may not return home from summer camp in the early 1980s are just some of the hair-raising, psychosexual tales told one season at a time on this groundbreaking anthology series from creators Ryan Murphy and Brad Falchuk.

Why Evan Peters Fans Will Like It: Fans of American Horror Story first fell for Evans Peters from his chilling performance in Season 1, but the dizzying variety of characters he has played in its subsequent years could alone be used for a demo reel to display his impressive range acting abilities.

Stream American Horror Story on Netflix here, on Hulu here, or on Amazon Prime here.

An American Crime (Tubi, Crackle, Peacock, Vudu, YouTube)

A couple of traveling carnies leave their two teenage daughters in the care of their friend, a single mother with six children (Catherine Keener), unwitting to the cruel and inhumane torture she will put their eldest (Elliot Page) through.

Why Evan Peters Fans Will Like It: If you want to talk about a real American horror story, the unspeakable circumstances that led to 16-year-old Sylvia Likens' death while held captive in Gertrude Baniszewski's Indiana basement in 1965 inspired An American Crime, in which Evan Peters plays one of the several children who not only bore witness to the tragedy, but actively participated in it.

Stream An American Crime on Tubi here, on Crackle here, on Peacock here, on Vudu here, or on YouTube here.

American Animals (Amazon Prime)

A quartet of smart college students (Evan Peters, Black Jenner, Barry Keoghan, and Jared Abrahamson) attempt to live out the glory of their favorite crime movie characters by stealing from their own Kentucky university's campus library.

Why Evan Peters Fans Will Like It: In yet another fact-based film starring Evan Peters with the word "American" in the title, American Animals is a recreation of the unusual 2004 heist at it center, as told by its real participants through interviews interspersed within the dramatized scenes.

Stream American Animals on Amazon Prime here.

Sleepover (Netflix, Tubi)

On the last night of their eighth grade year, four girls (including Alexa Vega of the Spy Kids movies) participate in an elaborate scavenger hunt against a popular clique (including a young, pre-Marvel Brie Larson) in hopes to upgrade their social status before high school.

Why Evan Peters Fans Will Like It: Because no all-girls Sleepover is complete without an unannounced visit by local boys, Evan Peters appears as one of those extremely awkward and nerdy youngsters who invites themselves in on the trouble in this 2004 family comedy that, while a shameless product of its time, often succeeds as an endearing John Hughes throwback.

Stream Sleepover on Netflix here or on Tubi here.

Phil Of The Future (Disney+)

A young man from the 22nd Century (Ricky Ullman) and his family struggle to fit in with modern society after they wreck their time-traveling RV in 2004 during a vacation exploring the past.

Why Evan Peters Fans Will Like It: In one of his first major television roles, Evan Peters gives a performance (similarly outrageous to his Sleepover role) as Seth Wosmer, a present-day friend to the title character of Phil of the Future - a surprisingly charming and inventive Disney Channel original series.

Stream Phil of the Future on Disney+ here.

I Am Woman (Netflix)

Single mother Helen Reddy (Tilda Cobham-Hervey) comes to New York from Australia with dreams of a singing career and ends up also becoming an icon of the feminist movement in the 1970s.

Why Evan Peters Fans Will Like It: Named after Helen Reddy's empowering signature anthem, I Am Woman is also a powerful and inspirational account of the late, legendary singer's struggles to make it in the business and make ends meet, including her increasingly turbulent relationship with her manager and husband Jeff Wald, played by Evan Peters.

Stream I Am Woman on Netflix here.

Elvis & Nixon (Amazon Prime)

In December 1970, musician Elvis Presley (Academy Award-nominee Michael Shannon) arrives on the White House lawn withe a request to speak to President Richard M. Nixon (Kevin Spacey), sparking one of the most bizarre meetings between two American icons in history.

Why Evan Peters Fans Will Like It: The single most sought-after photo in the National Archives is the legendary shot of the King of Rock 'n Roll posing with the controversial 37th president of the United States and Elvis & Nixon offers an amusing, comical inside look at what went on in the Oval Office that day, featuring Evan Peters as Nixon's Under Secretary of Transportation Egil "Bud" Krogh, who would later become imprisoned for his involvement in the Watergate Scandal.

Stream Elvis & Nixon on Amazon Prime here.

Never Back Down (Cinemax)

A young rebel (Sean Faris) lured into an underground fight club at his new high school seeks the guidance of an aging veteran of the ring (Djimon Honsou) in hopes to best his rival, a local martial arts champion.

Why Evan Peters Fans Will Like It: In 2008, Evan Peters re-teamed with his Sleepover co-star Sean Faris to, once again, give into his early typecasting as the awkward, annoying comic relief of Never Back Down, which has since earned a reputation as a guilty pleasure among audiences that love some no-holds barred, kick-ass action.

Stream Never Back Down on Cinemax here.

Kick-Ass (Peacock)

An average, unpopular teen decides to take on the fragile responsibility of fighting crime with a flashy, new alias and a colorful costume and ends up inspiring a new wave of vigilante justice in his city, much to the chagrin of a notorious local mobster.

Why Evan Peters Fans Will Like It: In Matthew Vaughn's darkly humorous adaptation of Mark Millar's Image comic (in which the brutal violence outweighs the comedy), Evan Peters plays the unwitting best friend of the title character of Kick-Ass, played by Aaron Taylor-Johnson, whom Peters would one day have a little more in common with in a different superhero movie.

Stream Kick-Ass on Peacock here.

Evan Peters’ X-Men Movies (Disney+, HBO Max)

After looking deeper into the origins of the mutant vigilante group in 2011's X-Men: First Class (directed by Kick-Ass helmer Matthew Vaughn), the film franchise would change the course of its history again (and again and again) with the generation-fusing 1970s flashback of X-Men: Days of Future Past in 2014, the earth-shattering '80s-set X-Men: Apocalypse two years later, and 2019's X-Men: Dark Phoenix ending that era in the 1990s.

Why Evan Peters Fans Will Like It: All three of the Marvel-inspired period pieces above have one dazzling element in common - the scene-stealing presence of Evan Peters in a comparatively more comic book accurate portrayal of Pietro Maximoff than Aaron Taylor-Johnson's MCU role (other being named Peter here), who proves how he got the nickname Quicksilver in what many consider the most brilliant sequence from Days of Future Past or of the whole X-Men series.

Stream X-Men: Days of Future Past on Disney+ here. *

*Stream X-Men: Apocalypse on Disney+ here. *

*Stream X-Men: Dark Phoenix on HBO Max here.

Deadpool 2 (Hulu)

After suffering the worst in the series of tragedies that is his life, Wade Wilson (Ryan Reynolds, returning as both star and producer again because control issues much?) seeks redemption from his anti-heroic ways, if not for a brooding, metal-armed badass out of time who is not The Winter Soldier - or Thanos - (Josh Brolin) getting in the way.

Why Evan Peters Fans Will Like It: On the other hand, I am not sure if anyone has stolen the show in a comic book movie as hilariously as Evan Peters (and several others from the main X-Men series cast) did in Deadpool 2 with a brilliantly-timed bit sending up the Merc with a Mouth's lack of attention in a franchise he is technically to.

Stream Deapool 2 on Hulu here.

Did you see that cameo coming? The one in Deadpool 2, I mean, and not one from any other Marvel Comics adaptation that I can think of? Well, for any other time in the future that Evan Peters unexpectedly shows up in something, we will be sure to comment on the event and what it could mean for popular culture here on CinemaBlend, where you can find more of own celebrity-specific streaming recommendations as well.

Ten years ago, Matthew Vaughn’s Kick-Ass hit theaters. While its box office numbers performed under the studio’s expectations, it marked a seminal shift in the comic book genre that would later spawn R-rated movie franchises for Kingsman and Deadpool. It kick-started careers for Aaron-Taylor Johnson and Chloe Grace Moretz and featured the unforgettable Nicolas Cage role, Big Daddy. If Quentin Tarantino didn’t nab him for Inglourious Basterds, it could have been Brad Pitt under the cape and cowl.

The Once Upon a Time in Hollywood actor became a producer on Kick-Ass and was being eyed to play the comic book-obsessed father of Hit-Girl until the actor had the opportunity to star in the 2010 Best Picture nominee. But when Brad Pitt was no longer an option, Matthew Vaughn quickly found his Big Daddy in Nic Cage. In the words of the Kick-Ass writer/director:

It does make you wonder… how would Kick-Ass have been different with Brad Pitt on board? Nicolas Cage was perfect as Damon Macready, but come on… Brad Pitt! At the same time, the actor has a valid excuse. Of course he wanted to work with Quentin Tarantino, and the collaboration would lead to his role as Cliff Booth in last year’s Once Upon a Time in Hollywood.

There’s actually a ton of iconic movie roles Brad Pitt lost out on. He couldn’t play Jason Bourne in the Bourne films due to scheduling conflicts, he was in the running to play Neo in The Matrix, along with Patrick Bateman in Christian Bale’s early role in American Psycho and Leo DiCaprio’s Jack in Titanic. So Kick Ass shouldn’t feel alone here. He’s just been one of the most sought-after actors in Hollywood since the ‘90s.

When discussing the ultra violent and dirty-mouthed Kick-Ass on its 10-year anniversary with The Hollywood Reporter, Matthew Vaughn talked about how the 2010 film was a passion project that he mortgaged his home to finance and initially had trouble getting studio backing from. Kick-Ass was made on a small $28 million budget and made $96.2 million worldwide.

It was pegged as a box office failure due to its superhero-ed flair but, as Vaughn points out, it was an unbranded superhero movie. Kick-Ass became a pop-culture staple and would lead Matthew Vaughn to delve into more comic book movies such as X-Men: First Class and the Kingsman movies. His next film The King’s Man hits theaters on September 18.

This is nothing new, but superhero movies are currently the biggest flicks on the planet right now. Disney/Marvel, and to a certain lesser extent, Warner Bros./DC are by far the most dominant companies when it comes to cinema these days, but they’re not the only superheroes in town.

Not by a long shot. There’s actually a long history of superhero movies that have little to no connection to Marvel or DC, and these are just a few of them. Now, some of these movies you may not even consider to be “superhero” movies at all. But if Joker can get away with being called a “superhero” movie, then I don’t see why some of these other picks wouldn't also fill that bill. And if you're looking for a list of superhero movies that aren't based on comics at all, you can find that here.

10. Spawn (1997)

It’s hard to believe, but Spawn was once one of the biggest comic book series in the world, and it still has massive appeal. But while 1997’s Spawn may not visually hold up today, the story of Al Simmons, a.k.a., the spawn from hell, is still really fun, if not a bit silly and a little too corny at times.

But what makes Spawn still work today is what made it work back in 1997, and that’s the performances by Michael Jai White as the titular Spawn, and John Leguizamo as Clown. Spawn, as a movie, may not be high art—and we’re definitely looking forward to the ostensibly dour new one that's supposed to be coming out soon. But as a comic book movie about a guy who goes to hell and then comes back again pissed off, it’s a guilty pleasure and scary good fun for sure.

9. The Rocketeer (1991)

While we’re still waiting for the remake, the original Rocketeer is still so good, we think we can wait just a little bit longer for the update. The story centers around a stunt pilot who finds a jet pack and starts being super heroic. There are also Nazis, and it’s a period piece, but it still feels fresh and modern, even today.

Which makes sense, since Joe Johnson directed it. That name should ring a bell since he also directed the first Captain America movie. You know, the period piece. With Nazis. Which reminds us. We really should do that double feature of The Rocketeer and Captain America: The First Avenger that we've been meaning to do. It’s the American way.

8. Kingsman: The Secret Service (2015)

Okay, look, I already know what you’re going to say. One, the Kingsman comic book series is published by Icon, which is an IMPRINT of Marvel Comics. And two, The Kingsman agents aren’t even “superheroes.” Well, I’m going to address both those points. To that first point, there’s a reason why Marvel created Icon, and it was to keep the top talent from going elsewhere. But in doing so, it’s also pretty much an indie-brand, so it’s Marvel, but not entirely. And as for it not being a superhero movie, did you see Colin Firth in that church fight? If that’s not superhero material, I don’t know what is.

The story concerns a British secret service agency that's full of all of the spy stuff you would find in a James Bond movie, but also full of all the action you would find in a big budget superhero movie. Because that’s what it is when you boil it all down--a superhero movie. With spies. We really can’t wait for the prequel.

7. Kick-Ass (2010)

Another Matthew Vaughn/Mark Millar collabo (Mathew Vaughn directed Kick-Ass and Kingsman. Mark Millar wrote both the Kick-Ass and Kingsman comics) Kick-Ass was also initially under the Icon umbrella, but was then later republished by Image Comics. To put it bluntly, Kick-Ass was Deadpool before Deadpool was a mega-franchise. And by that, I mean the movie, of course. Not the comic book character.

Kick-Ass was the super violent, super profane superhero movie that predated 2016’s Deadpool, which would eventually make R-Rated comic book movies popular. The story deals with a comic book-loving nerd who wants to fight crime for real, but then gets stabbed, goes through surgery and then finds out that he has a delayed reaction to nerve pain, which is when the real ass-kicking begins, since he's pretty much invulnerable to pain. And even though the movie is over a decade old, it's one of the first films that made going viral an actual plot device. Pretty prescient.

6. The Crow (1994)

“It can’t rain all the time.” That’s true, but what’s also sadly true is that we’ll likely never get a reboot of The Crow. But that’s likely for the best since the original is so classic, it’s probably better left untouched (especially since its three sequels, to put it nicely, were not great follow-ups to the original).

The story is about a murdered rock star who comes back from the dead to avenge his girlfriend, who was raped, as well as his own death. It’s a dark movie, both literally and figuratively, and it was a great, Rated-R counterpoint to Tim Burton’s Batman Returns, which came out two years earlier.

5. Men In Black (1997)

Here come the Men In Black. M.I.B. is another movie you might not at first think is a superhero flick, but all you have to do is see the heroics of Agents K and J, played by Tommy Lee Jones and Will Smith, respectively, to understand how this is a superhero film to the nth degree. I mean, I’m not the first to say this, but the Men In Black (film-wise, anyway) were the Guardians of the Galaxy long before the actual Guardians of the Galaxy were a thing.

What makes this superhero film great is the wild assortment of aliens the Men in Black face off against. It’s a superhero, sci-fi classic from the 90s, and one that any superhero fan would feel right at home with watching.

4. Scott Pilgrim vs. The World (2010)

While I’m well aware that most people would consider Scott Pilgrim vs. The World more a love letter to video games than superheroes, I can argue that Michael Cera’s titular Scott Pilgrim is indeed a superhero. I mean, how else could he battle all seven of Ramona Flower’s evil exes… and survive? Plus, it features both Captain America and Superman. AS VILLAINS! So yeah, that’s saying something.

But seriously, Scott Pilgrim is all about awesome fights and awesome music. Scott Pilgrim may not seem tough or wear a cape, but, as the saying goes, not all heroes wear capes.

3. Hellboy 2: The Golden Army (2008)

I liked the first Hellboy. It introduced us to the character and set him in a real world setting. But Hellboy 2: The Golden Army is the movie that converted me into a Hellboy fan. More of a fantasy film than anything else, Hellboy 2, for me anyway, is what Blade 2 and Pan’s Labyrinth would be if they were mashed together and if they toned down the seriousness a little bit. And the only reason I mention those two seemingly random movies is because they were both filmed by the Academy Award winning director, Guillermo del Toro. And if you also ask me, this is his best movie to date.

Ron Perlman is fantastic as the titular character, and all the other characters in the film feel more fully fleshed out and real in this sequel, most notably Abe Sapien. It’s also a really fun movie that never takes itself too seriously, which is why it’s so enjoyable. Unlike most people, I didn’t think the most recent Hellboy remake was terrible, but it couldn’t hold a candle to Hellboy 2. Nothing could.

2. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (1990)

Totally tubular, dude. The first TMNT movie is still the best out of all the turtle movies since it really dug into the lore of the (super)heroes in a half shell. Drawing more from the gritty comic books than the cartoon at the time, the first Ninja Turtles movie to hit theaters is probably also the most iconic.

This version features the Foot Clan as a bunch of adrift teenagers, and there’s almost a sense of sadness in the overall film that elevates it from just being some movie about talking turtles who also know martial arts. And I can hear the music in the fire scene in my dreams sometimes. It keeps me up at night.

1. Dredd (2012)

Honestly, if you asked me what is the best comic book movie of all time, I’d say Dredd, which only gets better and better the more I watch it. Is Dredd a superhero? No. He’s more like a supervillain, which is what makes the character so fascinating. In a world as messed up as Mega City One, an authoritarian figure like Dredd IS the hero.

Karl Urban is everything Sly Stallone wasn’t in the first Judge Dredd movie—quiet, angry, and deadly. And his performance is what has made so many people who missed Dredd in the theaters fall in love with the character at home, since it quickly became a cult classic. Dredd may not have the flash and pizzazz of something like The Avengers, but when you have a character as cool as Judge Dredd, you don’t need any bells and whistles.

And that's the list. There are other superhero movies out there that aren’t even based on comics. But for those that are and are not based on any major DC and Marvel properties, these were definitely the best. But what are your favorite superhero movies outside of DC and Marvel? Come on. I know there’s got to be a Tank Girl or Barb Wire fan out there somewhere.

Brad Pitt could have been passed off as another one of Hollywood’s pretty faces. Yet, he’s crafted a thoughtful 30-year career that has roamed through all kinds of different projects, including the dramatic, hilarious, thought-provoking, action-packed and whimsical. Even still, the actor has had his share of roles he was looked at and ultimately rejected for and has also passed on a breadth of noteworthy movies over the years.

Oh, what could have been! Brad Pitt had the opportunity to star in a number of popular action franchises, cult classics, big-budget blockbusters and Best Picture winners, but they just weren’t meant to be for the always-busy actor. Check them out!

The Bourne Identity

Just one year after starring alongside Pitt in the first of three Ocean films, Matt Damon took on his now-iconic role as Jason Bourne. The spy-thriller is based on the novel series by Robert Ludlum followed a mysterious man suffering from amnesia who starts to piece together his past connected to a covert CIA operation. The action flick spun five films over 14 years that grossed $1.6 billion at the worldwide box office.

After initially signing on to the film, Brad Pitt had to drop out due to scheduling conflicts with his film Spy Game with the now-possibly retired Robert Redford. Who knows? He might have preferred a one-and-done spy movie. Tom Cruise, Sylvester Stallone, Arnold Schwarzenegger and Russell Crowe were also among those considered for Jason Bourne, so he was in good company.

Almost Famous

Cameron Crowe’s classic 2000 film based on his own teenage years as a writer for Rolling Stone magazine going on tour with rock bands in the ‘70s was originally supposed to include Brad Pitt alongside its impressive list of stars including Kate Hudson, Frances McDormand, Zooey Deschanel, Philip Seymour Hoffman and Jimmy Fallon. The actor was to play the role of Russell Hammond, who Billy Crudup ended up nabbing in the final version of Almost Famous.

Cameron Crowe reportedly wrote the guitarist likely inspired by Gregg Allman of the Allman Brothers specifically with Brad Pitt in mind and they worked together for months on crafting the character before Pitt said he just didn’t “get it enough to do it” and dropped out of the project.

Heathers

In 1988, Winona Ryder and Christian Slater starred in a peculiar dark comedy about a teen who teams up with a sociopath to plot the death of the cool kids destroying her good reputation in her high school. It would have been Brad Pitt’s first feature film if he’d been given the role of J.D. he did a table-read early in the film’s development.

One of the film’s producers, Denise Di Novi said she “didn't find anything extraordinary about him at all” of her initial impression of him but he has since grown into his talents. Other reports noted that they found Pitt to be “too sweet” for the dark character Slater ended up playing. The movie wasn’t a box office hit, but has become a cult favorite and inspired a rock musical and a controversial TV series.

About A Boy

One of Hugh Grant’s most endearing roles to date also almost was played by Brad Pitt. The actor apparently turned down 2002’s About a Boy because he felt the movie’s premise of an attractive man pretending to be a single father to pick up women was far-fetched. The actor still kind of made it into the movie as his face appears on the cover of an Esquire issue his almost-to-be role of Will Freeman reads in one scene.

The Oscar-nominated movie was more in the wheelhouse of Hugh Grant anyway. At the time, the British actor was on a roll, starring in successful rom-coms such as Notting Hill, Bridget Jones’s Diary and Four Weddings and a Funeral. Pitt never really took on the genre despite its prominence during his rise to fame.

Kick-Ass

Besides a quick cameo in Deadpool 2 as the Vanisher, Brad Pitt never took on a superhero adaptation, but he was close to playing Big Daddy in 2010’s Kick-Ass. The action-comedy poked fun at Batman with Nicolas Cage’s hilarious role, alongside a young comic book fan who decides to become a superhero despite not having powers. The film also starred both Aaron Taylor-Johnson and Evan Peters, who went on to play Quicksilver in the MCU and X-Men movies.

Brad Pitt was a producer on Kick-Ass, with his good friend Matthew Vaughn (who directed, co-wrote and produced the movie) and was considered for Big Daddy. However, he decided to work with Quentin Tarantino on Inglourious Basterds instead.

Backdraft

Ron Howard’s drama starring Kurt Russell and William Baldwin as firemen brothers with a problematic relationship may have marked a prior collaboration between Russell and Pitt, before their up-and-coming roles in Once Upon a Time in Hollywood but it wasn’t to be! Pitt, Keanu Reeves and Robert Downey Jr. were all reportedly considered to play Brian McCaffrey, but Baldwin won out because he looked most convincingly like a relative to Russell.

The film was recognized for its use of special effects and successful in its 1991 box office numbers. The story revolves around the brothers being forced to face their problematic relationship whilst a dangerous arsonist terrorizes Chicago. It also starred Robert De Niro, Donald Sutherland and Jennifer Jason Leigh.

The Matrix

That’s right! In some alternative reality, we’d associate Brad Pitt with the name Neo instead of Keanu Reeves. This is a strange one to imagine, Reeves helped make The Matrix iconic and propelled his career into the current Keanuissance we’re living in today. Johnny Deep was reportedly the first choice for the Wachowskis, but Warner Bros. pushed for Val Kilmer or Pitt. When they both turned down the role, the studio placed young Reeves into the mix and he nabbed the gig over Depp thanks to his deep interest in the film’s concept.

The film that follows a computer hacker finds out he’s living in a simulated reality of a dystopian future, The Matrix is revered as one of the greatest sci-fi films of all time and it was a box office and cultural phenomenon when it came out in 1999.

Apollo 13

Brad Pitt was also considered for another one of Ron Howard’s hits, 1995’s Apollo 13. The docudrama based on the famous NASA mission of the same name and follows the astronauts on it played by Tom Hanks, Bill Paxton, Kevin Bacon and Gary Sinise. Over 20 years later, it’s a space-set classic.

Brad Pitt was in the running to be on the mission but decided to turn it down to star in Se7en with Morgan Freeman and director David Fincher. Considering it’s still one of his most iconic roles and it likely paved the way to work with Fincher again for Fight Club, this decision fared well for the actor. Pitt will get his turn in space in the upcoming film Ad Astra.

Sleepy Hollow

Surprisingly enough, Brad Pitt has circled a few more roles with Johnny Depp, including Tim Burton’s 1999 adaptation of Sleepy Hollow. Burton and Depp are frequent collaborators, so much so that the actor has been in nearly half of the filmmaker’s movies. Depp was Burton’s first choice for the role and marked their third collaboration together.

At the insistence of Paramount, a few other talents were considered for the role of Ichabod Crane including Liam Neeson, Daniel Day-Lewis and of course Pitt. Seeing as Pitt’s potential involvement would have been bending Burton’s arm for creative freedom, I'm happy the fantasy adaptation turned out how it did.

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory

Brad Pitt could have played Willy Wonka too! Tim Burton’s remake of Roald Dahl’s beloved story went through tons of actor before the director once again went for his trusty partner, Johnny Depp. Nicolas Cage, Jim Carrey, Robert De Niro, Dwayne Johnson, Adam Sandler, Michael Keaton, Will Smith and Patrick Stewart were among those thought up for the mysterious candy man previously played by Gene Wilder.

However, the actor is still affiliated with the film since it was the last project under his and Jennifer Aniston’s production company Plan B Entertainment before they filed for divorce. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory was only their second project and Plan B has gone on to produce a ton of other films, most recently with Vice and If Beale Street Could Talk.

American Psycho

Christian Bale’s early work is defined by his unforgettable role as Patrick Bateman in 2000’s American Psycho. Before the Batman actor carried the axe, Pitt was attached to an earlier version of the project with David Cronenberg as director and the author of the original novel penning the script. However, it never got off the ground.

Even before that, Johnny Depp (noticing a trend here?) was also set to star when Stuart Gordon was going to direct. Mary Harron ended up co-writing the script with Guinevere Turner and helming the chilling film about a banking executive who hides his psychopathic ego from his friends and co-workers.

The Shawshank Redemption

Though it wasn't a major box office success, The Shawshank Redemption is one of the highest regarded films of all time … and Brad Pitt could have had the key role of Tommy Williams back in 1994. The film based on one of Stephen King’s stories follows the heartwarming tale of two imprisoned men who bond over the years in jail. Though the film was originally a box office disappointment, it was nominated for seven Oscars.

The role of Tommy was apparently originally “intended” for Brad Pitt, but he went on to do Interview with a Vampire that year instead. He got his chance to work with Morgan Freeman a year later in Se7en and gave Gil Bellows his most memorable role to date.

The Departed

Originally, Brad Pitt and Tom Cruise were supposed to co-star as Colin Sullivan and Billy Costigan in Martin Scorsese’s 2006 crime drama about Boston cops. However, both ended up dropping out and Matt Damon took Pitt’s role and Leonardo DiCaprio nabbedCruise’s.

It marks yet another role Damon took over for Pitt as he moved to work with another auteur director, Alejandro G. Iñárritu for Babel, which earned him one of five of his Golden Globe nominations. DiCaprio’s involvement also continued an ongoing collaboration with Scorsese. He’d just starred in The Aviator and would later work with him for two more projects and counting.

Titanic

Lastly, Brad Pitt could have starred in one of the highest-grossing and praised films of all time, James Cameron’s Titanic. He along with Tom Cruise, Macaulay Culkin, Ethan Hawke and Matthew McConaughey were considered for the role of Jack, but ended up losing out to Leonardo DiCaprio who is now-iconic for the role.

James Cameron has said that when Leo came in for an interview, he noticed every woman in the building had come to the meeting, including the accountant and female guard. That’s how he knew it had to be DiCaprio as the heartthrob involved in one of the most heartbreaking projects in cinema.

There are so many Brad Pitt movies that didn’t pan out! Even still and without these roles, the actor has built an illustrious career. Which of these roles would you have liked to see Brad Pitt take on? Let us know in the comments below!

Nicolas Cage is often maligned by movie fans for some of the more… interesting choices he has made in roles, as well as his incredibly meme-able facial expressions when he’s getting really nuts. Nevertheless, he has had a remarkable career.

Nicolas Cage’s career has now spanned almost four decades and the diversity of his roles is amazing. He has been in classic cult films, huge box office blockbusters, deeply personal indie films and everything else in between. He can play the hero or the villain, and his talents have won him multiple awards and earned him a star on the Hollywood Walk Of Fame.

On the flip side, he’s also been nominated for multiple Golden Raspberries and has been the butt of endless jokes on the internet for his less-than-stellar performances. It makes everyone wonder what his decision-making process is, sometimes. Nicolas Cage has come a long way from his bit part in Fast Times At Ridgemont High. With all this in mind, let's over over the eight best Nicolas Cage movies and four of his worst.

The 8 Best Nicolas Cage Movies

Raising Arizona (1987)

Raising Arizona, the hilarious and quirky second film from the Coen Brothers, brings together a whole lot of talent at the very beginnings of their careers: Holly Hunter, Frances McDomand, John Goodman and, of course, Nicolas Cage. In a way, it set the template for all the Coen Brothers comedies, as it’s filled with wacky characters and a loose plot that is almost irrelevant.

Nicolas Cage’s deadpan performance as the petty criminal turned kidnapper turned “father,” “Hi” is perfect. Hi’s tired and life-weary demeanor is the perfect foil for his intense and upbeat wife, Ed, played by Holly Hunter. Raising Arizona has become a classic and was a big reason Nicolas Cage’s career took off.

Moonstruck (1987)

Released the same year as Raising Arizona, Moonstruck was another breakout performance for Nicolas Cage and it immediately showed his rage as an actor. Nicolas Cage’s performance as the down on his luck baker in Brooklyn is a completely different kind of character than Hi in Raising Arizona.

Moonstruck was also a huge critical and commercial success, and while Nicolas Cage’s excellent performance wasn’t recognized with any award nominations, two of his co-stars won Oscars, Cher and Olympia Dukakis.

Leaving Las Vegas (1995)

Leaving Las Vegas is by far the biggest critical success of Nicolas Cage’s career. His Oscar-winning performance as a down-and-out alcoholic who moves to Las Vegas to drink himself to death is unbelievably sad and difficult to watch because Cage’s performance is so believable and well done.

His co-star, Elizabeth Shue, also puts in an incredible performance as a prostitute who forms a relationship with the sad drunk. Together they make the perfect, tragic couple with a devastating ending that in a way is kind of beautiful that they found in each other even under the unspeakably horrible situations both were in.

Honeymoon In Vegas (1992)

Honeymoon In Vegas somehow slips under the radar a lot when people talk about Nicolas Cage movies, and that is too bad, but it’s a great movie and Cage’s performance is hilarious. Cage plays a detective with commitment issues who reluctantly decides to marry his girlfriend, played by Sarah Jessica Parker, in a quickie Vegas marriage.

Cage’s character gets in debt to a wise guy/professional gambler, played brilliantly by James Caan, and promises Caan's character he can spend the weekend with his fiancée before they get married. The rest of the movie is filled with hilarious hijinks, as Cage chases Caan and Parker from Vegas to Hawaii and back to Vegas before culminating in a sky dive above The Strip with a bunch of Elvis impersonators. Brilliant!

Kick-Ass (2010)

The last decade hasn’t been the strongest of Nicolas Cage’s career but it started strong with Kick-Ass, the really well done spoof of superhero movies feature Cage as “Big Daddy” the "real-life" Batman-like superhero raising his daughter and seeking revenge on his rival, a mob boss that set him up to take the fall as a drug dealer and serve a nickel in prison.

Kick-Ass is an incredibly fun movie where the good guys win in the end and the violence is completely over the top. It’s like a perfect combination of a Marvel movie, Kingsman and a John Wick movie.

Gone In 60 Seconds (2000)

Gone in 60 Seconds is another one of those awesome Nicolas Cage action movies filled with amazing car chases and a first-rate cast. The dialogue, like the others, is trite and frankly meaningless, but that doesn’t matter. Because if you like awesome cars and awesome car chases, it really doesn’t get any better.

Cage plays a retired car thief pulled out of retirement for one last, huge heist: an attempt to steal 50 cars in just 24 hours with his crew. The crew includes Robert Duvall, Vinnie Jones, Giovanni Ribisi and Angelina Jolie, but the biggest star of the film is “Eleanor,” a pristine 1967 Ford Shelby GT500, maybe the coolest car ever built. Seriously, Gone In Sixty Seconds is worth watching for the car alone.

Con Air (1997)

Who doesn’t love Con Air? The plot is asinine and the script is trite and silly, but the action sequences are amazing and the acting performances, including Nicolas Cage’s, are awesome! It’s big budget, summer blockbuster Hollywood at its very best.

There is no way to come across it on a rainy Saturday afternoon on TV and NOT watch the whole thing. The all-star cast, led by Cage, John Cusack, John Malkovich, Ving Rhames, Steve Bescemi and Danny Trejo, all put in amazing performance. That alone make it the best kind of watchable movie.

The Rock (1996)

The first movie starring Nicolas Cage after his Oscar-winning performance in Leaving Las Vegas was something, uh, completely different. The Rock is cheesy, awesome Nic Cage at his best. The lines are so silly – “Cut the chitchat, A-HOLE!” – but he delivers them with such pizazz that it makes them eminently quotable. By the way, that is the actual quote from the movie, not the censored TV version.

Like Con Air, this movie takes the art of the summer blockbuster to its highest level. It has a ridiculous plot, a great car chase, big explosions, a script full of “did he really say that” quotes and huge stars, like Cage, Sean Connery, Ed Harris and a supporting cast of legendary characters. It is so wonderfully whacky and awesome.

The 4 Worst Nicolas Cage Movies

Ghost Rider (2007)

With enough plot holes to drive a motorcycle through, Ghost Rider is the kind of movie you really want to like, even in a cynical, campy way, but just can’t. Nicolas Cage’s performance isn’t terrible; it’s actually good, but the movie is just so… stupid and disappointing. For a guy like Nic Cage, who always wants to play superheroes, it must smart that the film doesn't work.

Maybe expectations were too high for the big screen adaptation of a very cool comic, because the story shouldn’t be this bad, it has very solid source material, yet, it sadly is.

Amos & Andrew (1993)

A stupid premise and a trite attempt to be relevant with a critical commentary on race in America, the Nicolas Cage/Samuel L. Jackson flick is a disaster. It’s easy to see where the minds behind the movie were trying to go with it, but it fails in most ways. The action is lacking and the attempted comedy just isn’t funny, despite decent performances by the lead actors.

In the long list of forgettable Nicolas Cage movies, this might be the most forgettable. There is just nothing about this movie that should make anyone want to watch it. It was a bomb with the critics and it tanked at the box office. It’s not hilariously bad, like some other Nic Cage performances, and that makes Amos & Andrew worse than some those to watch.

Left Behind (2014)

Left Behind is just bad in every way. It’s not that’s it’s a Christian movie that wouldn’t appeal to more secular audience – though it is – it’s because it’s just plain bad. There is no other way around it. It’s one of the movies in this decade that Nicolas Cage has starred in that really makes you scratch your head and wonder why.

The plot is loosely based on the gazillion-selling Christian novel about the people left behind to face God’s judgement after His believers disappear and join him in heaven. Right up until the completely ridiculous and simple-minded ending, it’s bad. In fact, it’s hard to find anything positive to say about it, even Cage’s performance feels phoned in.

Wicker Man (2006)

Wicker Man should have been great. A remake of a great low budget horro movie of the same name, with a lot of talent involved, including the great playwright Neil LaBute, who wrote and directed it and starring Academy Award winners like Nicolas Cage and Ellen Burstyn, the movie just fails.

It’s not suspenseful and worst of all, the torture scene at the end, which should be terrifying, is actually hilarious. Like a bad B-movie in the worst kind of way. On the plus side, it is responsible for some of the best memes of all time and that is really the best thing that can be said about it.

There are a lot of other movies that could appear on this list, underrated movies like Family Man, forgotten great movies like Peggy Sue Got Married, or blockbusters like Face/Off. With almost 100 credits to his name, Nicolas Cage is prolific and inconsistent but almost never boring.

Long before movies like Deadpool 2 or Logan, but during our current superhero movie boom, Matthew Vaughn directed the R-rated Kick-Ass, based on the comic book by Mark Millar and John Romita Jr. That film was successful enough to produce a sequel that didn't fare as well, and despite the occasional rumor of a Kick-Ass 3 or Hit-Girl movie, the franchise just sort of faded into the ether. Well now comes word from Matthew Vaughn that Kick-Ass will live again. The director spoke about rebooting the property and also hinted at a big possible change to the eponymous character, saying:

First off, it is awesome that we will finally be getting more Kick-Ass and Hit-Girl. There aren't really any other superheroes quite like these on the big screen right now, and part of keeping the superhero genre healthy means having a lot of variety. As to what we can infer from Matthew Vaughn's statement to Empire, he seems to be hinting that the rebooted Kick-Ass will not feature Dave Lizewski, portrayed by Aaron Taylor-Johnson in the first two films, as the man behind the mask. Instead we could possibly see the new Kick-Ass, Patience Lee taking up the mantle for the rebooted film.

In February of this year, the Kick-Ass comic book was rebooted in the same continuity with the same creative team under publisher Image Comics. This new Kick-Ass found Patience Lee, an adult single mother and Afghanistan war veteran, buying the same wet suit as Kick-Ass after Dave retired. She wears the Kick-Ass costume while fighting crime and robbing criminals to pay off her debts. There is also a new Hit-Girl series that sees Mindy McCready fighting crime all around the world independent from what's going on with Patience Lee. If we look to what Mark Millar is doing in the current comics for clues as Matthew Vaughn suggests, it stands to reason that we may see Patience Lee as Kick-Ass and a globetrotting Hit-Girl solo film when these characters return to the big screen.

Obviously there will be a lot of opinions about this, but we have already had the Dave Lizewski Kick-Ass onscreen, so rebooting the franchise with Patience Lee allows the previous films to still exist while making a newer Kick-Ass seem fresh. Mark Millar has already thrown out his strict casting requirements, desiring that Thor: Ragnarok actress Tessa Thompson play Patience Lee. While we're on the reboot dream-casting front, I'd like to put forth Bella Ramsey, who plays the badass Lyanna Mormont on Game of Thrones, as a possibility to replace Cholë Grace Moretz as Hit-Girl.

It seems like a good time to reboot Kick-Ass and Hit-Girl given the moment R-rated superhero movies are currently having. Deadpool 2 just killed it at the box office and Logan received an Oscar nomination last year. We also have the upcoming Hellboy reboot to look forward to. So perhaps Kick-Ass will find more success this time around with a more adventurous audience. I'm of course assuming these new movies would be rated R, like their predecessors were and their content demands. It's unclear when this new Kick-Ass and Hit-Girl will make their way to the big screen, but depending on the licensing of it all, I wouldn't even mind them showing up on Netflix. Mark Millar's company Millarworld was purchased by Netflix, and Hit-Girl and Kick-Ass are the kind of grounded characters that would be well-suited to the platform, even if they starred in a streaming series.

For all the latest on the Kick-Ass and Hit-Girl reboots stay tuned to CinemaBlend.

Netflix has slowly morphed from a simple DVD rental service to one of the largest media companies in the world. Now, they've become even bigger, as they just purchased the comic publishing company started by the creator of Kick-Ass. The idea of Netflix possibly entering a licensing deal with Mark Millar to make TV shows or movies based on his characters is something we wouldn't have been surprised to hear, however, the streaming giant has gone one better and simply purchased the company, Millarworld, directly from him.

Mark Millar is one of the biggest names in comics who is responsible for some of the storylines which Marvel Studios has used for some of the recent MCU films. However, he's also created several original comic book characters, a few of which have been turned into films in their own right. Millar's work inspired the films Kick-Ass, Kingsman, and Wanted. Millar isn't going anywhere as the announcement specifically states that he and his team will continue to create and publish stories, though his specific role in the company is not explained.

Netflix states the obvious in their press release that this acquisition will result in films, TV series, and apparently also kids' shows, based on Mark Millar's work that will appear on the streaming service. In addition, comics will continue to be published, only now they'll bear a Netflix label. Netflix is now a comic book publisher. Welcome to 2017.

This news leads to all sorts of interesting questions regarding the future of media. How will the purchase impact the current licensing deals for Mark Millar's work? Several Millarworld titles have been optioned for movies by studios that are technically competitors of Netflix. Could the fact that they're now working with Netflix make these properties less attractive, or alternatively, could those studio relationships help aid Netflix's theatrical distribution of their own films?

Could this deal have repercussions that impact the future of the Netflix relationship with Marvel? Technically, Netflix is now a competitor of Marvel Comics while TV shows based on those comics are some of the most popular original programming on the service.

Finally, one has to wonder if Netflix is buying comic book publishers, what other media companies are they really interested in? If Netflix is looking at properties they can use to help bolster their own programming, there are countless places they could look. There's almost certainly a wish list someplace at Netflix with some names on it.

There have been a number of Mark Millar properties in development limbo over the last couple of years. It would seem that with this acquisition there will clearly be some movement forward with some of them.

Whether it’s Iron Man, Spider-Man, or Captain America, we can all agree that comic book movies have become somewhat bloodless affairs. Sure, these films rack up body counts, but much of the grit and grime of the action gets left on the cutting room floor. All that being said, don’t ever let anyone tell you that comic books are solely for children. Although adaptations of comics and graphic novels typically attain PG-13 ratings from the MPAA, some of us want something a little darker, and a little edgier when it comes to our comic book properties.

With Deadpool about to hit theaters, audiences should prepare themselves for a gritty, gory, and downright vulgar foray into the world of comic books. That being said, Deadpool is hardly the first comic book movie to go all out and strive for the R-rating. Over the years there have been some truly amazing, hard hitting R-rated adaptations. It’s a deep pool to choose from, but we have determined our ten all time favorite R-rated comic book films. Let’s get the ball rolling with number 10…

10. Kingsman: The Secret Service

James Bond sometimes acts like a rambunctious teenager, but what if a British intelligence agency actually enlisted the talents of a genuine adolescent A-hole? Like many of the films on this list, Kingsman: The Secret Service builds itself around the idea tackling familiar ideas and subverting expectations. Based on the famous Mark Millar graphic novel of the same name, Kingsman carefully dissects numerous well-worn tropes of the spy genre, and turns them on their head in gory, profane, and downright brilliant fashion. Although this meta approach to various genres has become common over time, we can’t argue with how masterfully Kingsman balances genuine drama and hilarious violence.

9. The Punisher

We will see what Jon Bernthal brings to The Punisher when Season 2 of Daredevil hits Netflix next month, but to date the character’s best silver screen incarnation came in 2004 when Thomas Jane took on the role. Telling the tale of how Frank Castle lost his family in a brutal mob hit, the film follows Castle on his furious quest to bring down those responsible – only truly becoming the film’s titular hero in the final moments of the movie. Although some criticized The Punisher for its lack of action and depressing tone, it remains a genuinely refreshing take on the superhero origin story – a compelling character study of anger, loss, and purpose. Jane’s take on the character has become so well loved by fans that he even reprised the role in an equally gritty short film titled Punisher: Dirty Laundry in 2012.

8. Kick-Ass

Seldom has a film’s title so accurately described the subsequent viewing experience. Like Kingsman: The Secret Service, Kick-Ass is an adaptation of a violent Mark Millar comic that directly addresses the tropes and clichés of a particular genre – in this case, the world of superheroes. Centering on a comic-obsessed teenager who wants to make a difference on the mean streets of New York, the titular green-cad greenhorn hero as he finds himself drafted by the endlessly more talented Big Daddy (Nicolas Cage) and Hit-Girl (Chloë Grace Moretz) into a vicious war with the mob. It deftly walks the line between straightforward, brutal realism and hyper stylized comic book satire in a way that few other superhero films have managed to achieve.

7. 30 Days Of Night

In a world where most recent cinematic vampires twinkle in the sunlight and want nothing more than to make sweet, forbidden love to each other, 30 Days of Night reminds us just how terrifying these mystical creatures can be. Telling the story of a moonlit, month long siege in a remote Alaskan town, the film’s survivors must hold out against a legion of undead cannibals until the sun rises. The film takes its time, starting off by mentioning the monsters as mere whispers, then as shadows, before finally allowing them to completely invade the town and tear apart its inhabitants. What makes 30 Days of Night so terrifying is its unreenting nature; the film’s monsters seem nearly unkillable, and no hiding place can provide permanent salvation for our heroes. Night time has seldom looked so truly pitch black on film.

6. Blade

Between the black leather, sunglasses, and headlining actor in the form of Wesley Snipes, Blade is very clearly a product of the 1990s. Unlike many of the sanitized superhero adventures that consistently hit theaters in this day and age, Blade is a hyper-stylized action romp that has no qualms with literally soaking its half-human, half-vampire protagonist in blood. Although the character has somewhat faded from prominence over the years, rumors continue to swirl that we may soon see a Blade revival, and that the character may even join the Marvel Cinematic Universe at some point in the future. If they can get Wesley Snipes on board then they most certainly have our attention.

5. Watchmen

The supposedly unfilmable comic book; Zack Snyder’s Watchmen polarized fans upon its release back in 2009. While the film certainly missed the mark at certain spots – Leonard Cohen should never play during a sex scene – the overall finished product still represents something remarkable. It's a wholly ambitious film that ensures every iconic character feels true to Alan Moore’s source material and reflects the brutality of an alternate 1985. While the entire cast stands out for their respective takes on the material, it's Jackie Earle Hayley’s Rorschach that deserves recognition for giving audiences with one of the most amazingly damaged and brutal on screen heroes in recent memory.

4. 300

This is Sparta! No movie has ever made defeat look so damn awesome. Zack Snyder’s 300 tells the tale of King Leonidas (Gerard Butler) and his 300 Spartans as they gloriously defend their home against an invasion. As a dramatization of the real life battle of Thermopylae – as well as another adaptation of a Frank Miller classic – 300 is chock full of slow motion, hardcore masculinity, and some of the goriest, most pulse-pounding war scenes ever committed to film. It’s the sort of movie you watch before a big game or a major life event so you can remember that it’s not about winning or losing, it’s about fighting for what you believe is right.

3. Dredd

Talk about a comeback story. Dredd completely surprised us back in 2012 and took the world of comic book adaptations by storm. After Sylvester Stallone nearly killed the character’s hopes of cinematic greatness, Karl Urban entered the picture and completely revitalized the dystopian cop. Set solely within a massive high rise, the film keeps it’s titular character confined and constantly outgunned, which basically allows him to Die Hard his way through hordes of bad guys intent on taking him and his partner down. Featuring awesome slo-mo gunplay, a grimy aesthetic, and a nearly pitch perfect villain in the form of Lena Headey’s Ma-Ma, Dredd has us all hoping that the character might just stick around to exact justice for years to come after all.

2. Deadpool

The latest, and hands down one of the greatest, Deadpool represents a shining example of how to excel at vulgar and violent superhero cinema. Unlike the reviled version of the character audiences got to see in X-Men Origins: Wolverine, Deadpool’s version of Wade Wilson is vulgar, violent, and downright psychopathic. By dropping more F-bombs than Eric Cartman and more bodies than John Rambo, the newest on-screen incarnation of The Merc with the Mouth seems poised for R-rated greatness. Deadpool’s journey to the silver screen may have been fraught with peril, but at the end of the day we can say the tumultuous journey was well worth it.

1. Sin City

Robert Rodriguez’ Sin City is a noir-tastic journey into the pages of Frank Miller’s landmark series of graphic novels, and when we say graphic, you better believe we mean it. Despite its outlandish style, the titular city feels incredibly lived in – even if you would never want to actually live there, one can almost smell foul stench of booze, blood, and gunpowder emanating from the screen. Armed with an all-star cast including Clive Owen, Bruce Willis, Mickey Rourke, and Benicio del Toro, Sin City manages to tell three dark, yet equally compelling interwoven stories set in the seedy underworld of Basin City. Beyond those stories one gets the sense of innumerable other unseen tales occurring somewhere in the background of the chaos. If any R-rated comic book film is worth your time, it's Sin City. You'll be forgiven if you skip the sequel though.

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The action genre has been dominated by male actors since it was first created. That’s not to say there aren’t some incredibly awesome male action characters, of course there are. But female action characters tend to be a bit more rare. But, there are always the one’s that stick out--female action characters that to this day we still are talking about, the iconic ones that newer action stars are inspired by. Those are the women that needed their own list.

Lately we’ve seen some awesome female action heroes from Emily Blunt’s Rita in Edge of Tomorrow to Jennifer Lawrence’s Katniss Everdeen in The Hunger Games. While both are forces to reckon with, they can’t even compare to some of these great female action characters. These are the characters that have held guns, swords, but most of all intelligence. These are the women who are leaders of the action genre itself. And these are the 10 greatest female action characters that you would never want to piss off.

#10 Hanna Heller, Hanna

Saoirse Ronan’s Hanna Heller may be young, but she packs a powerful punch in the 2011 Joe Wright film Hanna. Raised by an ex-CIA operative, the young Hanna was trained in a number of different skill sets from hand-to-hand combat to target shooting. When we first meet Hanna, she is a 15-year-old girl, cold but thoughtful. From the beginning of her story, we can see that she has been a trained killer, but by the end we see how important those qualities are to her survival. Hanna not only is a badass fighter, but her intelligence and carefulness are two of the most interesting aspects of her character, especially considering her young age. Her dedication to the man who raised her, along with the slew of characters she meets in her journey are what made her believable. But as a trained assassin, raised in the wilderness, Hanna Heller is a force to be reckoned with.

#9 Trinity, The Matrix

It’s safe to say Neo would not have gotten too far with out Carlie-Anne Moss’ Trinity by his side in The Matrix movies. The Wachowskis’ sci-fi action trilogy featured a number of kick-ass characters, but the best female badass, Trinity sat high at the top. A computer programmer and hacker, Trinity knew her way around the Matrix and Morpheus’ ship, and though her role in the series is first and foremost to aid Neo in his quest, her skills go far beyond just a romantic counterpart. Trinity’s unique skills range from her use of weapons to operating a range of vehicles and aircrafts. While some of their skills are downloaded from outside of the Matrix, much of Trinity's were trained. She is known famed amongst the hackers for cracking on of the most secure systems in the Matrix to escape. And it’s not only her smarts that get her on this list, but also her crazy combat moves. Trinity’s signature "Double Eagle" move is one of the more memorable of the franchise.

#8 Hit-Girl, Kick-Ass

Another young badass to make the list, Chloë Grace Moretz’s Hit-Girl has skills (and language) far beyond her years. Moretz had dreamed of starring in an action role as she compared to had Angelina Jolie in Wanted, and her role as Hit-Girl couldn’t be a more perfect fit. Though the Kick-Ass franchise focuses on the titular character’s journey to becoming a vigilante, it is Hit-Girl who dominates all of the action scenes. She’s smart, strong, precise, and truly loves take-charge and kicking ass. Oh that and her knives, she really loves her knives. Hit-Girl had all the moves, and at a mere eleven years old, she still could overpower an entire gang of thugs. The initial shock over her age quickly passes when you see how genuinely dangerous this girl is. Raised in an environment where she quickly learned the ways of her vigilante father, and was trained to be just as lethal, Hit-Girl may have missed out on a childhood, but she sure loves fighting the baddies, and we sure love watching her do it.

#7 Lara Croft, Lara Croft: Tomb Raider

Throughout the 2000s, Angelina Jolie was the epitome of an female action superstar. And though plenty of her characters should make this list, Lara Croft is definitely the most iconic baddie to take the prize. Based on the popular video game Angelina Jolie’s Lara Croft was an intensely dedicated action hero who works tirelessly to defeat the Illuminati. Though the films of the Lara Croft: Tomb Raider franchise were not received well, Jolie’s embodiment of the female badass was the only redeeming factor. She is smart, stunning and highly athletic and uses her skills as an archaeologist to help in her collection of the ancient artifacts. And despite some of the negativity surrounding the sexualization of Lara Croft in these films, the character broke down big doors to lead towards more female action roles. Her resourceful ways, and smart tactical skills showed off a powerful female action character that no one wanted to mess with.

#6 Leeloo, The Fifth Element

Leeloo is the most adorable badass to make the list. Milla Jovovich’s breakout role in the 1997 sci-fi action flick The Fifth Element was one of best action films to date (another ranking higher in this list). The supreme being who is a necessary element in preventing the Earth’s ultimate destruction looks cute and completely innocent. She has little social skills or understanding of cultural norms, but you mess with her, and you bet that you will be on your knees begging for mercy. The aspect that made Leeloo such an awesome female badass though, was how fragile she actually was. When you saw her fight, it made jaws-dropped, but she was emotionally vulnerable just like any human. Despite being an alien, she was one of the most relatable characters in the film, which it that much cooler to see her in action. Her fight scenes were top notch, but the depth of her character made her the ultimate female action hero.

#5 Alice, Resident Evil

A former security operative turned resistance fighter Alice is the ultimate female fighter. She’s survived years fighting off zombies as well as those who want to take her down for turning against the Umbrella Corporation. Though Milla Jovovich has made this list with another one of her female action heroes, Resident Evil’s Alice is her own iconic character. Loosely based off the Capcom video games of the same name, the Resident Evil franchise wouldn’t bring in terrific critical reviews, but the character of Alice stands as one of the most iconic female action stars of all time. Jovovich's Alice was an original character created for the films, based on many of the strong women in the Resident Evil games. She is a smart leader, a killer fighter, and dedicated to her cause. Her skills grew even greater as the films progressed, and Alice has become the iconic figure associated with the franchise.

#4 The Bride, Kill Bill

Beatrix Kiddo, known primarily by the name The Bride is not only one of the best female action heroes, but best action heroes, hands down. In true Quentin Tarantino fashion, the two part Kill Bill series features a number of graphic, gut-wrenching battles, but with a cold-faced Uma Thurman portraying the vengeance-seeking protagonist, it makes the fight sequences that much more thrilling. Uma Thurman’s The Bride is scary. It is only till later in her story do we start to sympathize and realize the anger that lingers behind her fight. She doesn’t have to speak too much, which sometimes makes your skin crawl, but in seeing her fight to the finish, we realize how deadly of a force The Bride truly is. She is disciplined and highly trained, but more so than her extremely impressive fighting skills, her deadliest weapon is her focus.

#3 Furiosa, Mad Max: Fury Road

The newest action lady to make this top 10 list also ranks high above some of the rest. Mad Max: Fury Road’s Furiosa is quite the extraordinary female action character. While she drives front and center in the newest Mad Max film, it is her intelligence that makes her an even fiercer warrior. Charlize Theron’s Imperator Furiosa is the lead antagonist’s top imperator and driver. On what is supposed to be a routine supply run, Furiosa goes against the everything she stand for to help save a group of women. On the run, we see how deep her character goes. Not only has she lost one arm (which does not hinder her fighting skills in the slightest) but she also knows what it is to fight for survival. And that’s why she risks everything for these women. So that they can raise their children away from such awful conditions. Furiosa never gives up, and by the end of her journey, she is praised by the people of her land, a true heroine, with a heart of gold and a warrior’s fight.

#2 Sarah Connor, Terminator 2: Judgement Day

There’s been many portrayals of Sarah Connor over the years, and that’s what makes this female action character so iconic. Her story is one that still holds, and her fight is one that we still want to watch over and over again. In the first Terminator film, we didn’t see the Sarah Connor we came to love and respect. Still a damsel in distress, it wasn’t until Terminator 2: Judgement Day that the true badass came out to play. Linda Hamilton's Sarah Connor transformed herself into a ferocious warrior all to protect her son. She may sometimes be a bit violent and mentally unstable, but her behavior all stems in being the greatest protector she can be. She is cautious and careful when it comes to any technology and takes much time in building a relationship with Arnold Schwarzenegger's T-800. But what makes Sarah Connor rank so high on this list, is that she is first and foremost a mother. Her action-heavy role is created because of her concern for her son. And if that’s not the most incredible feat, I don’t know what is.

#1 Ellen Ripley, Alien

There’s really no debating that Alien’s Ellen Ripley sits atop the list of the greatest female action characters. She is the #1 female action character. Portrayed by Sigourney Weaver, Ripley is not only considered an iconic action hero, but also considered one of the best female protagonists of all time. When the first Alien was released in 1979, putting a female at the lead of a science fiction action film was unheard of. And with Weaver behind the role, it would prove to be even more powerful. Weaver earned an Oscar nomination for the role, but more so than anything, Ellen Ripley became an iconic character in cinema. She’s never a sidekick, only a hero. Ridley Scott’s Alien features a highly aggressive extraterrestrial baddie, and Ripley is one of the few smart and savvy enough to survive it. Through the many sequels of the franchise Ripley had many trials and tribulations, but she was always a relatable character that you admired.

Matthew Vaughn has admitted that plans are currently afoot to reinvigorate the Kick-Ass franchise, and he believes that before they create a Kick-Ass 3, they’ll need to win back fans with a prequel. And in order to do just that, Vaughn has revealed that they are looking to tell the story of how Hit-Girl and Big Daddy rose to be such impressive ass kickers.

The English director made this admission while talking to Yahoo Movies to promote Kingsman: The Secret Service's released on home entertainment. After revealing that he’s "not happily done with the franchise," Matthew Vaughn outlined his ambition to reboot the series. And his description of their intended prequel will have moviegoers leaping for joy with anticipation. Vaughn explained that they're working on an idea that would be an origin story for Hit Girl (Chloe Grace Moretz) and Big Daddy (Nicolas Cage), mapping out how they became these costumed vigilantes.

But there’s a very good reason why Matthew Vaughn feels that the Hit-Girl and Big Daddy prequel will need to be created before Kick-Ass 3. Vaughn believes that the franchise needs to win back the trust of the original’s fans in light of the relatively poor response to Kick-Ass 2. Vaughn explained:

Now fans of the original, and there are plenty of us out there, will be fully aware that in Matthew Vaughn’s gory but glossy adaptation, Chloe Grace Moretz and Nicolas Cage played the aforementioned duo to such a captivating extent that you immediately wanted to become a part of their murderous family.

Those of you who haven’t seen Kick-Ass probably shouldn’t read ahead because there’s one rather big spoiler about to be mentioned. Are they gone? Good. Of course, by the end of Kick-Ass though Big Daddy has met a rather fiery death, so the only way to re-team Cage and Moretz would be to take a look at their origin. But Moretz is only getting older, so in order to do the possible prequel justice, they will have to get the ball moving rather quickly.

And Matthew Vaughn is currently in the prime position to get Big Daddy and Hit-Girl’s solo installment green-lit after the success of Kingsman: The Secret Service earlier this year. Made on a budget of $81 million, which Vaughn stretched to make his film as arresting and stylish as any other blockbuster this summer, Kingsman grossed $403.7 million and was met with generally positive reviews. He’s currently not attached to direct any future projects (though he's rumored to be interested in Kingsman 2), so there’s every chance that his next step will be to return to the Kick-Ass well for further rollicking adventures.

Mark Millar is very popular these days. The man behind Kingsman: The Secret Service has turned several of his comic properties into box office gold. Apparently one of the ideas the man behind Kick-Ass is toying with is a solo flick for Kick-Ass heroine Hit-Girl. Speaking to JoBlo comic creator Mark Millar talked about the various irons he has in the fire regarding upcoming films. One of the items under consideration is a standalone Hit-Girl movie. The only problem is that it’s apparently a bit...unorthodox:

Is anybody else terrified? When the man behind Kick-Ass and Kingsman says an idea is "insane" what are we supposed to think. Kick-Ass was insane. Kingsman was out of control. What exactly could a Hit-Girl movie be about that would be so over the edge that the world might not accept it? An idea that will make previous efforts look like a Disney movie is somewhat disconcerting. We are now dying to see this movie. We’re also a little afraid to see this movie.

Hit-Girl was one of the standout characters of the two Kick-Ass films, played stunningly by Chloë Grace Moretz. She was sweet and cute and vulgar and violent. There’s little doubt that fans would be willing to see Hit-Girl again and see what she’s become. Moretz had previously expressed frustration that she would not be able to play Hit-Girl again due to the lackluster box office of the Kick-Ass 2. She blamed piracy for keeping fans out of theaters.

Millar talks about the strong heroines in films like the The Hunger Games and Hanna when discussing a potential Hit-Girl film. We are certainly in a time when when it’s become clear that a woman can carry an action film, or even an action franchise. It’s safe to say that Hit-Girl can beat them all up.

Based on the way Millar talks about a Hit-Girl movie this one is definitely in the idea stage. There are not, currently, any plans to make it a reality which would certainly put this movie years away, even if they started working on it tomorrow. Also, while it is true that Kick-Ass 2 didn’t perform very well at the box office, the fact is the first wasn't a smash hit either. Kingsman was huge and usually after a huge hit many studios will let creators take a few more chances. Maybe they'll spend some credibility on the future of Hit-Girl. Are you ready to see Hit-Girl go out on her own?

It seems that rumors depicting the demise of the planned Kick-Ass spinoff, Hit-Girl have been exaggerated. In fact, the director of the series’ first film, Matthew Vaughn isn’t throwing in the blood-soaked towel just yet on this little franchise that could. According to Vaughn, Hit-Girl is still very much in play and he plans to use it as way to get enough momentum for a possible Kick-Ass 3! Certainly, you can never accuse Vaughn of being a deadbeat director when it comes to his franchises. (At least, ones not run by Bryan Singer.)

In an interview with JobBlo, promoting his latest comic-adapted action thriller, Kingsman: The Secret Service, Vaughn reveals a surprising amount of resolve towards reviving the Kick-Ass franchise; especially considering how 2013’s Kick-Ass 2 yielded lackluster numbers that would be a death sentence to any other franchise. Vaughn would lay out his grand plan to revive the fantastical world of wannabe superheroes suffering brutally realistic consequences and even has a plan to get the original stars to come back.

Vaughn further revealed that he is working with comic creator, Mark Millar on the Hit-Girl script. Confirming previous remarks made by Millar, Vaughn revealed that The Raid director, Gareth Evans had, indeed, been circling a film in the Kick-Ass series "a couple years ago." Vaughn still seems keen on the idea of bringing Evans’ brand of intense, explosive, stylistic chop-socky to the Kick-Ass films. Vaughn would also confirm that, much like with part 2, he would not return to direct Kick-Ass 3.

The idea that the discussed Hit-Girl film was confirmed by Vaughn to be a prequel seems to be a bit of breaking news in its own right. However, when coupled with an interview last year with Hit-Girl actress, Chloe Moretz, saying that she was essentially "done with the character," a prequel film featuring a younger actress makes sense. Certainly, a story about a young Mindy Macready being raised by her father, Damon, a widower former cop-turned-vicious-vigilante who calls himself "Big Daddy" (played by Nicolas Cage in the first film), would provide plenty of narrative meat on the bones. It could focus on his tragic origins and how it molds young Mindy into the vicious young spiller of scum blood, Hit-Girl. This is especially amplified if Cage returns to the role. – Oh, who are we kidding with "if?!" This is Nicolas Cage, we’re talking about, here!

Kick-Ass seemed to defy the odds as an R-rated comic book film property which, despite an "okay" box-office take, managed to spawn an R-rated sequel...which happened to fall on its green spandex-covered face. However, it clearly enjoys the benefit of having some very talented folks who remain committed to its continuing existence. I guess we’ll see if Vaughn can earn some extra clout to help make that happen when Kingsman: The Secret Service makes its pitch to moviegoers at theaters this Friday.

Before the release of Kick-Ass 2, Jim Carrey stirred some trouble when he withdrew support for the movie because of the harsh gun violence. Kick-Ass co-creator John Romita Jr. was, as an understatement, quite unhappy with this betrayal, and vows to never work with Carrey again. Romita was most upset because he felt Carrey could have played up his anti-gun agenda without hurting the movie, and hurting the crew that worked extremely hard to produce the film.

John Romita Jr. and Mark Millar sat down with Comic Book Resources a few months after the Carrey debacle to discuss the final comic book in the series (that the movies are based off of), Kick-Ass 3 #8. When the subject of Carrey and his disaffiliation came up, Romita jumped on the opportunity to share his thoughts:

Ouch. Though Romita’s words seem a little harsh, I have to agree with him. Carrey did it all wrong. To stand up for your beliefs is one thing, but to hurt something that you signed up for, and made a commitment to, is just wrong. And Romita points out there was an easy way to express his anti-gun views with the character he was given. There’s no doubt that the Kick-Ass franchise is violence heavy, but Carrey could have expressed his views (if he wasn’t such a "bonehead") without complete disregard for the success of a movie that he'd previously made a commitment to. And that’s Romita’s biggest issue with the whole mess Carrey created.

Carrey might be an idiot in Romita’s eyes for not thinking of the easy solution and capitalizing on the character he played, but more importantly, Carrey screwed everyone he worked with. People that didn’t get to cash the surely hefty paycheck that Carrey received for his work. Romita continues:

From the process of writing the screenplay to the release of the movie in theaters, many people worked tirelessly on that film. And Jim Carrey read the screenplay, he knew what he was getting into before it even started filming. You can stand tall for your political beliefs, but at the end of the day, Carrey took that paycheck no questions asked. And only after that decided to express his beliefs. That’s not really the way activism works.

And not to mention, Kick-Ass is completely fictionalized. Mark Millar put it best on his site, Millarworld, in response to Carrey’s words:

Though the comic book series is over, and a new movie is unconfirmed, the Kick-Ass series will continue to be a great way to enjoy that good old-fashioned serotonin release, and see some bad guys get their asses kicked.

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,

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.

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)

With so many titles to choose from, Netflix Instant's library can be overwhelming. So we bring you this biweekly column as a tool to cut through the clutter by highlighting some now streaming titles that pair well with the latest theatrical releases.

Looking to Elysium, Kick-Ass 2, and Lee Daniels’ The Butler for inspiration, we've pulled together a selection of dystopian science fiction, dark superhero stories, and docudramas that chronicle major moments in U.S. history.

Elysium

As follow-up to his critically heralded District 9, writer-director Neill Blomkamp presents a story of class struggle set in 2154. Elysium is a space station that houses Earth’s wealthiest citizens in an ever-lovely manufactured environment free of crime and disease. On their home planet below, the poor and sick scrape by with big dreams of escape. But this class separation may be shattered when one scrappy have-not straps on a superhuman exoskeleton and aims to take Elysium down. Matt Damon, Jodie Foster, and Sharlto Copley co-star; Blomkamp directs. (Read our full review here.)

Science fiction is a genre that often warns us of the ills in society’s present that could lead to horrific futures. Will we force children to murder each other for our amusement? Will emotions become criminal? Or will the rise of the machines push humanity into debauched chaos? Find out with these three dystopian dramas.

The Hunger Games (2012) Based on the best-selling YA novel by Suzanne Collins, this teen-centered adventure follows young Katniss Everdeen, a impoverished girl sent to fight in a cruel child competition set up by a tyrannical government. To survive, she must be the last one standing, but can she strike down the sweet boy who once saved her family from starvation? Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson, and Woody Harrelson star; Gary Ross directs.

Equilibrium (2002) Christian Bale fronts this thriller that has him playing a trench-coat wearing cop in a fascist future where emotions are outlawed, a ruling enforced but subduing the populace with a mood-dulling drug. But when this law enforcer skips a dose of his prescribed mood meds, he awakes with feelings he refuses to give up. And so becomes a threat to this stoic society. Emily Watson and Taye Diggs co-star; Kurt Wimmer directs.

Metropolis Restored (1927) Arguably the most iconic dystopian drama ever made, Metropolis is set in the not-so-distant future of 2026 where the wealth disparity has become so extreme that poor live underground while the wealthy enjoy the jaunty splendor of the surface world. But when one rich man falls for a humble have-not girl, he decides to lead the charge to social revolt! Will his efforts be undone by a chaos-spurring robot who dances with fiery abandon? Note: this version is a recently restored edition that contains the most original footage since the film toured the world in 1928. Brigitte Helm, Joh Fredersen, and Gustav Frohlich star; Fritz Lang directs.

Kick-Ass 2

In this sequel to the R-rated superhero romp Kick-Ass, Dave “Kick-Ass” Lizewski (Aaron Taylor-Johnson) grows his ranks of vigilante crime fighters while his old ally the Red Mist (Christopher Mintz-Plasse) gears up to wreak a bloody vengeance. Chloe Moretz, Morris Chestnut, and Jim Carrey co-star; Jeff Wadlow directs. (Read our full review here.)

Kick-Ass won fans by offering a quirky new take on the superhero genre with a deeply dark edge. If you prefer anti-heroes to clean-cut good guys, and relish in a good heartbreaking backstories, you’re sure to salivate over these three super selections.

Hellboy (2004) Based on the cult comic book series by Mike Mignola, this fantastical feature unveils the adventures of a pack of misfit heroes way weirder than the X-Men, and nowhere near as pretty as The Avengers. Ron Perlman stars as Hellboy, a demon brought to Earth by Nazis but breaking from expectations by fighting against the forces of evil. John Hurt, Selma Blair, and Doug Jones co-star; Guillermo del Toro directs.

Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog (2008) The web sensation created by Joss Whedon stars Neil Patrick Harris as the titular baddie who dreams of becoming a supervillain. But while he uses freeze rays and evil schemes to achieve infamy, his efforts are thwarted again and again by the arrogant local superhero Captain Hammer (Nathan Fillion). But Horrible finds a new inspiration for menace when the Captain steps in steals the heart of his long-longed for crush (Felicia Day). It’s one part rousing musical, and one part dark drama. And Whedon directs, so you can probably guess what that means for its finale!

Batman: Under The Red Hood (2010) Batman has faced plenty of dangerous foes, but none like the new vigilante that’s stalking him and his former sidekick, Dick Grayson. This enigmatic figure is known only as Red Hood, and he has a hard-earned grudge with Gotham’s greatest hero. Who is he? Batman will have to solve this mystery while battling the Joker, Ra’s al Ghul and Black Mask. Jensen Ackles, Neil Patrick Harris, Bruce Greenwood, John Di Maggio, Jason Isaacs, and Wade Williams lend their voices; Brandon Vietti directs.

Lee Daniel’s The Butler

The filmmaker behind Precious digs into the evolution of race relations in the United States through the true story of one African-American butler who worked in the White House for 34 years, under the likes of Presidents Eisenhower, Kennedy, Johnson, Nixon, and Reagan. Forest Whitaker and Oprah Winfrey star; Robin Williams, Melissa Leo, James Marsden, John Cusack, Alan Rickman and many, many more co-star. Daniels directs. (Read our full review here.)

It’s an incredibly ambitious goal to attempt to capture the complicated history of race relations in the U.S. within a single film, but sometimes a narrative movie or TV series is an incredible tool to investigate a particular era. For a look back on some of America’s dark but defining moments, check out these three titles. One centers on the greatest feud the nation ever knew. Another follows the story of one soldier that speaks for many. And the last unravels the mystery of a serial killer who wrought terror and infected the popular culture.

Hatfields & McCoys (2012) The Civil War was famously a conflict that turned brother against brother, but the legendary feud of neighbors Hatfield and McCoy began after their patriarchs returned from the battle field. The History Channel unfurled the beginnings of this gruesome feud that stretched from the Hatfield’s West Virginian home across the river to the Kentucky land of the McCoys with this heralded mini-series. Kevin Costner and Bill Paxton star.

Born on the Fourth of July (1989) This twice Academy Award-nominated drama unfolds the story of Vietnam War veteran Ron Kovic, finding inspiration in his best-selling autobiography of the same name. Tom Cruise stars as Kovic, playing him from an idealistic youth who willfully enlists in the Marine Corps, to a proud soldier on the front lines, to a wounded vet and activist who spoke out against the war whatever the cost. Kyra Sedgwick, Tom Berenger, and Frank Whaley co-star; Oliver Stone directs.

Zodiac (2007) In the 1960s and 1970s, a serial killer who called himself Zodiac was the scourge of the California police force, leaving a string of bizarre murders, strange codes, and public threats he demanded be published in newspapers. He made headlines, spurred fear, and inspired the movie Dirty Harry. The unknown man also became an obsession to one cartoonist who risked everything—even his own life and family—to crack the case that had so long confounded the police force. Be warned, while this film makes it quite clear how this killer became a national obsession, it is also so chilling it can give you goosebumps on the hottest summer day. Jake Gyllenhaal, Mark Ruffalo, Anthony Edwards, and Robert Downey Jr. co-star; David Fincher directs.

Maybe Kick-Ass 2 should run with a warning that says: Don’t try this at home. The movie doesn’t open until Friday, but the timing of a recent attempt at vigilante heroism in a small Pennsylvania town suggests it may have inspired one overzealous admirer to act out. WJACTV reports that Johnstown native Todd Kapcsos was charged with two misdemeanors including loitering and prowling, but he says he was just trying to be a ninja hero. "I dressed up in all black, snuck around, went through bushes," he told reporters following a hearing where his charges were waived to trial. "I was practicing some ninja moves -- ball, looking like a rock, just hiding in the shadows."

To his credit, Kapcsos was responding to a notable rise in crime in his Moxham neighborhood, which recently included a brutal stabbing death. "There's not enough police officers,” Kapcsos lamented, “I mean there's not enough [and] the community should do something rather than sit back.” Unfortunately for this aspiring ninja, he looked to his neighbors like he was up to no good. When Chris Trevino saw him “creeping,” “ninja running” and ducking into bushes, she figured Kapcsos was a would-be thief and called the cops, who soon apprehended him. “It looked like he was trying to break into homes, not like he was trying to save the world," Trevino explained.

To see the full interview, click the screengrab below that shows the ninja outfit this would-be vigilante crime fighter was sporting when he was arrested.

You might look this over and rightly think, ‘Wait a second, this story makes no mention of Kick-Ass.’ True. But there are some striking similarities. For one, Kapcsos attempt at combatting crime occurred on July 15th, shortly after Kick-Ass 2 released their “recruitment video.” His preference for martial arts could be thought to mirror any of the first film’s heroes. Then there’s the fact that he was carrying a baseball bat, the weapon of choice of Jim Carrey’s Colonel Stars and Stripes in the soon-to-open sequel. And, like this new addition to the Kick-Ass crew says in the movie’s trailers, Kapcsos admits he was in it to help people…and to have fun. Hm. Maybe some people are as easily influenced as Jim Carrey fears.

Full disclosure: I grew up in Johnstown, which may well explain my soft spot for Kapcsos' intentions here. However, it sounds like an astoundingly bad idea to attempt to fight crime on your own. Sure, he seems to have meant well and Johnstown’s Ninja Man (as I’m dubbing him right this moment) was carrying a baseball bat for his own protection, but that latter fact hardly makes me feel better about this situation. What’s ironic is that the first Kick-Ass movie’s main focus was about how truly dangerous and life-threatening attempting to be a superpowerless superhero would be. Kick-Ass nearly gets beat to death in his first attempt. Hit-Girl gets shot in the chest—though she survives. And her father Big Daddy is burned alive! What part of that would make someone want to give costumed heroism a shot? Maybe if Kapcsos does it again, he should at least channel Batman. That seems to go over better.

Since Kick-Ass launched both of them to various levels of fame, Aaron Johnson and Chloe Moretz have both grown up a good bit-- though you wouldn't necessarily know it by watching this new clip from Kick-Ass 2, which premiered at MTV. There's no avoiding the fact that Moretz has cruised through puberty (whatever happened to the awkward phase?), but Johnson somehow looks just as baby-faced and dopey as he did in Kick-Ass 4 years ago, even though he's now a married father. You heard his wife is the Fifty Shades of Grey director, right?

The clip here has been featured in various chopped-up forms in pretty much of all of the trailers for Kick-Ass 2 so far-- the combination of Batman & Robin references, a 15-year-old girl demanding to be hit and calling an older boy a "bitch" is apparently irresistible. That's basically the combination that made the first film a modest hit, so I suppose we shouldn't be surprised. Durin the film's Comic-Con panel Chloe Moretz, participating via satellite, talked about how Dave, a.k.a. Kick-Ass, is really Hit Girl's only friend, but when the two of them are trying to train to be better real-world superheroes, best friendship clearly goes hand-in-hand with punches to the face.

Directed by Jeff Wadlow, who's already got a bright superhero future ahead of him, Kick-Ass 2 reunites Johnson and Moretz as Kick-Ass and Hit Girl and teams them up with a whole new slew of self-styled superheroes, including Jim Carrey's Colonel Stars and Stripes, but also forces them to face off against a bunch of new villains. Christopher Mintz-Plasse, once Kick-Ass's ally fighting as Red Mist, has transformed himself into The Motherfucker as he seeks revenge for the death of his father in the first movie. And he's put together his own team of self-styled super villains to help the fight, including the fearsome Mother Russia. Actually, you can watch all the heroes and villains earn their names in the restricted trailer that debuted at Comic-Con:

Kick-Ass 2, unlike many of the movies promoted at Comic-Con, actually opens this year; you can catch it in theaters August 16, and click here to learn more about it.

Those who were hoping that Jim Carrey would get on board with Kick Ass 2: Balls to the Wall will likely appreciate this update. While it's not exactly official confirmation in the traditional sense, the word "officially" was used in the tweet director Jeff Wadlow posted this weekend, which stated that the film has its Colonel. And a very familiar (slightly modified) Jim Carrey quote was used in the process.

Last month, we learned that Carrey was being pursued to play the role of the Colonel in the follow-up for the 2010 action comedy Kick-Ass. Since then, we were left to wonder whether or not it would actually happen. Wadlow tweeted some good news this weekend:

So, technically he doesn't say Jim Carrey (nor does he include Carrey's Twitter in the Tweet), but the words "alrighty" and "then," when in proximity of one another as they are here, are likely to be most associated with Carrey's memorable pet detective character Ace Ventura. So, while it's probably safe to assume he's referring to Carrey here, the cautious side of me will leave a margin for misinterpretation. But if it's true, Carrey fans can celebrate by dancing with penguins, if you have happen to have any (Mr. Popper's, freezer-dwelling or otherwise).

The Colonel is described as a "showy supporting role," who "helps galvanize the team of misfit super heroes assembled to fight evil." It sounds like a role well-suited for Carrey, and by his super-name, I can only imagine his costume situation - there's definite potential there. Beyond that, assuming Kick-Ass 2 carries on the same violent tone as its predecessor, I'd be very interested to see if there's a dark streak in this character. By the description, the Colonel sounds like a positive kind of guy, who rallies the troops to fight evil. But when push comes to shove, is he the kind of character to really throw down and get dirty (or bloody)? If so, I'm even more curious to see how Carrey would do with the role.

Aaron Johnson will return to his role as Kick-Ass, along with Chloe Moretz, who plays the ruthless Hit-Girl (and who I predict has only gotten more brutal with age). We'll also see Christopher MIntz-Plasse returning as Chris D'Amico (or Red Mist). They'll be joined by newcomers John Leguizamo and Donald Faison.

With Kick-Ass 2: Balls to the Wall set to shoot this September, casting agents are on the search to fill out the sequel's new cast of characters. Kick-Ass stars Chloë Grace Moretz, Aaron Johnson and Christopher Mintz-Plasse have entered into negotiations to reprise their roles as Hit Girl, Kick-Ass, and Red Mist respectively. But in the second book of Mark Millar's gruesome graphic novels, the less than impressive villain Red Mist steps up his game, becoming the far more menacing Motherfucker. Part of his new image is a brawny bodyguard known as Mother Russia, and Moviehole has unearthed casting specs that reveal this combative comrade will be making an appearance in Kick-Ass 2: Balls to the Wall.

Of course, as you can see in the images above, Mother Russia is an exceptionally large lady. So, casting her could prove a tall order. The rundown circulating right now declares casting directors are searching for an “extremely tall, large, fit” woman somewhere between 25 to 40 years old, and describe the character as:

Since being tall in Hollywood can be a liability for leading ladies (it’s feared they make short male stars look less imposing/impressive), it'll be interesting to see who will go out for Mother Russia. The top of my list would be Gwendoline Christie, who plays the mighty female knight Brienne of Tarth on Game of Thrones. While she's made up to be pretty brutish on the series, shots of Christie out of costume show she's not only big, she's incredibly beautiful.

Another hard heroine who could offer a powerful punch is professional mixed martial artist turned action star Gina Carano, who dazzled critics with her raw bravada in Steven Soderbergh's gritty thriller Haywire. However, as a slightly less conventional—and dare I say ballsy—choice, I'd suggest hard-rockin' frontwoman of the band Storm and the Balls, Storm Large. She's 6 foot tall, and is a badass ass-kicker of the first degree, famously not taking shit from anyone—not even Tommy Lee on the reality competition Rock Star: Supernova. Basically, casting Mother Russia is a unique opportunity to give a less conventionally beautiful and more muscular actress a shot at stardom, and I'm genuinely hoping director Jeff Wadlow takes this chance to go big, bold and badass!

When it was announced that Universal was making a deal so that it could create a sequel to Matthew Vaughn's Kick-Ass there was a lot of rejoicing among fans, but the news came with a catch: none of the principal actors, including Aaron Johnson, Chloe Moretz and and Christopher Mintz-Plasse, had contracts that would guarantee their return for Kick-Ass 2. Well, we can all breathe a sigh of relief now because apparently Universal knows that making the film would be pointless without the original cast.

According to Deadline, Johnson, Moretz and Mintz-Plasse have all begun negotiating to reprise their roles as Kick-Ass, Hit Girl and Red Mist in the sequel. What's more, apparently Nicolas Cage, who played Hit Girl's father in the original, is also in talks for a cameo. The first film, directed by Matthew Vaughn and based on the comic book series by Mark Millar, was about a young, ordinary teenage boy who one day decides that he wants to become a superhero and fight crime. It was a modest success, pulling in $103 million worldwide on a $28 million budget, but it was expected to perform much better so Lionsgate (who distributed the first movie) put the sequel on ice. Kick-Ass 2 is currently aiming for a start of production date in the fall and Jeff Wadlow has already been hired to direct and write the script. His previous credits include Cry_Wolf and Never Back Down.

This is really good news, but they really are going to have to put this movie into high gear if they want to get it done right. Kick-Ass only came out in 2010, but its lead actors have aged quite considerably since then (particularly Moretz), so if they want to keep the timeline stable then they need to act quick.

For a long while now Kick-Ass 2 has seemed to exist in the realm of Ghostbusters 3 or Tron 2, a sequel that nobody would actually come out and admit was never going to happen, but that seemed set for release around the time of the Second Coming. But just as Dan Aykroyd has stumped for Ghostbusters 3 beyond all reason, Kick-Ass 2 has had its own dogged champion in Mark Millar, who wrote the original comic book and worked as an executive producer on the first film, which was adapted and directed by Matthew Vaughn. Even with Vaughn moving on to giant movies like X-Men: First Class, Millar was the first one to speak up and say Kick-Ass 2 had been greenlit in 2010-- which, of course, wasn't true. And last fall, even while admitting Vaughn wasn't likely to return as director, Millar was still keeping the flame of hope alive.

Today, in an interview with The Daily Record, Millar isn't just keeping the flame alive, but he's making concrete promises that he seems unlikely to keep. Millar told them that he plans to shoot Kick-Ass 2 this summer, in addition to an adaptation of another of his comics, American Jesus. From there he says he and Vaughn will move on to Secret Service, a kind of James Bond riff about a nebbishy guy getting the chance to become a super spy.

The way that Millar tosses around "we" and talks up his collaboration with Vaughn indicates that the two are at least in touch, but the production schedule he's mentioning makes absolutely no sense. Vaughn was just brought back in to direct a sequel to X-Men: First Class, and while there's no release date in place just yet, it seems safe to assume the usual rushed sequel production sequel, which means Vaughn will be busy this summer. And even if he weren't, how would they shoot not one but two comic adaptations this summer, including one that's a sequel to a film with a lot of stars who might have busier schedules?

It's hard to figure what Millar meant, if he misspoke, if he's using some wishful thinking to make these projects happen by speaking about them in print, or if there's some massive miscommunication somewhere. And hey, who knows-- maybe Vaughn has negotiated with Fox to spend the summer on Kick-Ass 2 before starting up again with X-Men, and we'll see casting announcements soon. But given Millar's history of crying wolf, I'm staying skeptical on this until some more information emerges.

Recently, we reported that X-Men: First Class director Matthew Vaughn snatched up the rights to Mark Millar’s Superior as he contemplates follow-up projects to the Marvel origin story. Not content with having one Millar project waiting in the wings, we’re now hearing that Vaughn’s grabbing another.

Don’t worry, Vaughn fans. It’s still a superhero property. Vaughn, Millar and artist Dave Gibbons (Watchmen) have collaborated on a comic book series titled The Secret Service, and according to The Hollywood Reporter, Vaughn holds the film rights to the material.

Both comic properties are in the early stages of development, and THR says Vaughn would like to tackle the script for Secret Service if he decides to go in that direction as his next project (though the trade has no details on that story’s plot).

Many of us (myself included) wanted to see Vaughn continue with Kick-Ass and deliver a kick-ass (sorry) sequel. But Millar admitted recently that the success of First Class and the first Kick-Ass likely made Vaughn too expensive for the low-budget franchise. At least we can take some comfort in the fact that the director, who started on Layer Cake and briefly branched into fantasy with the underrated Stardust, wants to stay in the comic-book realm. Because Kick-Ass and his X-Men prequel proved that he has a lot to say on such material, and has yet to run out of clever ways in which to say it.

While Chloe Moretz, Aaron Johnson and writer Jane Goldman have all expressed their doubts about the possibility of a Kick-Ass 2, comic book creator Mark Millar has spent most of the last year and a half promising people that it will indeed happen. One of the key things that Millar has always pointed to is director Matthew Vaughn's interest in doing another sequel, but considering the filmmaker has been considering other projects, that idea has often been questioned. Finally it seems that Millar has joined the rest of us on planet Earth.

Talking with the Los Angeles Times about the second series run of the Kick-Ass comic book, the author said that because everyone from the first film is now so successful, it may be hard to get everyone back on board for another movie. Despite the fact that most people saw the first installment as a box office disappointment - it made under $20 million in its opening weekend - Millar points out that the movie was made for only $28 million and grossed nearly $100 million worldwide with strong reviews from critics. As a result, some of the more important names, specifically Vaughn, may be out of reach.

"Hopefully, we can use the same actors if and when we do a sequel, but getting Matthew [Vaughn] to direct or Jane to write a movie at this budget would be very difficult because they’re superstars now and they have projects of their own," Millar said. "I’d imagine, if this happens any time soon, that Matthew will produce and possibly co-write, like George Lucas did with The Empire Strikes Back, and hire a new director."

As much as I really liked Kick-Ass (it was one of my favorites in 2010), it's hard not to see the writing on the wall. Lionsgate, who picked up the project for distribution in the United States, wasn't very happy about the movie's domestic performance, where it made less than $50 million, so they probably wouldn't be in too much of a rush to pick up a sequel. Let's decide to be happy with the movie we got and be done with it.

The writing has been on the wall, and now it’s pretty much confirmed. Kick-Ass 2 isn’t happening.

The news of the promised sequel’s dissolution comes from Jane Goldman who adapted the Mark Millar comic for the first film. Talking to Absolute Radio she says, “I don't think it's going to happen. At the moment it's not in the works. We're all doing different things at the moment. We would love to do it again, but we've all been pulled in different directions.”

This has been coming for awhile. Back in January we learned that they hadn’t even started work on Kick-Ass 2, and that director Matthew Vaughn was doing something else first. Now it seems it’s not so much that he’s doing something else first, as he’s probably not doing Kick-Ass 2 at all.

During the course of the interview, Goldman tries to leave some room for hope. She insists that they just want to make sure the story is right before they do anything with it, but if you pay attention to movie news with regularity, then you know that’s the sort of thing someone says when they don’t plan on doing something but don’t want to piss off its fans. Cross Kick-Ass 2 off your checklist.

Great movies are built on great ideas, or amazing performances, or the perfect script. Maybe they're best remembered as a completed whole, a piece of art which doesn't come together until every single frame has unspooled on screen. But more often than not, it's the moments we remember most; those special, singular places in time where everything comes together on screen for a few brief seconds or minutes to create something so indelible, so perfect, you'll carry it with you for the rest of your life.

Maybe the rest of the movie doesn't really work or maybe you're in the middle of watching one of the year's best films. Whatever the movie, in that moment, for those seconds, you're carried away by unstoppable laughter, soaring on waves of emotion, or left sinking into the pits of sadness and despair. For a few specific seconds some films are able to capture lightning in a bottle. 2010 had more than its share of those unforgettable, lightning in a bottle moments on film. These are the ones we'll remember most.

SPOILER WARNING: The following discussion contains major spoilers from each of the films involved. If you haven't seen the movie, skip it and go on to the next one.

Aron Ralston Smiles in 127 Hours

The most unforgettable moment in 127 Hours isn't the now infamous five minutes James Franco's Aron Ralston spends cutting off his own arm, it's what he does afterward. Trapped for days with his appendage wedged between a boulder and a narrow canyon wall, Aron has had little to hope for except a quick and painless death. Dehydrated and hopeless, he finally begins tearing at his own flesh. It seems clear that when he starts he never hoped to actually survive but suddenly after hacking and tearing and suffering, suddenly he's free.

Aron stumbles back against the canyon wall and stops, almost surprised to be moving under his own power, and when he stumbles backwards he looks back at the spot where he'd been imprisoned, he looks back and the remains of his severed limb... and smiles. It's that moment, more than any other in 127 Hours which you'll never get. It's the smile of pure freedom, it's the smile of someone who suddenly has a chance at life. For that one second, he doesn't feel the pain of his missing arm or the stiffness in his water-deprived muscles. There is only freedom.

Unfortunately that particular scene from 127 Hours isn't available to view online. Check out a different clip below instead, as a reminder of the circumstances from which Ralston freed himself.

Obliviate in Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows

We've never really seen much of Hermione's home life in the Harry Potter movies. All we've been told is that her parents are, well, normal. In a few brief seconds at the start of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows part 1 though, we learn all there is to know about the Grangers. They are normal, very normal and judging from the pictures on their mantle they deeply love their daughter.

But they're in danger and to keep them safe, Hermione erases their memory of her. As she raises her wand behind unsuspecting parents, the pictures on their mantle filled with happy times spent doing things with their daughter fade away. Her parents hunch over on the couch, as if all the happiness has just been sucked out of their lives. Hermione will remember their life with her, but they won't.

Watch Hermione sacrifice her past to keep the people she loves safe, with a small part of the obliviate scene in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows part 1 embedded below.

MacGruber Blows Up Heroes in MacGruber

The best Saturday Night Live movie since Wayne's World may have been slandered by critics and underappreciated by fans, but it's still responsible for one of the better misdirection scenes in comedy history. After tracking down and reassembling his imposing gang of professional wrestlers, MacGruber takes pause to ridicule Ryan Phillippe, as half a dozen or so American heroes with over one hundred years of combined combat experience chant "fuck the brass" from inside their specially-equipped van. And then it explodes, taking all their brotherhood and expertise with it.

As MacGruber frantically checks the wreckage for survivors and screams for someone to call 911, viewers finally get a taste of what they might be in for. It's surprising and strangely brilliant and far more clever than most people give it credit for. What can you really expect out of the jackass that just blew up his entire support network? An hour and a half of unconventional, foul-mouthed hilarity. Don't bother disagreeing. MacGruber will just head butt you in the face until you reconsider.

Watch MacGruber blow up his own team embedded below:

Albert's Penguin Story in The King's Speech

Before he becomes embroiled in matters of state, we first meet Albert as a family man who never really expected to take the reigns of power. He loves his children yet because of his stammer finds himself often utterly unable to communicate with them. In what is without a doubt the film's most moving, human moment Albert comes in to kiss his daughters before bed. They beg him to tell them a bed time story, and the sadness in Albert's eyes at that moment is so great, that it threatens to take on a life of its own.

Knowing he's unable to tell a proper story Albert attempts to compensate and, wearing the tuxedo he'll need for his late night engagement, gets down on his hands and knees to imitate a penguin for his daughters, while stuttering out a penguin story. The story is simple and his delivery is halting and unsteady, but Albert loves his daughters and attempts to compensate by flopping around the room, without hesitation or embarrassment. They love him for it.

The King's Speech is only recently in theaters, so this scene isn't available to watch online. Do yourself a favor and whether or not you've already seen it, buy a ticket for The King's Speech right now.

Nina Dances The Black Swan in Black Swan

Unable to find the darkness inside herself necessary to dance the dance of the Black Swan for her performance in Swan Lake, Natalie Portman's Nina spends most of the film slowly driving herself mad in pursuit of perfection. Backstage between dances, she slowly gives in to the madness and it gives her power on stage, the power to pull off the greatest performance of her career. Nina steps on stage to dance the black swan and while the audience simply sees an amazing dance, in Nina's mind she's slowly beginning to transform into a bird as the darkness she's had bottled up in her is suddenly released.

Director Darren Aronofsky shoots the entire thing beautifully and Portman, who worked tirelessly to transform her body for the role, actually performs a lot of the moves herself. The result is perhaps one of the best ballet sequences ever captured on screen.

Here's the first part of Nina's dance of the black swan, embedded below. It gets weirder and goes further, shortly after this clip ends.

Allen Gets His Wooden Gun Back in The Other Guys

In The Other Guys Will Ferrell's loser cop Allen is so incompetent that he's given a wooden gun. Except he can't even hold on to that, and it's soon taken from him by the movie's bad guys. Allen and his partner (Mark Wahlberg) are called into the Captain's office to be chewed out for their actions where the Captain informs them that in a move of ninja-like humiliation their attackers have returned Will Ferrell's wooden gun and we learn, for some reason, have also improved it by staining the wood and rubbed it down with linseed oil. Allen is impressed by the attention to detail. It's a scene so ridiculous that it probably couldn't have happened in a proper movie, but that's just how The Other Guys rolls. The plot may not work at all, but the sheer absurdity of what's going on makes this moment, along with a lot of the others in this film, one of the funniest of the year.

Will Ferrell's admiration of his gun's new finish isn't available online, but here's what happens later when he loses his gun again:

Henley Sequence in The Social Network

For those who row crew, there are few events more hotly anticipated than the Henley Royal Regatta on the River Thames. Rowers from around the world go every year and future Olympians Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss are no exceptions. Standing 6'5” and weighing in at 220 pounds, the twins work year round to try and bring home the top prize for their beloved Harvard University.

Starting quietly, we hear the sound of Edvard Grieg's “In The Hall of the Mountain King” and as the camera pans around the town of Henley-on-Thames, England, the tilt shift camera work making everything look miniature. The music grows as we see the boats for the first time, slowly moving towards us from a distance. The rowers' oars move in perfect synchronicity, silent coxswains calling out orders to their teammates. Grieg's masterpiece gains volume and tempo as we get closer to the rowers as they grit their teeth, flex their arms and try to keep their breath. As the two boats get closer and closer to the finish line, staying neck in neck, the music becomes deafening and the rowers look more and more exhausted, but never give up. Finally, one boat crosses the finish line and… it's the Hollandia Roeiclub from the Netherlands that finishes first by less than a full boat length. The Dutch rowers are jubilant though bushed, and the Winklevosses appear to be near tears. From high above the race, the Winklevoss' business partner, Divya Narendra, turns away. It's yet another second place finish.

Relive one of the most brilliant moments from David Fincher's The Social Network below.

Hiccup And Toothless Touch in How To Train Your Dragon

It happens in incremental moments, this connection between a Viking boy and the dragon he's been taught to fear and kill his entire life. Of course, since it started with Hiccup shooting down Toothless in the night sky during a battle, it was obviously going to take some time for these two to warm up to each other. First Hiccup brings a fish, and Toothless coughs up a bit of the tail so Hiccup can share-- making sure he swallows, of course. At that point it's too early, though, and Toothless runs away the moment Hiccup reaches out his hand. Then Hiccup draws Toothless in the dirt with a stick, and Toothless imitates him, sketching circles in the ground around Hiccup with a giant tree branch. All the while we come to see Toothless as less fearsome dragon and more eager housecat, trying to understand and communicate with his new friend.

Finally it happens-- Hiccup reaches out his hand to Toothless's nose, eyes averted to the ground, and Toothless presses into the boy's palm. It's the beginning of a friendship that will define each of their lives as well as this lovely, adventurous movie, and it starts with a simple touch between creatures trained to kill one another above all else.

Revisit the start of the friendship between Hiccup and Toothless below:

Drinking With Terry Hoitz in The Other Guys

When Will Ferrell's Allen has trouble at home with his way too hot to be with him wife, Mark Wahlberg's Terry Hoitz has the solution: Drinking. Not just any drinking, drinking with Terry Hoitz. Drinking with Terry Hoitz, as it turns out, involves such highly entertaining antics as pouring beer on bar patrons, firing off guns in a crowd while shotgunning vodka, and peeing on pool tables. It's all told in a pretty eye-popping, single-take still image which the camera weaves through while The Black Eyed Peas “Imma Be” blares on the soundtrack providing a funky beat to their antics.

For those of you keeping count, that's the Black Eyed Peas second appearance on this list. 2010 was their year, and probably with good reason. This scene just wouldn't be as good without their vibe.

Watch Will Ferrell and Mark Wahlberg go drinking Terry Hoitz style, embedded below:

Big Daddy Takes Down A Warehouse in Kick-Ass

While he doesn't know it yet, Kick-Ass is screwed. Tricked by a guy he believes to be a fellow superhero, he's being driven to his doom and all he can do is sit in the passenger seat jamming out to “Crazy” by Gnarls Barkley. Or at least that's what Red Mist thinks as he alerts the men at the warehouse that they are on their way. Fortunately for Kick-Ass, Big Daddy beats both of them there.

Sneaking in like a ninja, the hulking former cop dressed up like Batman lays waste to every man in the building. In the background, John Murphy's “In The House In A Heartbeat” from the 28 Days Later score slowly rises as the superhero glides around. Knife slashes throat. Kick guy in the chest. Knife stabs chest. Shots fired with pistol. Use human shield. More stabbing, more shooting. Ascend the stairs, dodge the bullets. Shoot a guy, throw a grenade. Hop down, steal shotgun and fire away. In less than a minute, a warehouse filled with trained killers becomes a warehouse filled with corpses. After that, there's nothing more to do then to set it all aflame.

Watch Big Daddy bring all the baddies down in the video below:

John And Cyrus Discuss Panic Attacks in Cyrus

Mothers are like the Godfather's Luca Brasi. They're fiercely devoted, unwaveringly intense and usually the worst possible people to piss off. Cyrus and John at least agree on that. Their seething hatred for each other has evolved into open warfare, but they both know no good will come out of telling Molly, John's girlfriend and Cyrus' mom. For fear of evil eyes and more nights on the couch, they take to a spare bedroom to whisper vicious threats before the woman in their lives enters, setting the stage for a delicate, back-and-forth, overly nice verbal manipulation about the best way to handle panic attacks.

Cyrus claims he's been having them and needs to move back home. John invents a bullshit, heart-wrenching story about how overcoming his fight with them in college without help turned him into the man he is today. And on and on it goes, a brilliant one-up battle of back-and-forth fabrications before Cyrus turns up the heat and shyly asks John if he isn't allowed back. Internally weighing the pros and cons, John decides to give up the battle to continue the war. The whole thing is ridiculous, yet it's still strangely authentic. Where lesser films would have devolved into over-the-top improv, Cyrus treads lightly, letting the humor come from the men's conniving dislike rather than the absurdity of individual phrases. To paraphrase David Merrick, it's not enough to win if your enemies don't lose.

This scene isn't online yet, but the movie's on Blu-ray and DVD. Run out and pick it up now.

Black Widow's Fight in Iron Man 2

Until Iron Man 2 no one had ever really thought of Scarlett Johansson as an action star, but in a little under two-minutes of battle her character, the Black Widow, delivers a series of roundhouse punches and mace to the face with such ferocity that it's not only easily the best scene in Iron Man 2 but one of the best straight up action sequences of the year.

While Tony Stark is off fighting more metal robots, Black Widow aka Natalie Romanov goes with Stark's driver Happy (Jon Favreau) to break into a secure facility and shut down the metal monsters demolishing the city. To get in she'll have to strip down and slide into a slinky catsuit, then demolish a veritable army of security guards while Happy stands around getting his ass kicked by one dude. Favreau's sense of humor about himself in the scene is a lot of fun, but not as much fun as watching Scarlett go nuts on a bunch of henchman.

Revisit Black Widow's fighting skills below:

I've Got A Dream in Tangled

Though he likes breaking femurs, you can count Brad Garrett's hook-handed thug amongst the dreamers. The same goes for all the other Barbarians Rapunzel meets in the scariest saloon this side of Dodge City. They may not have clean consciences (or hands), but below the gruff exteriors, they're just grown-up kids with unfulfilled aspirations. For almost a century, Disney has thrived on littering its films with these goofy, idealistic side characters and perhaps none have ever been given a better musical tribute than Tangled offers its ragtag band of loveable miscreants.

A lesser film would have laughed at these Philistines, but directors Nathan Greno and Byron Howard eschew mean-spirited finger pointing in favor of well-deserved giggles. Anyone can laugh at the fish out of water or the Barbarian out of key, but Rapunzel gleefully joins in, seeing the Brutes as partners rather than enemies. Her decision serves her well later, as it does the audience. “I Can See The Light” may be the film's emotional center, but “I've Got A Dream” is far and away its most charming. Walt Disney would be proud.

Sing along with the first part of “I've Got A Dream” from Tangled in the video below.

Tell us about your favorite movie moments of 2010 in the comments below.

To get more of Cinema Blend's Best Of 2010, click here.

Well beyond a year after it hit theaters and stupefied the eyeballs of every moviegoer on the planet, James Cameron's Avatar continues setting records-- but probably not the kind Fox is hoping for. According to Torrent Freak, Avatar was the most-downloaded movie of the last year, in addition to being the most-downloaded Blu-Ray of all time. And if you're still holding on to that supposed rivalry between exes Cameron andKathryn Bigelow, check this out-- making the list at #9 was Bigelow's Best Picture winner The Hurt Locker, with 6.8 million downloads to Avatar's 16.5 million.

Torrent Freak has the full list, including number of downloads next to each movie's total worldwide grosses. It's an interesting mix of huge blockbusters that everybody saw in theaters anyway-- Inception, Sherlock Holmes, Iron Man 2-- and underperforming genre movies like Kick-Ass and Green Zone, which probably would have benefited from some of these downloaders actually shelling out for a ticket. It's hard to honestly argue that downloading has severely damaged Inception or Avatar, but it's a bummer to see something worthy like Kick-Ass deemed a failure when the group that could have been its target audience-- the kind of people likely to download anyway-- chose to just steal it instead.

Last week I had a chance to sit in on a roundtable with Aaron Johnson, who played the title character in the sadly under-performing Kick-Ass earlier this year. When I brought up the topic of the sequel, Johnson said that the project pretty much falls into Matthew Vaughn's hands at this point, and he's now in Oxford directing X-Men: First Class. The quotes seemed to belie the confident comments made by comic creator Mark Millar, and Chloe Moretz, who is currently promoting Let Me In, seems to share Johnson's hesitance.

Speaking with Collider, Moretz came out an flatly said that everything we've heard about a possible sequel is rumor at this point. Said the young actress, while she would love to don Hit-Girl's purple wig and schoolgirl skirt again, there hasn't been any forward motion with the project.

It's no secret that I'm a fan of the first film and I've been optimistic up to this point, but it's becoming a challenge. There was an expectation that the film would make back it's budget in the first week, but it barely made half. Overall, the numbers for the film aren't that bad, with the international figures totaling nearly $100 million, but that might not be enough. I'm will continue to hold out hope, but we might just have to settle with the comic book.

For all of the talk we've heard from comic creator Mark Millar about a sequel to Kick-Ass,the other players in the mix have been keeping quiet. Director Matthew Vaughn is off directing X-Men: First Class, Chloe Moretz is promoting her newest film, Let Me In, and Aaron Johnson is doing publicity for Nowhere Boy, a biopic about the early years of John Lennon that was made before Kick-Ass, but is seeing a stateside release next week. Fortunately, I was able to catch up with the actor who played the title role and ask him about the sequel.

Sitting in with Johnson as part of a roundtable interview, I asked him what stage Kick-Ass 2: Balls To The Wall was in, and while he was somewhat vague about the details, it sounds as though the film will be made when Vaughn can open up his schedule to make it.

Kind of a mixed bag, really. Like many of you, Kick-Ass is one of my favorite films so far this year and really do want to see where the story goes. There is, of course, the comic series, which I plan on reading, but because of the changes made to the story in the movie, the books may not satisfy as a direct sequel. Johnson sounds like he's ready for a second round, so box office under-performance be damned: let's get this movie made.

Here’s how you know a movie really didn’t do well: When the people involved in it start bragging about its projected DVD sales. That’s exactly what Kick-Ass creator Mark Millar did when Bleeding Cool caught him talking about the movie based on his comic book. Millar is convinced the movie will sell twice as much in DVDs as it did in movie tickets, which really makes no sense.

But here’s the good news for Kick-Ass fans: Millar says Kick-Ass 2 is happening. After it makes all that crazy DVD money he says, “So It should be okay. So the sequel’s greenlit, we can go ahead and do the follow up now, you know. The first made so much compared to what it cost it would be crazy not to.”

Even though relatively speaking Kick-Ass was a box office disappointment, it did turn a profit. It made less than $50 million domestically but it did end up making nearly $100 million worldwide and it only cost them $30 million to make. Even if you tack on another $30 million in marketing costs the movie still made money. Maybe that’s enough to get a sequel greenlit. Maybe Millar’s telling the truth. Or maybe not.

The thing is Kick-Ass director Matthew Vaughn doesn’t seem to have waited around to make a sequel. He’s already jumped on another project. Vaugh is off directing X-Men: First Class. Best case scenario it’ll be years before he’d have time to do Kick-Ass 2. Maybe they’ll get someone else. Maybe they’ll get Mark Millar, who has long lobbied to get a major directing gig in Hollywood. Or maybe this sequel will end up direct to DVD since, apparently, DVD’s the place it’s going to make most of its money anyway.

We've known since early June that Kick-Ass star Aaron Johnson has been rumored for a role in the upcoming X-Men: First Class. While the the evidence was weak (a photograph of Vaughn, Johnson and James McAvoy leaving a building together), it did make sense, as Vaughn directed Johnson's last feature and the actor is the appropriate age to join the group. Now we might know what character he could be playing.

AICN has received a tip from a source referring to himself as "Son of Rothman" saying that Johnson will play Scott Summers, better known as Cyclops, in the upcoming Fox film. The source claims that the news is "one hundred percent locked at this point," and it has been known for a while that Vaughn was planning on recasting the role, not using Tim Pocock who played the part in X-Men Origins: Wolverine.

Now that we know that he lost out on the part of Spider-Man, the story could make a lot of sense and Johnson would be perfect for the part. What's strange is that back in April, while promoting Kick-Ass, Johnson claimed he had already turned down superhero roles and was in no rush to jump back into a pair of spandex. I suppose that getting the opportunity to work with a fantastic director like Matthew Vaughn again is something that's hard to say no to.

There are plenty of stereotypes out there about teenagers. They all hate their parents, are hormone-crazed, make problems out nothing, possess no work ethic and are smoking the marijuana. One of the most notable things, however, is having the attention spans of goldfish. This was obviously very much in the front of organizer's minds for the Teen Choice Awards

Fox has announced the nominees for this year's Teen Choice Awards and between movies, television, music and "other," there are more than 55 categories to shove into a two hour show. Now I'm not a mathematician, but if you take out time for commercials, that's one award announced every minute-and-a-half. To put this into context, if the Academy Awards were to adopt that same pace, you could fit the Oscars into a half-hour time slot. Obviously some categories are going to fall through the cracks, but they may have to hire John Moschitta to read off the nominees and make winners sprint to the podium.

The show will be aired on Monday, August 9th from 8:00-10:00 ET. Check out the nominations in the movie section below and hop over to Television Blend to see the TV nominees.

I’m one of the few people who didn’t like Matthew Vaughn’s last movie, Kick-Ass, but even I sort of liked Aaron Johnson as the movie’s lead dork turned superhero. Why not give him another shot at it? And this time, maybe give him a better costume.

Filmonic has uncovered an image which they think indicates that Johnson could be meeting with Vaughn about working for him again, this time in his upcoming X-Men prequel, First Class. There’s not a lot of evidence to back this up really, but there is a picture.

The photo was taken by Contact Music on May 17th, and it shows Matthew Vaughn, James McAvoy, and Aaron Johnson hanging out together. We know James McAvoy has since been cast to play a young Professor Xavier in the film, so it seems logical to at least consider the possibility that since the three of them are together, First Class must be the topic, and if it’s the topic then Aaron Johnson could be talking about being in it. First Class is a prequel in which the X-Men are teenagers and that means Aaron is the right age to play one of the major characters. Aaron Johnson as Cyclops? Seems like a perfect fit.

The foundation has officially been set for the next installment in the X-Men series to return to form and start kicking ass, literally. Just last week we found out that Kick-Ass director Matthew Vaughn had signed on to direct X-Men: First Class, which in itself breeds tremendous hope, but now Kick-Ass and Stardust co-writer, Jane Goldman, has been added to the bill.

The news comes down from the ever reliable twitter as Goldman's husband Jonathan Ross had to sleep alone two nights ago since Goldman was off working on "X-Men 4". Of course there's always the very off chance that by X-Men 4 he could have been referring to the rumored Last Stand follow up that has been kicking around for a while, but all signs point to Goldman reteaming with long time writing partner Matthew Vaughn and knocking X-Men: First Class out of the park.

The movie has had a bunch of other writers tossed in its general direction, but few have stuck. Newbie writer Jamie Moss and veteran TV writer Josh Schwartz are listed as the film's primaries, with Thor co-writers Ashley Miller and Zack Stentz on the bill for rewrites. But the history between Goldman and Vaughn suggests that their run will become the shooting script.

First Class will start shooting very soon with a targeted release date of June 3, 2011 so they'll have to get their butts in gear. The Vaughn/Goldman pair have yet to fail to make a great movie, despite their inability to really find a mass audience. Stardust and Kick-Ass will be cult classics and it's high time Vaughn gets recognized for his skill.

I thought all hope for a Kick-Ass 2 had been squashed by the film's less-than-spectacular box office performance, and that the only way to catch the further adventures of Red Mist, Hit Girl and company would be if Mark Millar decided to put out another comic book. As it turns out Millar really is planning another comic, but apparently another movie is part of the program as well.

Millar is launching a new monthly magazine for UK comic book fans called CLiNT, and in a press release sent to Forces of Geek, he announced that he'll be launching the first pages of Kick-Ass 2: Balls to the Wall in the magazine. Not only that, but the movie "has been scheduled for production in 2011 with a 2012 cinema release."

Now the press release, being one for the comic book press and not the movies, is very scarce on details, such as who exactly scheduled this production, where the money was coming from, and if director Matthew Vaughn will even be available while finishing X-Men: First Class for its own 2011 release date. It doesn't surprise me at all that Millar is writing the next edition of the comics with an eye on a movie version, but it would surprise me if Kick-Ass 2 had already settled on a production schedule without any of us hearing anything about it.

Matthew Vaughn went through a titanic effort to make Kick-Ass independent of the studio system, and though Lionsgate likely won't lose money outright on his film, they don't seem all that eager to fund a sequel. Even if this is just wishful thinking, though, take this as a sign that we are nowhere near done hearing about all the potential for Kick-Ass 2.

The news that hit last week about Matthew Vaughn potentially directing X-Men: First Class came with a lot of speculation, depending on who you asked. Had he recently been offered it? Had he already passed? No one seemed to know for sure, but it only took a few days for the story to settle itself: Deadline is reporting that Fox has officially signed Vaughn to direct the film, which has been given the very, very imminent release date of June 3, 2011.

Bryan Singer had some standard kind words to say about Vaughn in the press release, that "he has a deft hand with multiple characters and storylines, and a great love of the X-Men universe." I'm reading a hidden knock against Brett Ratner into that, but that may just be me. Production on the film is set to start this summer, which means we're about to see a flurry of casting announcements because, jeez, they've got to get this sucker made quick.

Despite all the superhero magic of Kick-Ass, Vaughn is still kind of an unconventional choice by studio standards, a director without an actual track record for hits and with too much experience to be pushed around by producers. Picking him, rather than a more generic or inexperienced directors, suggests Fox might be willing to actually make something of this X-Men edition, rather than writing it off after Bryan Singer bailed as a director. Here's hoping so far.

Last week we heard rumors here that Kick-Ass helmer Matthew Vaughn had passed on directing Fox’s new prequel X-Men: First Class. Now word is that he’s back in and their leading candidate for the job.

The rumor comes from Deadline where they say the deal isn’t done yet, but “s being negotiated right now.” I guess that depends on what you think of Matthew Vaughn and his last effort, Kick-Ass.

In a way, it’s sort of surprising that Fox would even consider hiring him for such a high-profile project. Vaughn’s movies to date have hardly been box office blockbusters. Both Kick-Ass and Stardust seriously underperformed by almost any estimation. Maybe they make their budget back, but when it came to finding an audience, both movies were huge disappointments.

Then there’s Kick-Ass itself. The movie is kind of like a shock-version of what First Class will be. So maybe that’s a good thing, Vaughn at least has experience with the genre. But Kick-Ass, whatever you think of it, is a fairly uneven experience. The movie’s main character is abandoned for long stretches to follow side characters and if the film has one, glaring weakness, it’s that Vaughn never seemed to juggle the demands of handling an ensemble in quite the right manner.

Given these things, it’s hard to imagine Fox offering him the job, though after the box office disappointment of Kick-Ass I guess it’s easy to see Vaughn taking it. In the past he’s been adamant about his desire to work outside the studio system where he can remain independent and do movies in his own way. But after two sequential underperformers, the guy’s probably going to have trouble raising funding for his next project on his own. Becoming a big-budget studio director may be his only real option at this point.

UPDATE: Now THR is also reporting that Vaughn has passed, and one of the primary contenders is Daniel Espinosa, a Swedish director who is taking a whole lot of meetings as he figures out what will be his first English-language film. We'll bring you more on him later.

Kick-Ass didn't manage to perform nearly as well as anyone expected it to, and it seemed that Matthew Vaughn might be forced to limp away again as he had after Stardust, saddled with another flop. But this is Hollywood and apparently there are no rules, so Vaughn has been offered to direct X-Men: First Class instead.

Entertainment Weekly reports that Vaughn has been offered the superhero project, which Bryan Singer ditched a month ago after teasing us with the idea of returning to the franchise he began. It's actually a little bit of history repeating itself; as EW reminds us, Vaughn was offered X-Men 3 back in 2005, and his turning it down resulted in Brett Ratner taking over the project. Perhaps he's trying now to make amends for the horrors of the past?

Then again, EW also speculates that Vaughn could pass, and Deadline Hollywood is hearing that Vaughn has already passed. It would be a little odd for Vaughn to return to superheroes so soon, even if it doesn't look like Kick-Ass 2 could be a reality. But even if Vaughn passes, can we take Fox offering him the job as a sign of who else they might be eyeing? They offered it to Mark Millar as well, so maybe this is an ongoing Kick-Ass thing? Is Christopher Mintz-Plasse next in line?

After a thrilling, record-breaking start, April has dwindled off into the realm of obscurity. Three new releases this weekend failed to make major blips on the box office radar, leaving the dregs of the last month to continue floating along the top.

Audiences confirmed their general disinterest in last week's narrow number one winner Kick Ass. In a weekend when most movies only lost around 40% from the previous week, it slipped over 50%, dropping from number one to number five, once again suggesting it's title refers to what the box office is doing to it, not vice versa.

The big loser this weekend was Disney's traditional Earth Day release. Oceans, which ran up a mammoth budget of $80 million, failed to make waves with American audiences, banking only $6 million. Fortunately for the film, international audiences found its environmentally touching theme much more sympathetic, lending an additional $54 million in sales. That still leaves the movie hurting for profit, a sad condition for a film aiming to bring attention to a needy cause, not become one itself.

Jennifer Lopez' first new movie in three years failed to impress. The Back Up Plan came in second place with only $12 million against its $35 million budget. That left room for five week old How To Train Your Dragon to slip back into the number one spot. And aptly titled The Losers, which ran a tab of $25 million, opened to the depressing tune of $9 million.

For the full weekend top ten details, check out the chart below:

Ever since Matthew Vaughn showed those first snippets of footage at Comic Con last summer, Kick-Ass had seemed destined to become a monster hit. In the months and weeks leading up to its release, fan anticipation reached a fever pitch, with Kick-Ass lauded on blogs and message boards around the internet as the one 2010 movie everyone couldn’t wait to see above any other. The amount of excitement over the movie, before its release, was of the type we haven’t seen since Joss Whedon's Serenity or, well, Snakes on a Plane. And like that much talked about, utterly ridiculous, ultimately failed Samuel L. Jackson movie, Kick-Ass is now officially a box office disappointment.

The box office results are in here and not only did Kick-Ass fail to break $20 million it was beaten on its opening weekend by a cartoon that’s already been in theaters for more than a month. You’re going to hear a lot of excuses over the next few days, from the studio which funded it, to the bloggers who supported it, all of whom will claim Kick-Ass as a rousing success because it will in all likelihood at some point make its money back whether it’s on DVD or through On Demand dollars. But excuses is exactly what these are. Probably Kick-Ass will make its money back, that’s not hard to do when your movie only cost $28 million, but after months of constant internet hype anything less than a $30 million opening weekend is an utter failure and in fact most predicted the film would make at least that much.

So where did it all go wrong? We’ll never know for sure, but I have a few ideas. Five guesses which I think explain why Kick-Ass is the new Serenity.

Muddled Marketing: Outside of a few very vocal nerds on the internet, I’m not sure most people really had any idea what the movie was supposed to be. It’s not that they had no awareness of it, Lionsgate’s marketing campaign was huge, it’s just that it never made any sense. The trailers were full of bright colors and snappy one-liners. It seemed kind of like a cartoon, some of the TV spots even made it look like a family movie. But the movie was rated-R, the title contains a borderline curse-word, and most of the talk around the project centered on how violent it is. The film’s title and rating never seemed to fit the bright, friendly looking images and poppy music playing through the ads. To the average moviegoer, none of this really made any sense.

2002 Called, It Wants Its Movie Back: Another side effect of all those bright colors was that Kick-Ass looked dated. To anyone without an existing familiarity with the comics the movie looked bright and silly, almost like The Fantastic Four. That style of superhero movie is so out of vogue that Sony killed its entire Spider-Man franchise just to get more dark and gritty like The Dark Knight. Of course the big secret of Kick-Ass is that it is dark and gritty, but to anyone who knows nothing about the movie all they see are bright, neon colors and a bunch of kids running around acting like Peter Parker. They’ve seen that movie and it’s now so out of sync with what people are looking for in a superhero movie, that audiences ignored it.

Aaron Whathisname Can’t Carry A Movie: One look at the posters for Kick-Ass should tell you where they went wrong. The movie only has one legitimate star and on the posters he’s hidden behind some sort of silly Batman mask. Nic Cage didn’t even bother to show up to some of the film’s bigger events and I strongly suspect a lot of people didn’t even realize he was in it. For instance, he wasn't with the rest of the cast for the film's premiere at SXSW. Instead it’s the kids of Kick-Ass who got all the attention and, no matter how good they were or weren’t, nobody’s showing up to see a movie for Aaron Johnson or Chloe Moretz.

What Happened To My 3D Glasses: Like it or not audiences seem absolutely addicted to 3D. As Clash of the Titans proved, they don’t even care of its good, as long as they have to pay extra for glasses. That’s especially true of action movies. Nobody expects Date Night to be in 3D but right now moviegoers expect nothing less from a superhero flick. Ticket-buyers show up to the theater looking for an experience, and right now they’re convinced that buying 3D is the way to get that experience. It should be no surprise then that How to Train Your Dragon, almost inarguably the best 3D release still in theaters, would steal most of Kick-Ass’s thunder.

It Never Had An Audience: Kick-Ass creator Mark Millar made it pretty clear from the start that most of his motivation for coming up with the thing in the first place, was to shock people. Normally controversy can help carry a movie, increase interest, and get bodies in seats. And while there’s plenty in Kick-Ass that might be shocking, none of the people who might have been shocked by it were paying any attention because they had no interest in it. They'd already dismissed it as the domain of a few, lonely, comic book lovers. It's the same way Anime gets away with tentacle porn and schoolgirl fetish fantasies. It's so far outside the norm that anyone who'd be offended by it simply pretends it doesn't exist.

The thing is, Kick-Ass never had an audience outside of those who were already predisposed to love it. Its appeal, from the start, was tremendously limited. You can’t have controversy unless someone bothers to see the movie, but the only people who were ever going to see this movie were hardcore geeks who embrace what it's doing. No one else cared, they were never going to care, and advertising it was both a waste of money and time. Kick-Ass didn’t really fail, Hollywood simply expected too much from it.

There are many obvious ways in which Aaron Johnson is nothing like the character that's about to make him famous, Kick-Ass. Johnson is English, not a kid from Queens. Johnson is 20 years old and engaged with a baby on the way, not a gawky teenager unable to get laid. And in person the differences are even more striking-- Johnson is as laid back and clever as Dave Lizewski is fumbling and incompetent. Meeting him and talking to him makes his remarkable performance in Kick-Ass all the more astonishing.

Last week I got a chance to sit down one-on-one with the actor, whom I had also interviewed at the Sundance Film Festival about his next film Nowhere Boy, which debuts in the United States on October 9 (it has already opened in the UK). We talked about the adjustment in playing an American character in Kick-Ass, the challenges of filming a fight scene that's improvised, and what he might want to see happen to Kick-Ass in a sequel. During an earlier roundtable interview he also revealed that the current ending of Kick-Ass was reshot six months after the original shoot ended; that part is at the very end under a hefty spoiler warning. Check out the interview below, and see Kick-Ass in theaters this weekend.

When we talked at Sundance you said Kick-Ass didn't yet feel like a giant movie. Has it started to sink in to you that this is so big?

I don't know. I don't think you ever try to let something like this sink in. What am I supposed to do, am I supposed to give myself a pat on the fucking back? You've got to keep your feet on the ground and be gracious and humble about these things. I don't think anyone deserves to be a fucking diva about these things. Yeah the hype has ben ridiculous, and the fans have been enthusiastic, and it's been great. I'm lucky to be part of something like this.

You were saying earlier that you screen tested with everyone else. Were they all on board before you were?

Yeah. I was the last one to be part of it.

Why was that?

Yeah, and [Matthew Vaughn] almost pushed the dates back of filming, because he didn't find his right guy. He was in a desperate time and he was just like, yeah, he'll do. He already got great actors, so he didn't have to look too far for someone like me. He just went, yeah, he's alright.

You've said that you didn't connect so much with the high school angst thing, and Dave has a real awkwardness to him. Was that the hardest thing about him to connect to for you?

I guess so, yeah. Literally just trying to keep up with Chris and Clark, because they improvised, that comical banter, or that improvisation. They kind of run with it. Clark's a writer as well. It's like they've got these things up their sleeve, and I'm not like that.

Did you ad lib at all?

We did a little bit, but it was quite difficult because it was something that was so far from me, and I was just coming in and playing a character. Then the accent on top of it. That was all a learning curve, and I started getting better at it and used to it.

Because Kick-Ass isn't a trained fighter, you have to learn to fight as if you didn't know how to fight. How did you do that?

No, most people don't want to look like they can't fight. You've got to be just up for it. It's the thing you want to go for. I had to learn how to take a punch, roll on the floor, act like I've got pain. You have to look really messy.

The fight outside the donut shop--

That was one of my favorites, yeah. We just improvised it there and then choreographed. It was choreographed there, and I picked up the routine, and then we said "What if we put in a thing here, what if he smacked my head with a trash can." We did it there and then. There was a special camera as well that was in a big foam board, and they threw the camera and smashed it up and knocked it about.

That seems really risky, but also rewarding.

Yeah the stunt guys had a sense of that. I was never really allowed to rehearse anything, because they wanted this on the spot, momentary natural thing.

So you didn't rehearse any of the fights beforehand?

Not really. I used to dance a lot, so choreography and routines I can pick up. It's all steps, really. You say a step here, or you swing back there, then someone's going to hit you here, then the arms go all over.

You said that Chloe reminds you a lot of yourself at that age, in that she's older in her years. What's it like watching her do these fights?

Just like any other actor or woman or someone older. She deals with it like it's nothing. She just deals with it like it's her job and she loves it.

Does that make you think differently about your own work?

Matthew would always say you guys need to raise your game because she's going to make you guys look like a [fool]. She's sort of the star of the movie. She's also got that role where, even I want to be fucking Hit GIrl. She's got the role where people want to be that fucking badass character.

There's the obvious sequel potential, and it seems like Kick-Ass would have to be more of a badass in the sequel.

Oh, I don't know about that. I don't think my character should change too much. If I came back it was like, oh yeah, Kick-Ass is now bulky, and he can fight. That's not Kick-Ass. No one would give a fuck then. My character Dave Lizewski, when he's Kick-Ass he's still Dave Lizewski he's still just a kid who loves comic books. He' s just persistent, he's got a lot of heart and soul. That's who he is, that's why you like him, you relate to him. If he came back like fucking Arnold Schwarzenegger, it would be dumb. You don't want that person to change. If Kick-Ass became more like Hit Girl, it would be boring.

SPOILER ALERT

Were there efforts to nerd you up a little to play Dave?

I worked off the comic book as much as possible, even to the point that I wanted to be blond. But Matthew didn't agree with that. In fact his exact words were, "Did you ever see Alexander with Colin Farrell?" He didn't even want me to have glasses on. I didn't want it to be like, typical, that's what nerds are. Just that's what he looks like.

My character never became a hero at any point throughout the movie, and [in the original cut] Hit Girl dropkicks Frank D'Amico off the edge of the building. And six months later we came back and they made an alternative ending, and we reshot it, that my character picked up the bazooka and shot him off the edge. Matthew edited the movie and was like, fuck, he's this pathetic kid who never gets his break, and can't be a hero. There were moments where they tried to introduce my character as a bit of a hero, and a bit more charming to look at.

The debate has raged here on Cinema Blend for weeks. It started when Josh called out Kick-Ass for its inconsistent narrative structure and use of brutal violence against kids as light entertainment in his review. Our own Katey Rich fired back with a positive review and an attempt to explain why the movie’s violent, murderous 11-year-old girl character actually works.

Now it’s your turn. After you see it this weekend, settle the debate by telling us what you think of Matthew Vaughn’s ultra-violent, comic book turned superhero movie. Sound off with your Kick-Ass opinions in our comments section, by talking back to us on twitter, and most importantly by casting your vote in the official Kick-Ass opinion poll below.

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The character never should have worked at all. Sure, in a comic book you can have children murdering people in cold blood and dropping c-bombs, but, you know, the movies aren't like 'Nam; there are rules. Clearly director Matthew Vaughn knew he had a major challenge in front of him when he chose to adapt Kick-Ass, and present the character of Hit Girl exactly as she was in the comic: an 11-year-old killing machine.

How did he pull it off? It's something you'll marvel over the entire time you watch Kick-Ass, wondering how Vaughn and his actress get away with making the audience watch, and actually root for, a pre-pubescent murderer. With a few exceptions (notably Roger Ebert and CB's own Josh Tyler), critics have embraced this pint-size dose of mayhem as a heroine, and even a feminist icon. So how did he do it? Taking the film step by step, and pretty much ignoring all the Kick-Ass parts (he matters less in the movie than you think), you can see exactly how it happened. Behold: The Evolution of Hit Girl, A Terrorizing Hero.

SPOILER WARNING: This article presumes you have seen Kick-Ass and discusses the ending in detail.

Step 1: Cast the right actress. Yes, Hit Girl existed in Mark Millar's original comic, but there was no way the character could have translated to the screen without a serious casting coup. Enter Chloe Moretz, an 11-year-old when they filmed the movie, and quite possibly the most confident onscreen adolescent since Jodie Foster. Moretz plays a girl who, yes, has had an unconventional childhood, but is more skilled and capable of handling the harsh realities of life than those of us who were treated to more normal educations, like, you know, kindergarten. Hit Girl isn't paranoid like her father, or insecure like Kick-Ass and Red Mist; she's a capable and fearless human who just happens to be pre-pubescent.

Step 2: Build the father-daughter relationship. Most superheroes are inspired to do-goodery by the death of a loved one, and that's where Big Daddy is coming from, but Hit Girl is motivated entirely by the love and encouragement of her adored father. Some girls bond with their fathers through fishing trips or the softball team; Hit Girl gets to spend quality time with her dad as he teaches her how to withstand a gunshot wound. From the moment we meet Big Daddy and Hit Girl, when she gamely gets back up after being shot in the chest and talks him into buying her an ice cream sundae, we see the amount of love and commitment between these two, even if what drives them is totally warped. And though in Hit Girl's first action scene she's on her own, her daddy is there with the sniper rifle to have her back. What more could you ask from a parent?

Step 3: Give her cartoon villains to fight. From that very first fight scene in the gangster lair, in which she proves she's got all the skills Big Daddy has instilled in her, Hit Girl is killing actual human beings, yes, but they're about as cartoonishly evil as you can imagine. The uninteresting villains are one of the downsides of Kick-Ass as a film-- couldn't they have come up with bad guys who didn't look like Sopranos extras?-- but it goes a long way toward the audience's acceptance of Hit Girl as an assassin. In movies we've always accepted murder by "good" characters when the victims were transparently bad, and though Kick-Ass ups the ante by making the killer an unrepentant 11-year-old, it's always clear that Hit Girl is on our team.

Step 4: Tell us that she's invincible. We first meet Hit Girl the fighter the moment she rescues Kick-Ass from certain gangster death, and we see her as he does-- dazzled. Though Kick-Ass is proven to be a vulnerable character, she isn't at all. As a movie Kick-Ass is exceptionally well paced, and Hit Girl's development follows the rule of three over her three fight scenes. First we meet her in the gangster lair and prove she's invincible, then we watch her rescue Big Daddy and Kick-Ass from torture and prove it again. The brutality of the torture scene is nothing like high-flying violence we've seen so far, nothing like Hit Girl's butterfly knives or the mobster in the microwave; this is real world violence, and it hurts. But with her clever strobe light and an ironclad will to rescue her father, Hit Girl proves not just that she's a fighter, but above even the most realistic, horrible violence we'll see in the film. Which sets us up perfectly for her third fight, the one that will break the rules.

Step 5: Let her feel pain after all. After flying through a hallway packed with bad guys and vanquishing all of them, Hit Girl at last comes face to face with the Big Bad, Frank D'Amico-- and just like his goons tortured her father, he actually hurts her. For the first time in the movie we see the little girl behind Hit Girl's mask, whimpering after she's been punched in the face and slammed to the ground. It's difficult to watch, but crucial for the knowledge that Hit Girl is not invincible at all, but a little girl we need to root for like we would any other superhero with flaws. Just at the moment it would be easy to write off the character as escapist fantasy, we see the hurt in her eyes, and are brought to rooting for her all the harder to get the bad guy once and for all. The fact that Kick-Ass actually has to rescue Hit Girl this time is a key moment for his character, but also what we need to see her not just as a hero, but a character we've come to relate to.

The movie may be named after Kick-Ass but everyone knows this is Hit Girl’s movie. This weekend Mark Millar’s murderous, pint-sized superheroine will burst onto screen, stab you in the chest, and leave you wanting more. Hit Girl is the only thing anyone will leave the theater talking about after Kick-Ass.

But she’s more than just a shock to the system, she’s a complex 11-year-old made from the best parts of other movie characters who came before her. Find out what makes Hit Girl, Hit Girl as we break it down for you here in our new infographic from artist Matt Sinopoli, The Anatomy of Hit Girl.

Chloe Moretz will tell you lots of ways she's not anything like Hit Girl-- she's not even allowed to see R-rated movies much less quote John Woo movies verbatim, she can't do many of the tricks you see her do in the movie (the magic of stunt doubles), and that leather costume isn't nearly as comfortable to run around in as it looks. But in person the Kick-Ass star is a whole lot like the confident and smart characters she's played, quick to make jokes with a room full of adult journalists and clearly comfortable being, at 13, one of the most exciting young talents in the movie right now.

We talked to Moretz last week about her experience working on the movie, her awe at Nicolas Cage's totally out-there performance, and a little about her upcoming role in the vampire film Let Me In. Check out what she had to say below, and catch her vanquishing dozens of bad guys in Kick-Ass this weekend.

Was there trepidation in taking this part?

It's a character, and it was an amazing role that was breathtaking. It's something no one else has done.

Is it true your parents won't let you see these types of movies?

I'm not allowed to see R-rated movies, but I did see Kick-Ass because I'm in it. I'm not going to skip out on my own premiere!

What do your parents think of the movie?

My mom found the script and she knew it was amazing and unique, and it was something that no one else has ever done. That's really why we chose it, because it was so different.

What drew you to Hit Girl, and what drew you to your character in [Let The Right One In remake] Let Me In? They're very different roles.

They are different roles, but in some ways they are alike. They're both two kids who know no better. With Abby in Let Me In, no matter how old she is [the character is a vampire], she's still a kid. Her brain didn't develop that much. She's still a little girl. She hasn't experienced the world as an adult may see it.

Do you think Big Daddy is crazy because of how he's raising Hit Girl?

No, I think he's so sad, and he was so in love with his wife, and so heartbroken that she did that. He just wants to get back at the person who he thinks made her do that.

What surprised you about Nicolas Cage's take on the role?

He brought something you never seen in an actor. An actor always goes to the safe side. He took it in a way that no other actor would venture into. I would be too scared to do it, but he did it and really succeeded at it.

How fun was it to wear the Hit Girl costume?

It was fun to look at, but wearing it was really hard. Think about doing a bunch of stunts in leather. What does leather do? It doesn't stretch, it rips.

Do you have the costume at home?

I do. You know the kilt I wear in it? That's Matthew's family tartan.

What do you think about 11 or 12 year old girls wanting to see this? Do you think of yourself as a role model for them?

It's a role model in that it's woman empowerment. Girls are always the damsel in distress in the corner. The man gets weak and then the man fails and becomes the girl. Oh, you throw a punch like a girl. You see Hit Girl, she's punching like a girl should. That's how girls should be seen.

Everyone's saying this character will encourage violence form young children. Do you think that will happen?

Younger children shouldn't see the movie. It's R-rated for a reason. I don't think anyone young or old should go out there and say what I say in the movie, or do what I do in the movie. It's a movie for a reason, and it's not meant to be taken as real life. I definitely wouldn't advise anyone to do that. What happens to Kick-Ass in the film, where he gets stabbed and run over, that will happen to you.

Are you getting offered lots of different roles now? How are you dealing with that fame?

No matter how big you are in the business, at the end of the day it's still work. Even if it's Natalie Portman against Keira Knightley up for the same role, they still have to read for a director. No matter how many times you've been doing it, it never fails to kick you back into, you're still an actor. Actors have no power.