Sometime in the next few weeks, I’ll be running my coverage of my visit to the set of “Kick-Ass 2,” where I had a few days to myself to see how director Jeff Wadlow is working with the returning cast, including Chloe Moretz and Christopher Mintz-Plasse, to make the sequel even more dangerous and deranged than the original. Of course, a big part of that coverage will be my conversation with Aaron Taylor-Johnson, who returns to the sequel as Dave/Kick-Ass, the main character.
I was on the set for the original, and then really hadn’t seen much of him since, so when I finally ran into him on the sequel, I was amazed by just how much muscle he’s packed onto his frame. The difference that a few years make is monumental, and I suspect Johnson is a guy who studios are going to cast in action leads for many years to come. He’s a smart actor who can play vulnerable very well, and for his age, he has a remarkable sense of maturity.
I recently wrote a bit about the very strange showdown between 20th Century Fox and Marvel Studios as they both make plans for the character of Quicksilver. As one of my comic-crazy friends just observed on Twitter, at this point, thanks to the back and forth, Quicksilver may be the worst Marvel character to ever have this much written about him. I’m still not sure I understand why he’s so important to both sets of filmmakers. Whatever the case, now it looks like Aaron Johnson-Taylor is Marvel’s choice for the role.
This comes on the heels of Singer’s announcement that Evan “American Horror Story” Peters is their choice for the part.
Considering the restrictions on Marvel, which forbid them from mentioning “Magneto” or “mutants,” he’s basically just going to be The Flash. There’s nothing wrong with that, but it’s not particularly important. Honestly, it feels like Marvel Studios really resents the deals that they have with the other studios. In particular, it feels like they are chafing against the restrictions that are in place because of their 20th Century Fox deal, and they’re not happy about the films that are being made because of that deal. I’ve heard a fair amount about the tension that exists between the companies, and at this point, I think it’s far more likely we’ll see Spider-Man swing through an “Avengers” sequel before we ever see Fox and Marvel work out any sort of deal to share their characters.
I think Aaron Taylor-Johnson is a strong choice for a character I care nothing about, and based on how much Whedon’s going to be juggling in the sequel, I’m curious to see how much Quicksilver actually gets used.
“The Avengers 2” is set for release May 1, 2015.
“X-Men: Days Of Future Past” is set for release July 18, 2014.