Adapted from the Mark Millar comic book series of the same name, Matthew Vaughn’s as easy as Spider-Man or Batman make it look.
Most movies with a “What if superheroes were real?” premise end up being just as unrealistic as their predecessors, but Kick-Ass has all the brutality and terror of real life – through the lens of comedy, of course. So, here are 10 fascinating details about the making of Kick-Ass.
Hit-Girl Dropping The C-Bomb Convinced Matthew Vaughn That The Project Was Worth His Time
Easily the most controversial moment in Kick-Ass is when Hit-Girl drops the C-bomb. This moment appeared in the third issue of the comic book.
According to Mark Millar, it’s the moment that convinced Matthew Vaughn that a film adaptation of the comic would be worth his directorial efforts.
Nicolas Cage Came Up With Big Daddy’s Disguise
Although not everybody agrees that he’s a great actor, no one can deny Nicolas Cage’s steadfast dedication to his craft. He often comes up with ideas for his own characters, and the role of Damon Macready in Kick-Ass was no different.
Damon’s “disguise” was Cage’s idea. He decided that Damon would have a mustache in his civilian form and use adhesive extensions to make the mustache bigger in his superhero form as Big Daddy.
Most Of The Studios Wanted Hit-Girl To Be An Adult
When Matthew Vaughn started pitching Kick-Ass to the big Hollywood studios, none of them wanted to take on the project as Vaughn envisioned it. His old Layer Cake partners at Sony wanted him to tone down the violence, which he refused to do, and every other studio he brought the project to wanted to make Hit-Girl an adult.
Eventually, the project landed at Lionsgate, where Vaughn produced it independently, and it was distributed by Universal when it was ready to hit theaters.
Christopher Mintz-Plasse Initially Auditioned To Play The Title Role
Before being cast to play the villainous Chris D’Amico, Christopher Mintz-Plasse auditioned to play Dave Lizewski. Both Mintz-Plasse and Lyndsy Fonseca (who played the love interest, Katie) were in their early 20s when they played teenage characters in this movie. Aaron Taylor-Johnson was 19, so he was closer to the age of his character.
Mintz-Plasse had to learn how to drive a stick shift for the role of Chris, since the so-called “Mist Mobile” was manual. In the years since finishing the movie, the actor has completely forgotten how to drive a stick.
The Villain’s Name Was Changed From The Comics To Avoid Trouble With The Mob
In the comics, the mob boss played by Mark Strong was called John Genovese. Genovese is actually the name of one of New York’s “Five Families,” so the character’s name was changed in the adaptation process to avoid running into problems with actual mobsters.
The character’s new name, Frank D’Amico, is a nod to The Simpsons’ mob boss character, Fat Tony, whose full name is Anthony D’Amico.
Matthew Vaughn Hosted A Dinner Party To Raise The Film’s Budget
Since every studio that Matthew Vaughn approached with Kick-Ass rejected it, the director had to raise the budget himself and produce it independently.
He raised the money over the course of a dinner party with potential investors. He ended up selling the distribution rights to Universal for more than he’d originally asked them for the budget to shoot it.
Chloë Grace Moretz Did A Lot Of Her Own Stunts
According to director Matthew Vaughn, Chloë Grace Moretz did a lot of her own stunts in the role of Mindy Macready.
She spent a month training with a Toronto circus school before she started shooting the movie.
Nicolas Cage Based His Performance On Adam West’s Batman
When he was playing Big Daddy, Nicolas Cage modeled his speech patterns and line delivery on Adam West’s iconic ‘60s-era portrayal of Batman. According to Matthew Vaughn, Cage began playing the role in this style at his first wardrobe fitting.
Vaughn was happy with how Cage played the role, as he’d been disappointed with the growly, barely comprehensible Batman voice affected by Christian Bale in The Dark Knight trilogy.
The Comic Book Montage Of Big Daddy’s Backstory Was Drawn By Kick-Ass Co-Creator John Romita, Jr.
The comic book montage that explains Damon Macready’s backstory was drawn by John Romita, Jr., the co-creator of Kick-Ass and an iconic comics artist in his own right.
Brad Pitt, Mark Wahlberg, And Daniel Craig Were Considered To Play Big Daddy
Brad Pitt was the first choice to play Big Daddy, and he was eager to take the role. However, he was later offered the chance to star in Quentin Tarantino’s Inglourious Basterds and decided to take it. Pitt did, however, remain on board as a producer.
Prior to the casting of Nicolas Cage, Daniel Craig and Mark Wahlberg were also considered for the role. And before Mark Strong was chosen to play Frank D’Amico, Al Pacino, Robert De Niro, and Jack Nicholson were also considered for the part.
