‘Kick-Ass’ Director Matthew Vaughn to Produce ‘Fantastic Four’ Reboot

Deadline is reporting that Matthew Vaughn will produce the new Fantastic Four film for 20th Century Fox. Based on the classic Marvel Comics superheroes created by Jack Kirby and Stan Lee, the film is to be directed by Chronicle's Josh Trank and is a reboot and unconnected to the studio's previous efforts, Fantastic Four and its sequel, Rise of the Silver Surfer. Vaughn's involvement with the FF reboot is unexpected but not really a surprise. As a director Vaughn has quite the comic book pedigree, having made X-Men: First Class for Fox, as well as films based on Neil Gaiman and Charles Vess' Vertigo (not-really-a-comic-)book Stardust and Mark Millar and John Romita, Jr.'s Kick-Ass. Vaughn is also closely associated with Millar, who recently took a position at Fox where he'll consult on the studio's various superhero films, including Fantastic Four.

Vaughn has a reputation in Hollywood as a proper producer, someone who will see to it that the director's vision makes it to the screen. This is good news for FF director Trank, whose Akira-invoking Chronicle expresses a vision that's very distinct from anything else in the superpowered-persons realm at the moment.