There is no stopping the comics-to-film explosion, but the fate of the "Kick Ass" property seems to be up in the air. While the first film in the series was a mainstream hit, the sequel had a tough time making noise at the box office, leaving another installment up in the air.
The two architects of the "Kick Ass" franchise, writer Mark Millar and artist John Romita Jr., sound ready and willing to bring the franchise back to life on the big screen if all of the pieces are in play. While "Kick Ass 2" did reasonable business both in theaters and on home video, it did not outdo the original film, putting the future adventures of Dave Lizewski and Mindy MacReady in doubt.
"With Kick-Ass, it was a no brainer. It was made for $28 million and made $100 million back, and then made another $140 million on DVD. So for the money guys, it was a $28 million investment that made $240 million. That's a slam dunk. You're getting your sequel. The second one didn't make as much. It cost a little less at around $24 million, made $61 million and made about $100 million again on DVD and TV rights. It was still profitable. It was by no means 'The Lone Ranger,'" writer Millar said in an interview with Comic Book Resources.
Surrounding the release of the sequel, star Jim Carrey refused to promote the film's ultra-violence in the wake of the Sandy Hook shooting tragedy. Producers could not have seen it coming and the climate in the country shifted after the school shooting. In the wake of that tragedy, as well as a slew of other gun related incidents around the country, it seems like Carrey wanted to do everything he could to separate himself from the sequel's excessive violence.
"As for Jim Carrey, I know I'll never work with that bonehead again, so let me say this. I think Mark and I have talked about this before, but here's a guy who could have capitalized on the character he played and played it toward his anti-gun stance. The character he played gave up weapons -- gave up guns -- and became a good guy. Anybody with three quarters of an education could have figured out how to fold that idea in with their anti-gun ideas. He's not a smart enough guy to do that. He cashed his check and took his money, and then he went and pulled a bunch of crap on our film." artist Romita, Jr. said in the same interview.
A third installment in the series may still be a possibility and a probability considering that the first two films were indeed profitable.
