Matthew Vaughn Describes His “Feel-Good, Heroic” Vision for a SUPERMAN Film

Earlier this year, it was reported that filmmaker Matthew Vaughn was the top choice to direct Warner Bros.’ Man of Steel sequel, aka Superman’s next solo film. Vaughn recently confirmed talks about tackling the character, and now, he breaks down exactly what his vision for a Superman movie would be.

Speaking with Collider, Vaughn explains what he would do with Superman if he was ever the opportunity, saying that he would return to the style of the original Richard Donner films. “I think my main take would be, it’s really boring but make a Superman film. I just don’t feel a proper Superman – I think Donner did it to perfection for that time. Just doing the modern – I wanna do a modern version of the Donner [version]. Go back to the source material… For me, Superman is color, feel-good, heroic. He’s a beacon of light in darkness. And that’s what I think Superman should be.”

The original Superman film series, starring Christopher Reeve, is still seen by many as the definitive version of the character to audiences. 2006’s Superman Returns, starring Brandon Routh, attempted to recapture the Donner continuity in modern times, but was unsuccessful. This led to Zack Snyder creating a new Superman vision with Man of Steel and Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice.

While Superman himself is still a heroic and inspiring figure in those films, many moviegoers criticized their darker tones and less “joyful” approaches to the Superman mythos. However, the DC Extended Universe has also been laying the foundation for a more classic Superman eventually, and following his resurrection in Justice League, a new standalone film would be a perfect transition to that. So, Vaughn’s vision makes sense for the DCEU’s current direction…so long as it’s not a complete rehash like Returns.

Stay tuned for more as we have it. Vaughn’s latest comic book movie, Kingsman: The Golden Circle, hits theaters this weekend.