‘Kick-Ass 2′ is Moving Forward With a New Director and Studio

When we last left 'Kick-Ass' in 2010, the film had grossed nearly a hundred million worldwide, and had left a door open for possible further adventures. Writer-director Matthew Vaughn had a modest hit on his hands and moved on to 'X-Men: First Class' - which was a much bigger success.

Vaughn owned the 'Kick-Ass' franchise, so he's been pursuing a sequel, but he's currently tied up with 'X-Men: First Class 2.' Word is that now the follow up is looking at Jeff Wadlow to write and direct.

Deadline suggests that the leads (Aaron Johnson, Chloe Grace Moretz and Christopher Mintz-Plasse) are all in talks for the sequel, and that shooting could commence sometime later this year - which has been the rumor for a while. But this would all be done under the roof of Universal, who would be following their lead in also picking up 'Hellboy' after the fact.

Wadlow has directed 'Cry Wolf' and 'Never Back Down,' which may be why he's not a household name, but we've reported recently that he is attached to direct 'Non-Stop' with Liam Neeson. It seems mathematically likely that he would have to leave one of these projects, or - if nothing else - delay one. This sequel suggests that the first movie has enjoyed an afterlife in home video and cable, as the film's box office numbers aren't so promising that a sequel is nearly an afterthought.