The 'Kick-Ass' director, who was initially attached to direct the third 'X-Men' movie, reveals he quit the project after finding out that studio executives duped the Oscar-winning actress into signing on.
- Oct 16, 2023
AceShowbiz - Matthew Vaughn couldn't stand the way Halle Berry was treated by "X-Men: The Last Stand" (2006) bosses. When explaining the reason why he dropped out of the project, the filmmaker claimed that studio executives used a dirty trick to cast the Oscar-winning actress.
The 52-year-old English filmmaker, who was initially attached to direct the third "X-Men" movie, appeared at New York Comic Con on Saturday, October 14 to tease his upcoming spy thriller "Argylle" when he discussed his "X3" exit. "I went into one of the executive's office and I saw an 'X3' script, and I immediately knew it was a lot fatter," he recalled at the panel.
Vaughn said he began questioning the studio execs, "I was like what the hell is this draft. He went, 'Don't worry about it,' and I'm like, 'No, no. I'm the director. I'm worrying about this draft." He continued sharing, "He wouldn't tell me, so I grabbed it literally - it was like a crazy moment - opened the first page, and it said, 'Africa. Storm. Kids dying of no water. She creates a thunderstorm and saves all these children.' "
Vaughn admitted he found it a "pretty cool idea," but once he learned that there were no intentions to actually shoot the scene, he changed his mind about his involvement in the film. "[I went,] 'What is this?' [They said,] 'Oh, it's Halle Berry's script.' I went, 'OK, because she hasn't signed up yet,' " he recounted.
" 'But this is what she wants it to be, and once she signs up, we'll throw it in the bin,' " the director said of the executive's response. "I was like, 'Wow, you're gonna do that to an Oscar-winning actress who plays Storm? I'm outta here.' So I quit at that point."
Vaughn, however, later made a return to the franchise to direct the 2011 prequel "X-Men: First Class". Berry has never talked about her feelings after being duped into starring in "The Last Stand", but she later reprised her role as Storm in 2014's "X-Men: Days of Future Past", which Vaughn contributed to the story with Jane Goldman and Simon Kinberg.
