Matthew Vaughn 'Superman' Trilogy Would Have Been A 'Massive, Uplifting, Hopeful Thing' That Could've Inspired 'Man Of Steel 2'

At one point, X-Men: First Class and Kingsman director Matthew Vaughn was rumored to direct Man of Steel 2, following in the footsteps of Zack Snyder's Man of Steel. By now we all know that didn't happen, as Snyder decided to turn his Man of Steel 2 into Batman v Superman. As it turns out, the Superman project Vaughn with was originally something other than a Man of Steel sequel – it was the first in a new trilogy devoted to the last son of Krypton.

The Matthew Vaughn Superman trilogy would've strayed from the Superman source material considerably. When that fell through, Vaughn considered taking some of the ideas of his scrapped trilogy and using them in Man of Steel 2. But negotiations fell through, and it's unlikely a direct Man of Steel sequel will fly into theaters anytime in the foreseeable future.

Speaking with Polygon, Matthew Vaughn dropped some knowledge of his scrapped Superman trilogy he pitched Warner Bros. in 2008. Vaughn worked with Mark Millar on the project, and described the trilogy as "a massive, uplifting, hopeful thing." It also would've strayed from tradition. Per the Polygon story:

Vaughn revealed that the first film in the proposed trilogy was meant to take place almost entirely on Krypton, and focus on Jor-El and the impending explosion of Krypton. Though the alien planet would still face destruction, Vaughn and Millar's take would have the event take place much later in the timeline, allowing Superman to grow up on his home planet and gradually become familiar with Earth, maturing into an adult before having to reckon with his loyalty to both planets.

Anyone even slightly familiar with Superman as a character knows how different this. The accepted lore has Superman crashing to Earth as a baby. Having the character grow up on Krypton would've been a neat twist to the formula, and could've brought something new to the story. Alas, it didn't come to be, and instead we got Man of Steel.

But Vaughn wasn't done with Supes yet. Warners entered into talks with the filmmaker to helm Man of Steel 2 later, and Vaughn says he would've incorporated many of the ideas of his dead Superman trilogy into that sequel had it come to pass. But the talks have since died down, and Vaughn is working on other things. The filmmaker doesn't rule out returning to the Man of Steel's world, though. As he tells Polygon, should someone offer him a Superman directing gig again, "It'd be hard to say no."