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There?s some talk of Kick Ass 2 coming our way, and for once, it?s not Mark Millar doing the talking.

John Romita Jr., the illustrator of the comic books, has been attempting a World Record signing session in Vegas this morning, and it?s being broadcast to the world via UStream ? we?re streaming it at the foot of this post. A Little Bleeder has not only been tuned in watching and listening, he got to ask Romita a question through Facebook.

And like the rest of the world, he wanted to know what?s going on with the plans for the Kick Ass 2 movie.

Now, this is the big surprise: Romita said that the deals have just been done and production will press ahead this Summer on the shoot, ready for a release date next May.

Chloe Moretz will be busy shooting Carrie from the start of June, and is looking to fit The Devil and the Deep Blue Sea onto her calendar somewhere this year. This doesn?t mean she won?t, or can?t be in Kick Ass 2 ? if they back-end her stuff, for example, she could join them at some point in August, if not even later. It depends on the size of her role in the screen version of the story, amongst many other factors.

But perhaps she won?t be in the film. Perhaps the new director and co-writer won?t be the only fresh blood. Perhaps Chloe is now too old to play Hit Girl anyway?

http://www.bleedingcool.com/2012/05/06/john-romita-jr-says-kick-ass-films-summer-for-release-next-may-hopes-direct-animated-segment/

  • 1 month later...
  • 4 weeks later...

http://splashpage.mtv.com/2012/07/17/christopher-mintz-plasse-kick-ass-2-rating/

Christopher Mintz-Plasse: 'Kick-Ass 2' Will Be 'Rated X'

Ever since Jeff Wadlow came on board as director on "Kick-Ass 2," the long-anticipated sequel has seemed like it's actually, finally in a "great place." The plan seems to be for the movie to film this year with the main stars returning, so when we caught up with Christopher Mintz-Plasse while he was promoting "Paranorman" at Comic-Con, we couldn't resist asking for an update on the project.

"Things are looking good," he told MTV News. "It's looking good. That's what we can say. It's looking good. It's looking hopeful."

If you thought "Kick-Ass" was violent and crude, then just wait until you find out about some of the terrible things that occur during the events of "Hit-Girl" and "Kick-Ass 2." Mintz-Plasse wasn't quite sure what would or would not make it from the pages of the comic books to the big screen, but expects that most of it will not be for younger audiences.

"My character in this movie is called Red Mist, and in this movie it's The Motherf-er. And there's a lot of blood and a lot of murdering," he teased.

We asked whether he's looking forward to the infamous dog murder scene that occurs in "Kick-Ass 2," and his reaction was immediately, "That's horrible!" Mintz-Plasse clarified that he'd do whatever it takes for the sake of the film, though.

"If I'm playing my character, you know, it's got to happen. But I don't know if that's going to be in the movie specifically," he said. When we told him Mark Millar said it would, he said, "['Kick-Ass 2' is] going to be rated X. NC-17."

I wouldn't doubt it gets rated NC-17. But in the end, they are going to cut it up and get it to an R rating. NC-17 is the death knell for movies sadly. Most theater chains here in the US (and I assume elsewhere around the world) just don't show NC-17/X/whatever rating unless it's at like, 11 PM and only on weekends. Still, R or NC-17 it's gonna be violent as hell and lotsa cursing for sure.

Also, it won't be so awkward to see Hit Girl cursing like a storm this time around cuz she's older now and like, it's not a shock anymore :D

I wouldn't doubt it gets rated NC-17. But in the end, they are going to cut it up and get it to an R rating. NC-17 is the death knell for movies sadly. Most theater chains here in the US (and I assume elsewhere around the world) just don't show NC-17/X/whatever rating unless it's at like, 11 PM and only on weekends. Still, R or NC-17 it's gonna be violent as hell and lotsa cursing for sure.

Also, it won't be so awkward to see Hit Girl cursing like a storm this time around cuz she's older now and like, it's not a shock anymore :D

It is the same here in Australia. We have draconian laws when it comes to cinema (and videogames) but we did get Kick Ass when it was released here.

Im looking forward to the movie thou, I read the Kick Ass 2 comic and it's just as good as the original movie, WAY more violent as well. And Hit-Girl is once again the star of the show :)

What really surprised me about kickass was how good Nicholas Cage was. I mean that man could have totally DESTROYED the movie. But I LOVED his character. He was a total bad ass. He made batman look like a *****!

  • Like 1

What really surprised me about kickass was how good Nicholas Cage was. I mean that man could have totally DESTROYED the movie. But I LOVED his character. He was a total bad ass. He made batman look like a *****!

Same here. Really enjoyed his role.

Looking forward to this, first one was awesome. And not too worried about theatrical release rating...the Blu-Ray will be uncut for sure.

What really surprised me about kickass was how good Nicholas Cage was. I mean that man could have totally DESTROYED the movie. But I LOVED his character. He was a total bad ass. He made batman look like a *****!

Yeah his role was funny and awesome!

With Kick-Ass 2: Balls to the Wall set to shoot this September, casting agents are on the search to fill out the sequel's new cast of characters. Kick-Ass stars Chlo? Grace Moretz, Aaron Johnson and Christopher Mintz-Plasse have entered into negotiations to reprise their roles as Hit Girl, Kick-Ass, and Red Mist respectively. But in the second book of Mark Millar's gruesome graphic novels, the less than impressive villain Red Mist steps up his game, becoming the far more menacing **********er. Part of his new image is a brawny bodyguard known as Mother Russia, and Moviehole has unearthed casting specs that reveal this combative comrade will be making an appearance in Kick-Ass 2: Balls to the Wall.

kick_ass_2_32012.jpg

Of course, as you can see in the images above, Mother Russia is an exceptionally large lady. So, casting her could prove a tall order. The rundown circulating right now declares casting directors are searching for an ?extremely tall, large, fit? woman somewhere between 25 to 40 years old, and describe the character as:

"Classic Villain. An ex-KBG officer who is now being paid by the week by Chris to fight in his group ? she is easily the most skilled and just a ruthless killer in general. Described as a ?roided-out female bodybuilder, she needs to be extremely physically imposing and muscular, though still come across as feminine. As tall as possible (6ft and over only). Indicate height on submission.?

Since being tall in Hollywood can be a liability for leading ladies (it?s feared they make short male stars look less imposing/impressive), it'll be interesting to see who will go out for Mother Russia. The top of my list would be Gwendoline Christie, who plays the mighty female knight Brienne of Tarth on Game of Thrones. While she's made up to be pretty brutish on the series, shots of Christie out of costume show she's not only big, she's incredibly beautiful.

Another hard heroine who could offer a powerful punch is professional mixed martial artist turned action star Gina Carano, who dazzled critics with her raw bravada in Steven Soderbergh's gritty thriller Haywire. However, as a slightly less conventional?and dare I say ballsy?choice, I'd suggest hard-rockin' frontwoman of the band Storm and the Balls, Storm Large. She's 6 foot tall, and is a badass ass-kicker of the first degree, famously not taking **** from anyone?not even Tommy Lee on the reality competition Rock Star: Supernova. Basically, casting Mother Russia is a unique opportunity to give a less conventionally beautiful and more muscular actress a shot at stardom, and I'm genuinely hoping director Jeff Wadlow takes this chance to go big, bold and badass!

Sauce: http://www.cinemable...ssia-32012.html

A sequel to the baroque superhero adventure Kick-Ass had long seemed a fevered dream of the comic's creator Mark Millar, who has developed a notoriety for leaking "news" that is either conjecture or wishful thinking. So when Millar declared that Kick-Ass 2 would go into production this summer, we were a bit leery. However, with The Avengers showing there's still a serious love of superhero features among moviegoers, all the studios are looking to capitalize, and so Universal is moving forward on Kick-Ass 2 with Cry_Wolf helmer Jeff Wadlow usurping Kick-Ass director Matthew Vaughn, who is too busy developing X-Men: First Class 2 to return. Nonetheless, Vaughn will help produce the sequel, which is slated to shoot in London this September.

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Comic Book Movie uncovered these and more details on Kick-Ass 2 while attending a panel discussion that included Wadlow, who gamely answered questions about the upcoming adventure. The writer-director revealed he penned the screenplay over the holidays, and sought to find a place where the first movie and the second graphic novel intersect. Like its precursor, Kick-Ass 2 will take some departures from its source material, Millar's comic of the same name, as Wadlow explains:

"I think the most important thing that's gonna' change from the Kick-Ass 2 comic to Kick-Ass 2 the movie was just really finding an emotional story to tell. Because what I certainly loved about the first film, and what I think elevated it above most comic book adaptations, is the heart and the emotion in the film. It was sort of my challenge as the filmmaker and storyteller to find something as emotional in the second film and I think we have some stuff that people are gonna' really respond to."

As to specifics, he hopes to play up Hit Girl's part, despite the fact that her story is "sidelined" in Millar's second book. As she gives up her superhero alter-ego in the comic, its story instead focuses on Kick-Ass and Red Mist's evolution to the **********er, a more vicious villainous incarnation. However, this approach may be problematic, as Moretz hasn't yet signed on to the sequel, though Wadlow says the two have met, she's read the script and is by his estimation, "very excited about what we're doing with Hit-Girl."

Kick-Ass stars Aaron Johnson and Christopher Mintz-Plasse are also said to be in talks, but it seems far more likely they'd be game to reprise their roles as their careers haven't exactly blown up as Moretz's has. Since her brazen breakthrough with pint-sized and foul-mouthed Hit Girl, the starlet delighted horror fans with Let Me In, and dazzled critics with Hugo. However, her most recent efforts aren?t faring so well. Dark Shadows tanked its opening weekend, accruing only $29 million, which smarts with a bloated budget of $150 mil. Plus this batty comedy?as well as the gritty coming-of-age tale Hick?were generally panned by critics. Could this urge her to return to the role that first won her such good will? Let's hope so, both because her upcoming Carrie remake is a risky venture, and because Kick-Ass 2 wouldn't be nearly as hard-hitting without her.

Sauce: http://lulzyunicorms.blogspot.com.au/2010/11/hit-girl-chloe-moretz.html?zx=fed0fcd9e8114edb

  • 2 weeks later...
John Leguizamo has reportedly joined the cast of Kick-Ass 2.

The actor, who most recently appeared in the pilot for a US remake of Only Fools and Horses, will star alongside returning cast Aaron Johnson, Chlo? Moretz and Christopher Mintz-Plasse in the sequel.

Deadline reports that Leguizamo will play a bodyguard assigned to protect Mintz-Plasse's villainous Red Mist.

Nicolas Cage will also reprise his role in Kick-Ass 2, which will be helmed by writer-director Jeff Wadlow and will shoot this autumn.

[x]

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Donald Faison is in negotiations to play Dr. Gravity in Kick-Ass 2.

Dr. Gravity is a member of Forever Justice, a superhero team created by Kick-Ass. He claims to be a Columbia physics professor who moonlights as a superhero. His weapon of choice? A ?gravity pole? that bends the rules of physics when used against enemies.

In reality, he?s just a nobody who carries around a tinfoil-covered baseball bat.

Faison is best known for playing Zach Braff?s BFF on the long-running series Scrubs. For those 90s babies out there, you recognize him as Murray from Clueless. ?Woman, lend me fi? dollars!?

?Kick-Ass 2? starts principal photography next month. According to the film?s Facebook page, the movie will get a 2013 release.

Faison joins the returning cast of Aaron Johnson, Chloe Moretz, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, and Nicolas Cage. He won?t be the only new face on campus ? John Leguizamo is climbing aboard, too.

http://latino-review.com/2012/08/08/kick-ass-2-inducts-donald-faison-justice/

butler-kick.jpg

Yancy Butler, who played Angie D'Amico, the mother of Christopher Mintz-Plasse's Red Mist in the original Kick-Ass, will return for the sequel, The Hollywood Reporter has confirmed.

Adapting the Mark Millar and John Romita, Jr. comic, the sequel will be directed by Never Back Down helmer Jeff Wadlow and will feature a script by Matthew Vaughn.

A September start is being eyed for the film, which will have Mintz-Plasse, Aaron Johnson and Chloe Moretz reprising their roles along with new parts for John Leguizamo and Donald Faison.

Butler is well-known to comic book fans outside of Kick-Ass. She starred as cop-turned-superhero Sara Pezzini in the short-lived "Witchblade" television series.

Sauce: http://www.comingsoon.net/news/movienews.php?id=93480

"Somehow I?m supposed to do Kick-Ass 2 this year," Lyndsy Fonseca told IGN Movies at the San Diego Comic-Con last month. "I?m so excited, and I just pray that it all works out! I don?t know. They know that I?m on the show, so it?s not going to be a month of work because I can?t. I can?t do it. But I?ll at least be able to do something, which is very kind of them." As for her thoughts on the screenplay and director Jeff Wadlow, she added: "I read it. I think I read the latest draft -- I don?t think there?s been a new one -- and it was fantastic. It actually plays really well with how Chloe has grown up a little bit, but she?s not yet a young woman. I loved it. I think it?s really good. Jeff] seems incredibly nice though. He?s very excited, and I?m excited. Matthew [Vaughn]?s producing it, but I think it will be kind of cool to have a new point of view for the sequel."

As fans of the comic books will know, Katie and Kick-Ass never actually end up together in the Mark Millar and John Romita Jr. series. In the second volume, Red Mist/The Mother F*cker sends his goons to brutally rape her in a shocking attack on a neighbourhood which even sees children gunned down in the streets. While it was unlikely that that would ever make it into the big screen adaptation, the actress actually reveals that her role isn't a particularly large one. "She?s just in the beginning, so far. I?m just happy to be involved. She?s still the strange Katie ? somewhat girl next door but has strange, drug-addict boyfriends and works at the needle exchange. Very contradicting personality traits... It?s still that weird!"

Read more at http://www.comicbook...rygyHCKd8XmW.99

Kick-Ass 3 confirmed allready?!

As for scenes from the book, I can't really think of anything significant from Hit-Girl or Kick-Ass series that gets cut from the screenplay. There's a big scene at the end of Hit-Girl #5 that will probably go in the third movie, but otherwise it's as close an adaptation as the first.

MM

Sauce: http://forums.millarworld.tv/index.php?/topic/100997-the-big-kick-ass-2-movie-thread/#entry2449919

that would be awesome, as long as Chloe continues to star in them! :D

This topic is now closed to further replies.
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    • You literally have to do it on a desktop, which is incredibly annoying in our mobile-first world. What???
    • What part of "you can’t really depend on service providers to maintain features forever" is not clear enough?
    • Nope. That lack of surround sound capability (analog) won't fly with me. Sure, I use headphones most of the time, but still.
    • Creative Sound Blaster AE-X PCIe review: your headphones will love it by Steven Parker If you have been reading Neowin for any length of time, you may remember that I reviewed the Sound Blaster Audigy FX Pro back in April. I found it to be an excellent budget sound card, even though it lacked support for formats such as DTS over the included SPDIF port. Anyway, Creative reached out to me again asking if I was interested in reviewing the Sound Blaster AE-X. It is a card mainly targeted at headphone wearers, which I'll get into a bit later. Before we get underway, here is a disclaimer: Creative Labs provided a free sample without any review pre-approval. Here are the full specs of it: Creative Sound Blaster AE-X Dimensions: 179 x 126 x 18 mm Weight: 263g / 9.28 oz Platform: PCI-e DAC: ESS ES9039Q2M Connectivity Options Side: Rear: 1 x HD Audio Front Panel Connector, 1 x ⅛“ Headphone port, 1 x RCA Line-out (Left) port, 1 x RCA Line-out (Right) port, 1 x Coaxial SPDIF-out port, 1 x ⅛“ Mic in/Line-in port, 1 x TOSLINK SPDIF-in port Surround: No DNR / SNR: THD+N: 0.0001% Dynamic Range 130 dB Recording Resolution: PCM up to 32-bit / 192kHz (Stereo) Direct Mode: Line Out (Stereo): PCM up to 32-bit  384 kHz Coaxial SPDIF Out: PCM up to 24-bit 192.0 kHz Headphone Amp: PCM up to 32-bit / 384kHz (Stereo) Native DSD: DSD64, DSD128, DSD256 Output Impedance: 1Ω, Supported Headphone Impedance: 8–600Ω, IEM: 0.5Vrms, Low: 1.5Vrms, Mid: 3Vrms, High: 6Vrms, Maximum output power: 350mW @ 32Ω (High), Maximum output voltage: 6Vrms (High) Front Panel Headphone Amp: PCM up to 32-bit / 192kHz (Stereo) Native DSD: DSD64, DSD128 Output Impedance: 10Ω, Supported Headphone Impedance: 32–300Ω, Maximum output power: 40mW @ 32Ω, Maximum output voltage: 1.9Vrms ASIO: ASIO 2.3 Total Harmonic Distortion: THD+N: 0.0006% Dynamic Range: 114 dB Scout Mode: Yes EMI shielding: No (but it passed all the FCC emission tests) Operating temperature: 0–45°C Input Power: 12V⎓0.5A Warranty: 1 Year (MSRP) Price: $179.99 / £169.99 The Sound Blaster AE-X was announced at the end of May, and it becomes clear that it is mainly for headphone wearers. I should also note that the card does not support DDL/DTS encoding technology, but it is said to support decoding through the coaxial SPDIF port. I was able to test this working with the classic Windows Sound properties, but I could not get a DTS (decode) signal through my Logitech Z906, it defaulted to 3D sound whenever I played DTS content through Plex or Emby. In addition, this card only supports two channels (stereo) over the speakers. The surround support is limited to the Headphone Amp, so before I get underway, what we have here is a card mostly intended for headphone use, especially with its SPDIF In (Toslink) port where you could connect another device like a console. So what about the highlights of this card? The AE-X is powered by the ESS SABRE DAC (ES9039Q2M), which is capable of a 130 dB dynamic range. In addition, it supports 32-bit/384 kHz playback for deeper detail and clarity. The headphone amplifier delivers up to 350 mW @ 32Ω, which admittedly far surpasses standard onboard audio, offering support for studio-grade headphones. DSD256 and ASIO 2.3 are also supported. What doesn't it have? No support for What-U-Hear, Super X-Fi, or the SmartComms Kit No EMI shielding, but it passed all the FCC emission tests (from the FAQ) I also want to make it clear that I am no audiophile. For me, it's purely subjective and it should just "work" out of the box. First impressions As I said in the introduction, I was a bit sad to see that the AE-X only supports stereo output, meaning it would not be on par with my ALC1220 over my speakers, as I mentioned it seems like this card is marketed toward headphone users. Since I am not an avid gamer that would rule me out as a potential customer, but I can still test its capabilities! The card arrived in a nice-looking box, as shown above. It's quite a bit larger than the Audify FX Pro that I reviewed back in April, and at first I thought the covering meant that it was EMI shielded, but it isn't as mentioned above in the highlights section. What's in the box: 1 x Sound Blaster AE-X PCIe card 1 x 3.5 mm CTIA TRRS to Dual TRS Headset Splitter Cable 1 x Quick Start Guide Aside from the Quick Start Guide, which someone at my age (I guess) needs a magnifying glass to read thanks to the tiny fonts, Creative Labs also has the manual online, which first requires you to prove that you're human in order to access it (so I can't direct link it). Anyway, the box is mostly made up of cardboard, and the only plastic in it is the anti-static bag for the card itself. Design Top Bottom The card itself looks pretty cool and actually wouldn't look out of place in an all-white build. There's only one connector, and for some reason it is awkwardly placed on the side (front-facing) that is for the front panel audio connector, which will let you use the headphones through the front PC audio jack. Since the front panel Headphone Amp has fewer capabilities than the rear headphone port, I decided not to use it. Rear of card PCI-e interface The rear of the card is completely open and is normally where you would find the front panel connector. The PCIe interface side is completely covered, which initially made me think it was EMI shielded. I/O panel Side (front-facing) with Front panel connector On the outer rear bracket side we have the TOSLINK SPDIF in, Coaxial SPDIF out, RCA line out (Right), RCA line out (Left), Headphone out, and Mic/Line in ports. On the front facing portion of the card itself is the F-panel connector. Usage Test System Our test system consists of the following: AMD Ryzen 9 9950X3D Gigabyte X870E AORUS MASTER (BIOS F12) Corsair RM1000x (2024) Thermal Grizzly Kyronaut (33x33x0,2mm) 2x 32GB Kingston Fury Beast RGB DDR5 6000MT/s CL36-38-38-80 T-Force Z540 2TB (PCIe Gen5) NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 Founders Edition (NVIDIA) Creative Sound Blaster AE-X Windows 11 25H2 Pro I installed the card into the Gigabyte X870E AORUS MASTER which includes the RealTek ALC1220 onboard audio. For our subjective listening tests, I used the Coaxial SPDIF port to my Logitech Z906 speakers. For headphone tests I used the OneOdio Studio Max 2 Wireless DJ Headphones that I reviewed last month. After installing the audio driver, I installed Creative Nexus, which is a relatively new app designed for the latest Sound Blaster cards. Then I discovered the AE-X needed both a driver update from 1.00.15.0001 to 1.01.09.000 and a firmware update from 1.00.06.0000 to 1.00.06.0002, then I was set to go. It should be noted that the card did not work without the driver (not Plug and Play). As you can see above, you can manage the firmware, driver, and inputs via Advanced Settings on the Device tab. By default Nexus enabled "Direct Mode". Upon clicking on Acoustic Engine, the Equalizer can be enabled and set to four different presets, which are: Gaming Music Movies Footsteps Enhancer There's also a dedicated Scout Mode for gamers. I mainly used Tidal and Spotify in the past week to listen to some of my Liked Songs (which now total over 700) in Shuffle mode; there were no pops or interference that I could hear. I also found a 5.1 Surround Music playlist on Tidal that sounded really great over Studio Max 2 headphones. When I reviewed the Audigy FX Pro, I went out and purchased a Logitech Z906 set second-hand for €100 specifically to use with the card, but in this instance all I could get on the AE-X was the 3D output of surround sound through Coaxial SPDIF and although it still sounded great, it isn't quite as good as DTS Interactive via my onboard Realtek ALC1220. Conclusion So what have I learned? The AE-X lacks multi-channel support for 5.1/7.1 setups and drops support for modern surround technologies like Dolby or DTS, functioning strictly as a stereo output device. So to really benefit, you will need Studio-grade headphones to "hear" the benefits of this card. With that being said, I can imagine it will appeal to gamers who are switching between console and PC. By utilizing the SPDIF in port, you could just plug your headphones into the AE-X (front or rear port) and then switch between PC and Console without having to move the headphones to a different port. As I said in the Sound Blaster Audigy review, the EQ in the Creative Nexus app offers safe presets, which allows a user to further tweak the lows, mids, and highs for a personal listening experience. Of course it all depends on the headphones you hook up to it. Speaking of headphones, I kind of wish I had higher-quality Studio-grade headphones to really test this card with; I'm not usually wearing headphones in my day to day duties. The only time I will wear them is if I want to listen to music very late at night and I don't want to disturb my neighbors, so my rating (verdict) is based on this fact. Someone with a PC/Console setup and wears headphone religiously to game, and consume media will benefit much more than I from the high-quality Headphone Amps that are included in the AE-X. Once again, I do feel like Creative could have gone the extra mile to support the S/PDIF port a bit more. Why include it if you're not supporting the main popular digital formats? It seems like the decision was more of a legacy-based one, offering uncompressed 2-channel PCM audio, for users with high-fidelity audio systems and external DACs. Maybe I will be lucky enough to review a card that truly includes all these features in the future. I am sure readers with far more knowledge on audio systems than me will correct me in the comments below. I'll just say I am happy to learn what I don't know! Where to buy The Sound Blaster AE-X is available to purchase now in preorder for $179.99 on the U.S. Creative website, or for £169.99 on the Creative UK website and will start shipping to customers from June 25.
    • $80 or 90%, anything else would be financial suicide one way or another.
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