As a lifelong comic fan, Nic Cage has previously been linked to Superman and the Green Goblin before finally starring in a comic book movie in "Ghost Rider." Later this year, Cage gets another opportunity as Damon Macready — better known as the vigilante Big Daddy — in Matthew Vaughn's adaptation of Mark Millar and John Romita Jr.'s "Kick-Ass."

"I always fantasized about what would happen if you could become a superhero," Cage told Empire Magazine (the text of the interview is posted on Comicbookmovie.com ). "As a child I was Kick-Ass. I would call myself The Spirit and I had a white t-shirt with a black ‘S’ on it. I strapped a boomerang to my chest and I would prowl the alley at the back of my house between one and two in the morning. When I got the script, I loved the concept because I think it’s something that speaks to all of us."

Cage also acknowledged that Adam West greatly influenced his portrayal of a "thinly veiled take on Batman." Read more...

Outside of comics, there aren't many creative types who can boast collaborations with Mark Millar, John Romita Jr. and Neil Gaiman, but with the pending release of "Kick-Ass" and the 2007 success of "Stardust," director Matthew Vaughn's in a unique position with some of comics' most popular talents. That's why when he talks ideas for future projects, fans listen.

In an interview with Comic Book Resources, Vaughn spoke openly on his appreciation of realistic comics, praising both his "Kick-Ass" and "Stardust" collaborators and stating that Gaiman deserves to have more of his work translated to film.

"I think it's weird that hardly any Neil Gaiman stuff has been made. The idea that no one has made 'Sandman' yet is weird," said Vaughn. Read more...

Over the last few months, we've heard from "Kick-Ass" cast mates Chloe Moretz, Nicolas Cage, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, Clark Duke and Mark Strong, but one person who we've heard very little from is Kick-Ass himself, Aaron Johnson.

In the film, Johnson plays high-schooler Dave Lizewski, a teenage comics fan who decides to try his hand at being a costumed vigilante, only to face some harsh realities about fighting crime. MTV News caught up with Johnson at the Sundance Film Festival to ask him about the film — specifically, whether he's spoken to director Matthew Vaughn or "Kick-Ass" comic co-creator Mark Millar about their plans for a sequel.

"We'll see, we'll see," said Johnson. "It would be great to do a sequel." Read more...

It’s been a busy few days here at MTV News, as we’re presenting our “10 to Watch in 2010” selections all week long, and recently published an exclusive interview with one of my favorites: Chloe Moretz, a 12-year-old actress who seems like she’s going on 35.

In case you’ve been living under a rock, Moretz plays “Hit-Girl” in April’s big-screen version of John Romita Jr. and Mark Millar’s “Kick-Ass.” And if advance audiences are to be believed, her ass-kicking character is four months away from becoming a household name.

“I’ve been trained since I was a baby to be this crazy assassin girl,” Moretz told us of Hit-Girl, who she hopes to reprise in sequels. “What I like about the character is that she’s an assassin, but at the same time she is still just an 11-year-old girl. She doesn’t know any better; it’s just how she was raised.” Read more...

We've been treated to bunches of "Kick-Ass" posters and "Kick-Ass" trailers over the last few weeks, and now Lionsgate has released the final poster for Matthew Vaughn's adaptation of John Romita Jr. and Mark Millar's hit series.

Featuring all four costumed vigilantes, the final poster (though we know there are usually a few more posters following the "final" image) is labeled with the tag line "Shut Up. Kick Ass."

Previously, we brought you the news that "Kick-Ass" was primed to open the South By Southwest Film Festival in Austin, TX. The official premiere date for the film is April 16, 2010. Read more...

The premiere of "Kick-Ass" is mere months away, and today brings us yet another trailer for Matthew Vaughn's much-anticipated adaptation of John Romita Jr. and Mark Millar's comic book series. And sweet mother of comedic ultraviolence, is it awesome.

The trailer debuted over at Yahoo Movies, and features a great collections of scenes from the film — including a nice bit that addresses the similarities between the costume of Big Daddy (played by Nicolas Cage) and the uniform of Gotham's favorite Dark Knight. Read more...

Bummed you're not one of the lucky few to have seen "Kick-Ass" already? Well, so am I. However, it looks like we'll have yet another chance to catch the film ahead of its April 16 release.

"Kick-Ass" will open this year's South by Southwest Film Conference and Festival, which runs March 12-20 in Austin, Texas. The film will premiere during the festival's 2010 opening night festivities.

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Last month, we got a look inside the upcoming "Kick-Ass" movie book, including some new art from the comic book series' co-creator, John Romita Jr., that might end up in the film. Now, we finally have a look at the final cover for the book, which as longtime readers might recall, went through a few revisions early in 2009.

Along with providing an up-close look at the results of its hero's crime-fighting ambitions, the new cover provided by publisher Titan Books also manages to give some face time to the story's other costumed vigilantes, Big Daddy (played by Nicolas Cage), The Red Mist (Christopher Mintz-Plasse) and Hit Girl (Chloe Moretz). And like the film itself, the cover image appears to pay homage to the film's faithfulness to the comic by integrating Romita's art with photo images of the cast.

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While many are praising actor Mark Strong's recent turn as the villainous Lord Blackwood in "Sherlock Holmes," comic book movie fans are looking forward to him in another role. Strong will play mobster Frank D'Amico in Matthew Vaughn's live-action film based on John Romita Jr. and Mark Millar's "Kick-Ass" comic book series.

MTV News caught up with Strong during the "Sherlock Holmes" junket in London, and made sure to pick his brain about his much-anticipated debut in "Kick-Ass" — and whether we'll see more of him and the "Kick-Ass" cast in sequels.

"The first eight [issues] are basically this movie and I'm sure it can go on and on if they want it to," Strong told MTV News of the likelihood that we'll see a "Kick-Ass" sequel. Read more...

The last few weeks have included quite a few holiday gifts for anyone eager to check out "Kick-Ass," Matthew Vaughn's upcoming adaptation of John Romita Jr. and Mark Millar's comic book series. And now, to go along with the awesome posters and trailers that have hit the 'Net this month, there's also a new, red-band (and depending on where you work, likely NSFW) "Kick-Ass" clip.

The new footage debuted as part of an exclusive "Kick-Ass" widget on IGN, and puts the spotlight on Hit-Girl, the pint-size assassin played by Chloe Moretz. As fans of the series are already aware, the character drops f-bombs and other obscenities as easily as she eviscerates, decapitates and ventilates any bad guys who get in her way.

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