20th Century Fox is making no bones about wanting to keep a hold of director Matthew Vaughn. Fresh off hatching a sub-franchise with X-Men: First Class, not to mention the glowing success of Kingsman: The Secret Service, Deadline is reporting that the studio has potentially set up the director’s next project: a sci-fi disaster film known as Ascension.
Penned by Shannon Triplett, the apocalyptic narrative imagines a future where planet Earth is left on the brink after gravity abruptly vanishes, leaving a team of crack scientists to scramble for a way to reverse the effect and prevent an all-out catastrophe. The report states that no deal is in place at the time of writing, but Fox is allegedly keen to get the ball rolling on this one sooner rather than later, allowing Vaughn to produce and eventually helm the high-profile flick.
Where exactly this places the follow-up to Kinsgman is up for question. With filming due to begin on the spy sequel in April, both Vaughn and Fox would likely need to shuffle some things around before the director committed to Ascension, but based on his recent track record, we fully expect him to put pen to paper before long.
First Class and, to a lesser extent, Kingsman showcased the ways in which Vaughn can balance a big budget and ensemble cast in the unforgiving release window known as summer blockbuster season. Heck, the latter far exceeded expectations earlier this year, grossing over $400 million at the global box office and effectively green-lighting a newfound franchise, so it’s little wonder why Fox is eager to place the filmmaker in control of Ascension.
We’ll keep you updated on the story of Ascension and Vaughn’s involvement – or lack thereof – as it develops. But for now, be sure to share your early thoughts down below.