There’s been a lot of Kick-Ass 2 talk in recent weeks. So what has been said and how likely is a sequel?

Kick-Ass underwhelmed at the US box office this weekend, opening with an estimated $20m, some way below expectations. However don’t be too concerned because the reviews are strong, word of mouth excellent, and it’s been holding up very well in the UK, where it opened 3 weeks ago. The movie only cost $28m, and it has already taken around $13m in Britain.

Director Matthew Vaughn has expressed interest in a Kick-Ass 2, but maintains it has to be the right script and ideas.

Comic author Mark Millar has no doubts what he’s doing, “[The comic book series] is definitely a trilogy,” he says. “I couldn’t imagine doing more than three, but I’ve certainly got three worked out. …We’re starting on the [comic] sequel at the end of April. …I’ve [also] got [another] sequel potentially set 10 years in the future, that I’ll maybe do 10 years down the line.”

Here come the MAJOR plot spoilers -

“The idea of Kick-Ass was ‘what would happen if people in the real world tried to be superheroes?’,” says Millar. “Kick-Ass 2 is ‘what if people tried to be bad guys?’, as a reaction to the superheroes. The same way these guys were contacting each other on Facebook and trying out superhero costumes, what if bad kids starting doing this? So you’ve got this horrible Clockwork Orange scenario where these kids are happy-slapping, out there with their mobile phones dressed as villains doing horrible things to people, recording it and putting it online and that becoming massively viral all over the world. And these superheroes, who are maybe 15 year old schoolkids, having to do something about it, with the police wanting to close them all down.”

Will Hit-Girl be even more blood thirsty and foul mouthed? “I think it’ll be quite good to go the other way… Imagine History Of Violence with an 11 year old girl, the idea of someone who’s been through a lot of stuff and she’s an amazing fighter but she has to repress it all and lead a normal life and pretend she’s just another kid. So I like the idea of her going to birthday parties and clowns coming in and she’s sitting playing with her Bratz with her friends but she’s kinda into other stuff this isn’t really her. And then at some point in the future when she cuts loose again it’s going to be amazing – But that might not even be in the second one.”

What about Red Mist? Christopher Mintz-Plasse (aka McLovin) says “Millar is going to make the character really dark. …Hopefully I get to bulk up, force myself to go to the gym.” Millar expands, “Red Mist becomes the Joker to [Kick-Ass]. But we’re talking about another villain as well, so he’ll almost be a sidekick to this other guy. My working [name is] somewhere between the motherf**ker and the c*nts. That’s the two names I’m thinking of. I mean, it’s better than the Joker, isn’t it?”

Meanwhile Clark Duke, who plays Kick-Ass’ friend Marty, adds “I’ve already gotten multiple promises from all of them – Matthew and Mark and John, all the apostles — that I get a costume.”

With the Kick-Ass box office being decent, but not stellar, there will be less pressure from the studio to make a follow up. But the momentum seems to be there anyway. Something would have to happen very soon though, or else the film’s real star, Hit-Girl, will be too old.

What would you like to see happen in a Kick-Ass sequel? Is the ‘superheroes inspiring supervillains’ concept, and Red Mist becoming ‘The Joker’ to Kick-Ass, just too close to The Dark Knight? Leave your thoughts in the comments.

Sources: IGN, io9, Cinematical, ComicBookMovie