The release of “Man of Steel” has incited quite the debate over destruction and character motivation (Max Landis recently weighed in on the matter), but “Kick-Ass 2” looks to cloud it out two months before it opens with a growing case of mis-portrayal. The comic book sequel came under scrutiny this week when one of its stars, Jim Carrey, denounced the film’s violence and withdrew his support for its release, and following a shocked response by creator Mark Millar, the studio behind the film has now offered their take.
At the Barcelona-set CineEurope, the executive vice president of marketing at Universal, Simon Hewlett, showed footage from “Kick Ass 2” to exhibitors; while he failed to properly address Carrey’s Twitter comments, he did say the film is “irreverant, dark and often offensive,” and also a “bigger, badder, more ballsy adventure.”
“I did Kickass a month b4 Sandy Hook and now in all good conscience I cannot support that level of violence,” Carrey’s original tweet read. “My apologies to others involved with the film. I am not ashamed of it but recent events have caused a change in my heart.”
All of which is to say, Carrey’s withdrawal is strictly personal, and not a judgment of how faithful the film adaptation is to the comic — a point that Millar touched on in his blog post. “I’m baffled by this sudden announcement as nothing seen in this picture wasn’t in the screenplay eighteen months ago,” he said. “Yes, the body-count is very high, but a movie called ‘Kick-Ass 2’ really has to do what” it says on the tin.”
So, buzz-building hoopla or ground for actual concern? Either way, we’ll have to wait until August 16th to see to the accuracy of the swirl of comments put forth thus far. [via Yahoo Movies]