Edgy superhero movie "Kick-Ass" nabbed by Lionsgate

LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - Lionsgate has picked up U.S. and Canadian distribution rights to the film "Kick-Ass," Matthew Vaughn's comic-book adaptation that was a sensation at Comic-Con.

The company is eyeing a wide release in 2010.

Mark Millar and John Romita Jr. wrote the comic book on which "Kick-Ass" is based. Both the comic and movie center on a high school dweeb, played by Aaron Johnson, who attempts to reinvent himself as a costumed superhero despite his not being athletic or coordinated -- and who then runs into real villains with real weapons. Nicolas Cage, Chloe Moretz and Christopher Mintz-Plasse also star in the movie.

Vaughn's Marv Films and Plan B Entertainment privately financed the production when Hollywood studios found the material risky -- one character is a profanity-spewing tween who cuts down opponents with a samurai sword.

Vaughn, who directed and co-wrote the script, brought footage to July's Comic-Con International in San Diego in an attempt to stoke the fires of acquisition, a gamble that paid off when the movie got enthusiastic support from fans, paving the way for buyer screenings during the weeks after the convention. Universal, Paramount and Fox Searchlight were among the other companies chasing the movie.

Given the graphic nature of the movie, pairing it with Lionsgate seems like a good fit. The company isn't afraid to pull out the stops when marketing edgier genre fare, as it does when releasing the "Saw" horror movies.

International rights to "Kick-Ass" have not been sold.

(Editing by SheriLinden at Reuters)