'X-Men: First Class' Director Matthew Vaughn Looks to Go to 'The Golden Age'

Matthew Vaughn once declared that the superhero genre is almost dead.

Looks like in the meantime, he'll get while the getting's good. His last film, "Kick-Ass," was an adaptation of the Mark Millar series about a kid in the "real world" who decides to become a crime fighter. Right now, he's putting the finishing touches on "X-Men: First Class" in anticipation of its June 3rd release date. And then?

Vaughn tells Deadline that the success of "Red" and "The Expendables" shows audiences are open to older action heroes, and that "The Golden Age" is the perfect blending of two hot commodities.

The project, based on a yet-to-be-published comic book by Jonathan Ross, is about a retirement home where superheroes go once they hang up the tights. Though, naturally, they'll have to don the cape once more to help out the latest generation of superheroes - their grandchildren.

Sheesh, who knew heroics was all about nepotism?

Vaughn's wish list is a little ambitious, however. He wants Warren Beatty, Jack Nicholson, and Clint Eastwood. Why not try for Sean Connery while you're dreaming? Eastwood gave what he claims was his final performance in "Gran Torino," and the thought that he or Beatty, who hasn't appeared in a film in ten years, would come out of retirement for a superhero film is reaching.

Nicholson is still working, having appeared last year in "How Do You Know," but hasn't exactly been kind to the superhero genre. He told the Daily Mail last year, "I am from a different era of movie acting. My career doesn’t depend on explosions and pyrotechnics. What I liked about ["How Do You Know"] is that the same rules apply. It hasn’t got people flying off walls and lots of guns and yelling." Even given the dismal reception to "How Do You Know," it's unlikely that Nicholson's career will suddenly depend on the latest trend.

That said, Bruce Willis is always available to play well above his age!