Matthew Vaughn has announced a reboot of the Kick-Ass franchise without the original cast, so it’s time for another actor to don the turquoise wetsuit. The Kick-Ass series revolves around a nerdy high schooler who decides to emulate the superheroes in the pages of his beloved comic books by putting on a goofy costume, going out on the dangerous streets of New York City, and fighting crime as a masked vigilante. In the first two Kick-Ass movies, the title character was played by Aaron Taylor-Johnson, but Vaughn has hinted that the reboot will recast the role.
In Vaughn’s announcement of the Kick-Ass reboot, he confirmed that he will shoot the new movie next year and it won’t feature any of the actors from the previous films. This could mean that he’s recasting the original Kick-Ass, Dave Lizewski, or it could mean that he’s introducing the next Kick-Ass, Patience Lee. Patience is a veteran of the war in Afghanistan who returns home to find that her husband has left her with a mountain of debt. So, she takes on the Kick-Ass moniker and steals from local gangsters to pay off that debt. Whether the Kick-Ass reboot is about Dave or Patience, it needs a new lead actor.
10 Jack Dylan Grazer As Dave Lizewski
After playing the best friend of a teenage superhero, Freddy Freeman, in DC’s Shazam! movies, it might be time for Jack Dylan Grazer to take up a superhero mantle of his own. Grazer’s turn as Eddie Kaspbrak in the It movies has proven that he can bring a sharp sense of humor to a genre setting. His voice role as Alberto Scorfano in Pixar’s Luca has shown he can anchor a coming-of-age story, which is essentially what Kick-Ass is (except with a lot more violence).
9 Sonequa Martin-Green As Patience Lee
A popular fan casting for the role of Patience Lee in a potential Kick-Ass reboot is Sonequa Martin-Green, best known for playing Michael Burnham in Star Trek: Discovery and Sasha Williams in The Walking Dead. Martin-Green clearly isn’t averse to joining nerdy franchises. She’s a little older than Patience in the comics, but she’s a great physical match for the character. If Martin-Green can play a Starfleet captain boldly going where no one has gone before, then she can play a superhero.
8 Noah Jupe As Dave Lizewski
With his turn as Marcus Abbott in the A Quiet Place movies, Noah Jupe has shown that he can handle the physical demands of an action-oriented role while still bringing plenty of depth and nuance to his character. From The Night Manager to Suburbicon to Wonder to Ford v Ferrari, Jupe never phones in a performance. He was nominated for the Independent Spirit Award for Best Supporting Male for his turn in Honey Boy. He’d make for a truly engaging Dave Lizewski in the Kick-Ass reboot.
7 Tessa Thompson As Patience Lee
When Kick-Ass creator Mark Millar was asked who he thought should play Patience Lee in a movie adaptation, he named Tessa Thompson as his top choice. Thompson has already proven with her turn as Valkyrie in the Marvel Cinematic Universe that she can do an iconic superhero character justice on the big screen. Her work in Thor: Ragnarok specifically demonstrated Thompson’s action comedy chops; she’s adept at both the physicality and badassery of action movies and the well-timed line deliveries and sight gags of comedy movies.
6 Jaeden Martell As Dave Lizewski
Jaeden Martell already starred as a dorky high schooler who comes up against powerful villains in one franchise, having played Losers Club leader Bill Denbrough in the It movies. So, he’s got the necessary skillset to play Dave Lizewski in a reboot of the Kick-Ass series. He proved with his performances as Jacob Thrombey in Knives Out, Jacob Barber in Defending Jacob, and an older John Berkman in the Barry finale that he has plenty of dramatic range and can convey a lot of emotion and characterization with very little dialogue.
5 Parisa Fitz-Henley As Patience Lee
Parisa Fitz-Henley first broke out playing a supporting character in a couple of superheroes’ stories. She played Reva Connors across the interconnected storylines of Marvel’s Netflix shows Jessica Jones and Luke Cage. She also starred as an eccentric witch, Fiji Cavanaugh, in the short-lived supernatural drama series Midnight, Texas. Fitz-Henley has been on the verge of stardom for a while now, and the role of Patience Lee in a Kick-Ass reboot movie could finally push her into the ranks of the A-list.
4 Jharrel Jerome As Dave Lizewski
What makes Dave Lizewski such a relatable character is that he’s an outsider. Jharrel Jerome gave his breakout performance as the quintessential outsider, 13-foot 19-year-old giant Cootie, in the delightfully surreal Prime Video series I’m a Virgo. While the M.V.P. of that series is its visionary creator, Boots Riley, Jerome anchors the story with a dynamic performance as Cootie. He captures the character’s authentic awkwardness – the most important aspect of casting Dave for the Kick-Ass reboot – as Cootie tries to integrate himself into society.
3 Keke Palmer As Patience Lee
If the Kick-Ass reboot is shifting its focus from Dave Lizewski to Patience Lee, then Keke Palmer would ensure that the franchise maintained its signature sense of humor in the transition. In just over 20 years in the industry, Palmer has amassed more than 100 acting credits. She’s always charismatic and does a fine job of balancing her characters’ comedic moments with their deeper emotional moments. That was on full display in her turn as Em Haywood in Jordan Peele’s sci-fi thriller Nope.
2 Finn Wolfhard As Dave Lizewski
Finn Wolfhard’s lead performance as Mike Wheeler in Netflix’s supernatural horror series Stranger Things has made him a popular fan casting for just about every teenage role up for grabs in Hollywood. He was the main source of comic relief in the It films with his turn as quipster Richie Tozier, and his confident performances in The Addams Family and Ghostbusters: Afterlife have shown that he’s not afraid to join a beloved franchise and step into roles made iconic by other actors. Wolfhard would make a terrific Dave Lizewski.
1 Lupita Nyong’o As Patience Lee
A great choice for the role of Patience Lee in the Kick-Ass reboot would be Lupita Nyong’o. Nyong’o has already shown off her superhero chops with the role of Nakia in the Black Panther movies. Nakia, much like Patience, doesn’t need any superpowers to defeat the bad guys. Nyong’o has Oscar-caliber dramatic abilities, as seen in her Academy Award-winning turn as Patsey in 12 Years a Slave, but she’s also demonstrated her comedic abilities when playing Maz Kanata in the Star Wars sequel trilogy and Miss Audrey Caroline in the musical horror comedy Little Monsters.
