The nine-day film SXSW film fest opens March 12 with the world premiere of Matthew Vaughn’s Kick-Ass, starring Aaron Johnson, Cholë Grace Moretz and Christopher Mintz-Plasse, who will all attend a Conversation panel at the SXSW Film Conference, along with the comic’s writers, Mark Millar and John S. Romita.

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Focus Features Intl. has snapped up multi-territory rights to Brit helmer Matthew Vaughn’s superhero pic “Kick-Ass.”
Focus has acquired the pic, about a teenager who decides to become a real-life superhero, for the U.K., Australia, Germany, Latin America, Austria, Switzerland and New Zealand, where it will be released via Universal Pictures Intl.

Deal was negotiated by Focus prexy Andrew Karpen and Mandate Intl.’s Joe Drake.

Lionsgate has already acquired the pic for the U.S. and will release next April.

“Kick-Ass” stars Nicolas Cage, Aaron Johnson, Chloe Moretz, Christopher Mintz-Plasse and Mark Strong.

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