Though X-Men: First Class racing to meet its date, Matthew Vaughn has enough free time to look at other comic book projects.

According to Deadline, he’s eager to make The Golden Age, an adaptation of a yet unpublished comic book by Jonathan Ross.  (Yes, the Jonathan Ross. He’s a comic geek, and he’s married to girl geek and frequent Vaughn scripter, Jane Goldman.)

The Golden Age centers on a group of retired superheroes who intervene to save their grandchildren after their own superheroic sons and daughters have screwed up the world.

As other news recyclers have said before me, it’s Watchmen-Red-The Expendables with a dash of The Dark Knight Returns.

Vaughn says “a major Hollywood studio” is eager to back him, and his casting wish list includes Clint Eastwood, Jack Nicholson, and Warren Beatty.

Despite that this is a concept we comic readers are pretty familiar with, it could be fun.  However,  I was one of the few left cold by Kick-Ass, so I’m not that eager to see Vaughn run again with another superhero satire. I’d probably jump up and down and say “Oh, yes please.”  if it was another director. I’m in the minority. You do the jumping up and down.

Personally, my interest is solely stuck on that cast (sorry, Mr. Ross) who I’d love to see cut loose in something funny and action-oriented.   Nicholson probably would do it.  Beatty seems a bit lost these days. Eastwood has sworn off acting, but his well-documented love for Tropic Thunder and Judd Apatow suggests he’d come out of his half-hearted retirement for one good laugh.

We’ll see how this comes together.   I imagine any green light really hinges on X-Men: First Class.