‘Kick-Ass 2′ moved from June to August release

Folks eager to see the sequel to "Kick-Ass" are going to have to wait just a little longer. Universal has announced that "Kick-Ass 2," the follow-up to the 2010 cult favorite, will open on August 16, 2013, seven weeks after its originally announced release date of June 28.

While a delay in the debut of a highly anticipated film sometimes means production problems (especially for a film whose production status changed repeatedly), reports insist that's not the case with "Kick-Ass 2." Instead, Universal has juggled the release dates on several projects due this summer so they're less likely to interfere with one another.

"2 Guns," starring Denzel Washington and Mark Wahlberg, was originally slated for August 16 but has been moved up to August 2. And "R.I.P.D.," featuring Ryan Reynolds, Jeff Bridges, Kevin Bacon, and Mary-Louise Parker, will arrive on July 19. Since all three pictures are action vehicles based on comic books, Universal likely wants to be certain they're not competing too closely at the box office.

Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Chloe Grace Moretz, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, and Lyndsy Fonseca will all be returning for "Kick-Ass 2," with Jim Carrey joining the cast as Colonel Stars and Stripes. As in the first film, a growing number of ordinary people will don costumes to fight evildoers as the would-be hero Red Mist evolves into a villain whose name can't be published on a family-friendly website. (It rhymes with "Brother Trucker.") Meanwhile, Kick-Ass aligns himself with a band of full-grown heroes calling themselves Justice Forever. Jeff Wadlow, whose previous credits include "Never Back Down" and "Cry Wolf," wrote and directed the sequel.