In 2014, when the first installment in what is now becoming the Kingsman franchise released, most of us had no idea what to expect from the flick. Thankfully, it took everyone by surprise and opened to great reviews (and numbers), showing Hollywood studios that audiences were still willing to attend the Cineplex for something other than a 2h “trailer” for the next unnecessary Marvel movie. Kingsman was a crowd-pleaser, likely destined to become a cult favorite, and we were fairly excited when they announced that a sequel, Kingsman: The Golden Circle, was in the works.
The idea for Kingsman originated from Scottish comic book writer Mark Millar, the wunderkind of the comic world; a writer who basically sees every new book he pens optioned by a studio before it even hits bookshelves. Originally titled The Secret Service, the comic served mostly as an inspiration to the team behind the film (rather than an adaptation), elevating the original material and paying homage to the early Bond films we grew up with in the process. We sincerely thank director Matthew Vaughn for taking a chance with Kingsman and heading it in a gloriously entertaining direction.
Vaughn, who got his start as Guy Ritchie’s producer, left Guy’s side shortly after Swept Away (a horrible remake of an Italian classic starring Ritchie’s then wife Madonna) and directed Layer Cake. The latter not only became known as a classic of the British gangster genre, but also introduced audiences to Daniel Craig. He then moved on to the fantasy comedy Stardust, but it wasn’t until 2010 and Kick Ass (adapted from a Millar comic) that he became a major player in Hollywood. Vaughn gave the X-Men franchise its best film, First Class, but when offered a chance to continue churning out films about mutants, he declined, and instead went the Kingsman way.
It’s reassuring to see such a talented filmmaker come back for the Kingsman sequel, especially since he is joined by most of the first film’s cast, as well as impressive new additions. Future star Taron Egerton is back as Eggsy, and his co-stars include Mark Strong, Julianne Moore, Halle Berry, Channing Tatum (as Agent Tequila), Jeff Bridges (as Agent Champagne) and Pedro Pascal.
If you’re not already hyperventilating from excitement, the trailer confirms the return of Colin Firth as Harry Hart (who was left for dead in the first film) but they’ll surely find a way around that (it’s technically not a spoiler since his name is on the poster)! Let’s hope Kingsman: The Golden Circle will be bigger and better, and the trailer certainly seems to suggest that this will likely be the case.
Kingsman: The Golden Circle releases on September 29, watch the trailer here.
