The Kingsman prequel is trading out Harry and Eggsy for a little Kick-Ass

Aux Features Film

We’ve known for a few months now that the next movie in Matthew Vaughn’s profane spy send-up series Kingsman probably wasn’t going to be Kingsman 3; star Taron Egerton said as much back in November, and Vaughn’s made no secret of his intent to go the prequel route for the franchise’s next installment. Now Deadline has confirmed those plans, including the fact that the untitled backstory project will require a whole new cast of quippy secret agents to fill in for Egerton and Colin Firth.

But while we won’t be seeing Harry and Eggsy blowing away evil tech billionaires or engaging in juvenile, borderline questionable sexual shenanigans, Vaughn still isn’t going too far afield with his new casting choices. All of the casting announcements released today—Ralph Fiennes, Stanley Tucci, Gemma Arterton, Charles Dance, Djimon Hounsou, and more—make perfect sense in a “Fill the thing with famous (mostly British) people, please” sense, sometimes to an almost 1-for-1 degree. (It’s not hard to imagine Tucci riffing on Mark Strong’s bald-headed mentor role, or Game Of Thrones’ Dance stepping into the “malevolent supervisor” role filled by Michael Caine in the original film.) The most going-back-to-the-well move, though, is the guy who’ll presumably be starring as the film’s ersatz Taron Egerton: Aaron Taylor-Johnson, who starred in Vaughn’s other big comic-book breakout feature, Kick-Ass.

Previous reports on the prequel suggested that it would operate under the name “The Great Game,” and would take place in the 1900s, tracking the origins of the titular agency of sassy secret agents. Meanwhile, it’s entirely unclear when this thing is coming out; Vaughn previously secured a November 2019 release date for some kind of Kingsman project, but it’s not clear if he was referring to the prequel project at the time.

36 Comments

  • nilus-av says:

    Wow the Kick-Ass kid got hot as fuck!

  • stevie-jay-av says:

    Taron Egerton can’t act for shit. His Robin Hood was a dud. 

  • igotlickfootagain-av says:

    No offence to ATJ, but he looks really douchey in that header photo. Like, about to explain to you how you’ve been reading Murikami all wrong levels of douchey.

  • it-has-a-super-flavor--it-is-super-calming-av says:

    Honest question: Am I the only one who liked the first Kingsman and hated the sequel?

    • otm-shank-av says:

      I’m pretty sure that’s not unusual. What’s unusual would be liking the sequel and hating the first one.

    • moralpanic-av says:

      Loved the first one, thought the second one was a replacement level movie that annoyed me. 

    • thecapn3000-av says:

      Im wondering where we’re supposed too stand on this series. I remember the review of the sequel was so rife with political allusions, you’d have thought it tussled some hair and inadvertently got someone elected.

    • decorus-focht-av says:

      Might have to do with them killing off two of the better characters…

    • curiousorange-av says:

      Didn’t hate the sequel but certainly not as fun as the first one.  

    • makrmaldrill-av says:

      Really liked the first one. Turned the second one off after just a few minutes.And, I feel like this is just as good a place as any to ask this…so… can we have a sequel to the man from UNCLE, please? Thanks guys.

    • dreadpirateroberts-ayw-av says:

      Nope. Love the first one. Mostly cringed at the second. My wife also loved the first one, and LOATHED the second one.

    • augustintrebuchon-av says:

      “Hated” is a weak word for what I felt towards that POS.Completely ruined the the concept of the first one with that “we need to get the US market” thing, and that idiotic resurrection bit. The balls the original one had in killing off a main character was awesome.They watered down a great idea, and got rich doing it, so I guess silver linings?

    • malca008-av says:

      You’re not alone. I LOVED the first movie and its mixture of dark comedy and social satire with Tarantino-esque ultraviolence in what was both a parody and a giant love letter to James Bond.But that sequel, man…total dog shit. It reminded me a lot of Men in Black II — instead of exploring a vast secret organization with multiple characters and exciting stories to tell, they decided to focus on the same two characters with one of them being the older mentor who is unnecessarily resurrected despite no longer serving a purpose. The whole film also felt surprisingly mean-spirited and nasty, devoid of the kind of sharp humor that made the first one so good. Eggsy was charming and roguish in the first film, but I found him to be more of an arsehole here. Pedro Pascal’s sudden turn as the villain at the end felt completely out of nowhere and wasn’t believable (rewrites?). But the biggest insult is how the film tricked everyone into thinking Channing Tatum was going to have a major role but was instead an extended cameo which he completely disappears from the film during Act Two and reappears for one scene at the very end. WTF?!?!?!?!     
      So yeah, Matthew Vaughn and crew for a brief second had a solid gold film franchise with potential to make as many sequels as the Bond-007 series…but to quote William Hurt in A History of Violence, “HOW do you FUCK THAT UP?!”    

    • maltbrew01-av says:

      No.
      It would be yes if you’d switched them around though.

  • backwardass-av says:

    Vaughn lost me when he crammed Prince’s Lets Go Crazy into Kingsman 2. Prince spent his whole life not wanting his music used in movies like that, but the second he dies Vaughn says fuck the artist and goes picking at the bones like a vulture. Wasn’t the kind of move I’d expect from Vaughn, though given the general drudgery of Kick Ass 2 and the fact that he’s apparently decided to hang his hat on this shitty franchise, maybe I had been expecting too much from the guy in the first place.

    • stunningsteveaustrian-av says:

      He’s never been very good. I feel like a lot of the people say “X-Men: First Class” is the best X-Men movie just because they hate Bryan Singer, whose X-Men movies were far superior until the dismal Apocalypse.

    • mikosquiz-av says:

      I don’t think you can be all that precious about a song that sounds like a Poison single that went to #19.

  • theporcupine42-av says:

    Oh… that guy. He’s still working, huh? Well, good for him.

  • armandopayne-av says:

    I’ve said this before but they should’ve used my idea which is (quoted from my WhatsApp group)‘If I was booking the third one, I’d book Ryan Reynolds, Nathan Fillion and Red Velvet as the baddies. It’d be the same but different what with two Canadians instead of an American and Red Velvet taking on the role of Elton John’s part of Musical Guests who play a pivotal role. But Red Velvet will essentially play their Peek A Boo role of psychopathic mass murderers. Like that’s how I’d book it anyways. Taron Egerton, Halle Berry, Channing Tatum, Jeff Bridges, Colin Firth and Elton John Vs Ryan Reynolds, Nathan Fillion and Red Velvet Bois. That would be my version of Kingsman 3 anyways. Ryan and Nathan do all the talking and planning and be the main antagonists and shit with RV being like the Evil James Bond Asian Henchmen of yore. Just have it be like an old James Bond flick y’know? Reynolds and Fillion play two Business Men or what not who lives in New Atlantis or some shit, just an underwater base and just have it be like Team Aqua off Pokémon y’know? Like have their plans just be to drown 90% of the world so they can then repopulate the world afterwards, the new Noah’s Ark.Then you have the Statesmen plus Egerton and Firth have to stop them from committing mass genocide. Like that’s how I’d book Kingsman 3 anyways. Bring back Elton John just to have Red Velvet murder him on the two baddies behalfs, y’know? Then you focus mainly on the Statesman y’know? Have the New Atlantis be set in America, y’know?Like my hypothetical Kingsman 3 would go:Act 1: Reintroduce Statesman, Kingsman and everyone.Introduce the main antagonists in New Atlantis.Have their secondary antagonists murder Elton John. (About 30 minutes.)Act 2: Have the secondary antagonists talk with the primary antagonists.Have the primary antagonists force the destruction of about 20% of the world’s dams.The Statesman and the primary antagonists meet up, have a friendly conversation.Have the Statesman contact the Swedish Royal Family. (From 00:30 to about 01:15)Act 3: The Swedish Royal Family and the Kingsman target the secondary antagonists, finally killing them except for one.The Statesman find out where New Atlantis is.76% of the world’s dams get destroyed.Halle Berry stops the rest of the dams from being destroyed.New Atlantis gets raided and destroyed. The two primary antagonists plans are foiled.The Statesman kill the two primary antagonists.One member of the secondary antagonists tries to kill Eggsy, gets killed by Tilde. Cue credits. Post credits scene if necessary. (From 01:15 to 02:29)But that’d be how Kingsman 3 would go if I was writing it, anyways.’

  • skpjmspm-av says:

    The entire middle paragraph, almost half the article, is absurd. Unless there was a Kingsmen comic set in 1900, in which case there really would be a sorta, kinda comparison between Kick-Ass and the prequel on the grounds they were at least both adaptations. Or if the article had been about The Kingsmen adaptations, which it isn’t. If the notice had been the first and last paragraphs, it would have been a perfectly serviceable piece of writing. Aaron Taylor-Johnson was in Nowhere Boy, Savages, Nocturnal Animals and Outlaw King, turning out a good performance in each. Whatever was wrong with the Avengers movie and Godzilla wasn’t his performance, but they were pretty high profile. Haven’t seen Anna Karenina, Albert Nobbs, The Wall or A Million Little Pieces but, then, who has? Not sure who Hughes was trying to snipe at by digging up Kick-Ass. Probably Taylor-Johnson who is suspect for preying on older women.

    • Burblotsky-av says:

      Taylor-Johnson’s last movie with Vaughn directing was Kick-Ass, so he mentioned that. Your last sentence is absurd. The article in no way brought up or referenced Taylor-Johnson’s relationship(s). You did, and also used accusatory language, which seems wholly uncalled for.I guess what I’m trying to say is thank you, so much, for your input. 

      • skpjmspm-av says:

        There’s nothing “going back-to-the-well” about casting Taylor-Johnson. Also, the title says the prequel is going to be “Kick-Ass.” Taylor-Johnson is no more going to do Dave Liszewski than Jody Foster will be doing a teen prostitute in her next movie. Hughes was slighting Taylor-Johnson. If Daniel Radcliffe were cast in a Cuaron movie it would be slighting him to call it going back to Hogwarts. The OP is demeaning, and goes out of its way to do so. 

        • Burblotsky-av says:

          The title does not say the prequel will be Kick-Ass. You made that up.No one has been slighted or demeaned. If anything, Vaughn was been mildly ribbed for unimaginative casting choices.Jesus Christ, settle down. And to your example, no. That wouldn’t be demeaning.Here’s the entirety of Taylor-Johnson’s mention in the article:“The most going-back-to-the-well move, though, is the guy who’ll presumably be starring as the film’s ersatz Taron Egerton: Aaron Taylor-Johnson, who starred in Vaughn’s other big comic-book breakout feature, Kick-Ass.”Guess what: that’s a fact, and it’s relevant. It’s not even so much as snarky toward TJ. 

  • ozilla-av says:

    Not enough Charles Dance in the world. He too needs to open a pub and play quiz games.

  • Ruhemaru-av says:

    Honestly, I’d rather this be a sequel and have it show that Roxy/Lancelot made it to the shelter she was running for before the missile hit Kingsmen HQ in the second film. Both films criminally underused her character despite her being the only one of her ‘class’ to legitimately pass the Kingsmen exam. Eggsy not only failed the test, but ended up being the reason all the others got killed. It just took a longer time for Merlin to get killed because of Eggsy’s screwups.

  • broark64-av says:

    what a downgrade. dude was the worst thing about Godzilla, Kick Ass, and Age of Ultron

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