One of the many strengths ofKingsman: The Secret Servicewas its wholly unique villain. Instead of a mustache-twirling baddie or some hulking muscle-freak, writersMatthew VaughnandJane Goldmancrafted a villain of the best kind—one you can’t help but kind of agree with.Samuel L. Jackson’s Richmond Valentine was hell-bent on worldwide destruction, sure, but it was after exhausting his efforts to curb climate change, deciding that starting from scratch was the planet’s only hope of ever recovering from the damage humanity had done. It was a fantastic twist on a familiar trope, and for the highly anticipated sequel, the first step towards topping that villain has been taken.
PerTHR,Julianna Mooreis in talks to play the Big Bad forKingsman 2, which has Vaughn back in the director’s chair andTaron Egertonreprising his role as Eggsy, the latest addition to the titular secretive spy organization.We caught up with Egerton last month at Sundanceand he told us thatKingsman 2’s villain is even better than Jackson’s character:
“WithKingsman2, we’re shooting in the summer at present. There’s a script, it’s brilliant. Obviously there’s only so much I can say but what I can say is that we shot [the first] one all in the U.K., that won’t be the case with the next one. It’s a far more international story, we’re going to some incredible places, and we have a villain to rival Samuel L. Jackson—this new one is so brilliantly written I wish I could play it. It’s amazing.”
While there was talk thatColin Firthcould potentially return for the sequel despite his character’sSPOILER ALERTdemise at the end of the first movie, THR now says that plans to reincorporate the actor either via flashbacks or an identical twin have been discarded, with Firth now not coming back forKingsman 2. Which is a bit of a bummer—he wasgreatin that first movie—but Egerton proved to be a bona fide star, and I’m excited to see the actor take the reins this time around.
Moore has been more than willing to dabble in franchise fare despite her penchant for dramatic material and, you know, winning an Oscar, as she played a key role in the final twoHunger Gamesmovies and hammed it up alongsideJeff BridgesinSeventh Son. She hasn’t entirely left the smaller dramas behind, though, as she’s poised to star inCaroldirectorTodd Haynes’ children’s book adaptationWonderstruckand will star oppositeMatt DamoninGeorge Clooney’s next directorial effortSuburbicon, which was scripted by theCoen Brothers.
Suffice it to say Moore has a busy schedule, but I do hope that talks with her and theKingsmanfolks work out. Given how much fun Jackson had with his character in the first movie, I can’t wait to see what she could bring to the franchise in the follow-up, which will take the action across the pond to the United States.
