‘Kingsman 2’ To Make One Major Change From Original

When it blazed its way into cinemas last year, Kingsman: The Secret Service, Matthew Vaughn’s R-rated super-spy comic book adaptation, was a massive sleeper hit. Pulling in $414 million on a budget of $81 million, the film was practically guaranteed a sequel, and showed that cinema-goers are still willing to spend their hard-earned cash on an exciting, super-violent, entertaining movie. The film had charisma to burn, so the fact that Kingsman is now becoming a franchise will only excite fans of the original.

With the sequel now in development, a few plot details have started to surface. Last year, confusion was reported over Taron Egerton’s heavy workload, with details confirming that a scheduling conflict caused logistical headaches between two major studios, as revealed by Cinema Blend. However, all seems to be in order now as Egerton has been speaking about the upcoming sequel, and has revealed Kingsman 2 will feature a major change from the original.

In an interview with Collider, Taron Egerton joined co-star Hugh Jackman to discuss their upcoming biopic Eddie the Eagle, which had a secret showing at the Sundance Film Festival. During the interview, Egerton was asked for a status update on Kingsman 2, and revealed that the sequel will have a more international flavor.

“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.”

An international location or two would certainly make the film more intriguing. Kingsman: The Secret Service was shot entirely in the United Kingdom, despite some on-screen locations suggesting otherwise. An authentic take on a modern spy movie — and regularly riffing on that other popular spy franchise, James Bond — the film has its witty tongue firmly in its cheek, recruiting a host of A-list British talent to bring the tale to eccentric, hilarious life. The James Bond movies benefited from setting their films in glorious, foreign locales, so Kingsman 2 could be about to follow suit.

For a movie that was, essentially, an origin story, basing Kingsman: The Secret Service in and around the United Kingdom made perfect sense. The film detailed the development and rise of Gary “Eggsy” Unwin, a troubled street-tough youth who is more resourceful than first imagined. Recruited into The Kingsman by Galahad (Colin Firth), he soon becomes the hottest new international super-spy. Now, with the franchise-baiting ending to the first movie, it makes sense to move Eggsy and his fellow spies to more exotic locations around the world. After all, the title “international super-spy” still means exactly that. No locations have been confirmed yet, but it seems like they’re going to be doing a little more sightseeing the second time around.

From what Egerton says, Kingsman 2 will be aiming to broaden the character’s horizons extensively. The world is a huge place, and its only a matter of time until Eggsy and his fellow spies face a threat either from or on international soil. If Egerton’s response is anything to go by, the antagonist in the sequel will be quite something to behold too. If the actor who leads the franchise — whose profile was catapulted to the A-list because of the first movie — wishes he could play the part, that speaks volumes.

Other details are still scarce on Kingsman 2, but Matthew Vaughn is expected to direct once again. Aside from Egerton’s contracted involvement, no castings have been announced yet. Rumors of Colin Firth returning in some capacity are doing the rounds too, so watch for developments. It will all be a little clearer when production gains momentum in the next few months.

Kingsman 2 opens on June 16, 2017.

[Image via 20th Century Fox]