Matthew Vaughn may begin filming Kingsman 3 as soon as this year, right after he's finished editing his prequel, The Great Game. Launched in 2015, the Kingsman movies are based on Dave Gibbons and Mark Millar's The Secret Service comic books, and follow the adventures of a British spy organization known as Kingsman. Vaughn's first two Kingsman films were quite lucrative and grossed a combined $825 million at the global box office. As a result, the franchise is being expanded with an upcoming prequel and sequel (both of which are being directed by Vaughn), in addition to a potential TV show and more spinoffs down the line.
Taron Egerton starred in the first two Kingsman movies as Gary "Eggsy" Unwin, an anti-authoritative young man who's recruited for the Kingsman by Agent Harry Hart (Colin Firth). Eggsy and Harry have served as the core of the series so far and will return in the as-yet untitled third installment, following the release of the in-production Great Game. Vaughn doesn't intend to take much of a break between Kingsman adventures, either, and is already looking ahead to the start of shooting on the next sequel.
In an interview to promote the Elton John biopic Rocketman (which he produced and Egerton stars in), Vaughn told Digital Spy he hopes to begin filming Kingsman 3 "later this year or the beginning of next year". He also confirmed the sequel will serve as the "final chapter" in Eggy and Harry's relationship, and mentioned that Egerton's excited to play his Kingsman role again "because emotionally it's a lot less draining", compared to his work on Rocketman.
Elsewhere, Deadline's own report on Vaughn's comments has revealed that Liam Neeson plays a role in The Great Game. The Kingsman film prequel reportedly takes place in the early 20th century and explores the eponymous organization's early days. Vaughn is directing the movie from a script he co-wrote with Jane Goldman (his writing partner), and the film's cast includes Harris Dickinson (Trust) as its young lead, along with seasoned veterans like Ralph Fiennes, Stanley Tucci, Charles Dance, and Djimon Hounsou. This makes Kingsman one of two franchises that Neeson's joined in a supporting capacity of late, next to his role in June's spinoff-continuation, Men in Black: International.
By the sound of it, The Great Game will help tide Kingsman fans over in 2020, as they wait for Eggy and Harry to reunite for Kingsman 3. While the first two Kingsman films (especially 2017's The Golden Circle) were criticized for being too silly-violent and self-satisfied in the way they riffed on James Bond movie tropes pre-Daniel Craig, they're almost equally celebrated for their playfulness. More than that, Egerton and Firth have long been recognized as the glue that holds the franchise together, and their characters' student-teacher relationship has served as the series' beating heart since the beginning. It remains to be seen how The Great Game fares without the pair, but it sounds like audiences won't have to wait long for them to return, either.
Source: Deadline, Digital Spy