[WARNING: This article contains MAJOR SPOILERS for Kingsman: The Secret Service.]
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He may not have gotten the chance to play famous British super spy James Bond during his younger years, but Colin Firth (The King's Speech) more than made up for the snub with Kingsman: The Secret Service. As the starring secret agent in director Matthew Vaughn's adaptation of Mark Millar's comic, Firth's blend of class, charm, and undeniable lethality made him a hero any film series would kill for.
Despite assumptions, it sounds like the hoped-for Kingsman sequel will be keeping him on board. That fact may seem curious to those who've already seen the movie, but Vaughn claims that if the film performs well at the box office, audiences haven't seen the end of Harry Hart just yet.
With inspiration taken from more than a few lasting spy films and TV shows, it would seem fitting to lay the plans for a near-limitless number of sequels surrounding Firth's Kingsman agent. Unfortunately, the character's involvement in the film is ended quite swiftly with a bullet to the head from villain Richmond Valentine's (Samuel L. Jackson) pistol, kicking off the entire third act of the movie.
The twist was particularly potent given Firth's presence in marketing, and made it clear that the story - and the series - now rested in the hands of "Eggsy" Unwin (Taron Egerton).
With an impressive opening weekend gross (for an R-Rated action film opposite Fifty Shades of Grey) and strong word of mouth, sequels are seeming more and more like a possibility. There's no question that franchise potential has proven more powerful than on-screen death before, and Vaughn revealed in an interview with USA Today that he's already working on ways to keep Colin Firth in the picture:
"A lot of people are very upset that Colin might not be in the sequel but I’m coming up with ideas at the moment. If people buy tickets in America, I’ve got a feeling we’ll figure out a way for having Colin back."
Bringing a presumed-dead character back to life is significantly easier when said death takes place in a story dripping with deception and secrecy, but Vaughn didn't offer any more details on just what he has in mind. A literal return of Harry Hart (as opposed to flashbacks, for instance) is feasible, since the film never actually shows the damage done by Valentine's bullet, nor what came of the agent's body.
At the end of the day, fans would likely swallow whatever pill is required to keep Firth and Egerton together for another adventure.
Not that he's particulary necessary for the franchise's continued success, either financially or narratively. The death of Harry Hart opens the door for "Eggsy" to step into his role (quite literally) as one of the clandestine organization's best agents; and even though the film ends directly after his first mission is completed, Vaughn explains that the film is, first and foremost, the introduction of a new breed of spy:
"The sequel will be ‘This is the modern-day gentleman spy.’ Because Harry isn’t. Harry even says, ‘There is a reason why we’ve developed weak chins.’ He said that meaning, ‘Look at us, we need to get new blood into this system,’ and that’s what Eggsy is. I joke that we’ve made the prequel to the Eggsy movie."
Only time will tell if Kingsman's positive reviews help Egerton (and Vaughn) make the most of the potentially star-making performance - just as Aaron Taylor-Johnson turned his leading role in Vaughn and Mark Millar's Kick-Ass from wannabe superhero to certified Avenger. Egerton seems to have the chops required to carry a sequel, and if Vaughn's work on Kingsman is just a taste of the real story he has in mind, we're more than eager to see it in action.
Do you see Kingsman as the start of a newer, modern take on "the gentleman spy," or do you think Colin Firth should continue to play a starring role in a potential sequel? Sound off in the comments.
Source: USA Today