Kingsman 2 is on the fast track at 20th Century Fox with an aim to begin production in spring of 2016. But who will direct?
NewsYesterday brought news that Matthew Vaughn would be directing I Am Pilgrim, but today we learn that things are moving quickly in the follow-up to his February hit, Kingsman: The Secret Service. Indeed, THR reported Thursday that Fox is tentatively planning an April 2016 start date for shooting on the Kingsman sequel.
This news has the potential of creating an interesting dynamic. On the first count, Vaughn is still writing the screenplay for the sequel (which he did not do for Kick-Ass 2, nor did he get past the story stage on X-Men: Days of Future Past). Additionally, Vaughn has insisted that unlike the Kick-Ass and X-Men: First Class sequels, he has a legitimate interest in directing a continuation of the story of Eggsy, the central Kingsman character played by Taron Egerton.
However, as he is also moving forward with directing duties for I Am Pilgrim, so it is unclear whether he will actually have time for more spy-making in this comic world. Also, Egerton himself might have a scheduling conflict brewing since the (unconfirmed) rumor in Hollywood is that Lionsgate is circling the Kingsman and Legend star to play Robin Hood in their Sherwood reboot, Robin Hood: Origins. It should also be noted that Leonardo DiCaprio’s Appian Way production label is producing that movie.
Kingsman: The Secret Service opened on Valentine’s Day weekend of this year and despite its R-rating (or because of it), the picture proved to be a robust success with critics and audiences as it grossed over $400 million worldwide.
Kingsman is very loosely based on the comic book series The Secret Service by Mark Millar and Dave Gibbons. That book was published in 2012 by Icon (a Marvel imprint).
