Samuel L. Jackson is joining the “The Secret Service.”
The “Avengers” star will play the villain role in the spy thriller from “Kick-Ass” collaborators Matthew Vaughn and Mark Millar.
Colin Firth and Taron Egerton (“Inspector Lewis”) are also starring.
“The Secret Service” centers on a flashy secret agent (Firth) who is charged with training a young recruit who is also his nephew (Egerton).
According to Variety, who broke the news, Vaughn has been looking for big name to appear in the role, even offering it to Tom Cruise and Leonardo DiCaprio, before deciding on Jackson.
Casting for the film’s female lead is still underway, and both Emma Watson and Bella Heathcote (“Dark Shadows”) are reportedly in the mix.
Vaughn and Jane Goldman (“X-Men: First Class”) adapted the graphic novel of the same name by Millar (“Wanted”) and Dave Gibbons (“Watchmen”). Millar also co-created “Kick-Ass,” which Vaughn and Goldman adapted into the 2010 hit film.
Jackson will soon be seen in a pair of remakes — Spike Lee”s “Oldboy” and MGM”s “Robocop” — and will reprise his role as Nicky Fury in 2014’s “Captain America: The Winter Soldier.”