20th Century Fox has plans for a sequel to the sleeper hit Kingsman: The Secret Service, which grossed them more than $400 million worldwide, despite opening during the February dumping grounds against Fifty Shades of Grey. They’re looking at an April start date for principal photography, even though that presents several problems in terms of bringing back one of the main characters and the film’s director, Matthew Vaughn.
Vaughn announced in June that he was working on writing the sequel to the film, but he’s also slated to begin production on I Am Pilgrim for MGM in 2016, another spy thriller project based on the novel by Terry Hayes. (Hayes is writing the screenplay.) He’s also never directed a sequel before, despite several of his films spawning them.
In addition to that, Taron Egerton, who played Eggsy, is scheduled to star in Robin Hood: Origins, a “gritty” version Robin Hood, which also shoots in 2016. It’s one of several Robin Hood adaptations in the works around Hollywood, so Lionsgate seems to want to rush it into production, leaving Egerton to try and balance two shooting schedules, or the Kingsman sequel without its Galahad.
Fox and Lionsgate have already fought over Jennifer Lawrence’s obligations to both X-Men and The Hunger Games. Ultimately, Fox moved up their production of X-Men: Days of Future Past (and Vaughn left that project for Kingsman, replaced by Bryan Singer). But Robin Hood: Origins is already in casting mode, hoping to begin shooting at the start of the year. Fox, however, has the option already for a sequel with Egerton, which means their claim on him trumps anything else.
Personally, I’d rather have a Kingsman sequel than anymore Robin Hood films, at all, ever. I’d also rather the sequel have time to develop in order to be as fantastic as the first film. You really just can’t beat an entire roomful of synchronized exploding heads, but I’m sure if there’s a way, Vaughn will find it.
