Matthew Vaughn’s Kingsman: The Secret Service was one of the biggest surprise hits of the last year. Combining humor with over-the-top violence, the film did for the spy genre what Kick-Ass did for the superhero genre – provide perfect parody, whilst completely honoring its inspiration. Part of what made Kingsman work so well was the pitch perfect performance by Colin Firth as Agent Galahad; while most assumed the character would not come back for a sequel, Mark Millar – who penned the comic upon which Kingsman is based – admits it could still happen. WARNING: KINGSMAN: THE SECRET SERVICE SPOILERS.
In a recent interview with IGN, Millar explained that working Galahad back into the story – despite his untimely demise in the original Kingsman – has become a primary concern for the creative team behind the sequel:
That's the conversation everyone's having right now, because part of what made that movie work is Colin. Colin's fantastic, it was a two-hander, that film. You also want to have the integrity of the story, so if you are bringing him back, it has to make sense. That's where it is at the moment. Beats of the story have been done. [Screenplay co-writers] Matthew [Vaughn] and Jane [Goldman] are working on it at the moment. Some things have to be worked out, some decisions have still to be made and everything, so it's all fairly amorphous, but all going well.
So while the team has not figured out a specific way to bring Firth back into the fray, Millar assures that the decision will make sense within the universe. It could range from bringing Firth back as a twin character, to flashback sequences. Kingsman: The Secret Service took no issue with including some fairly absurd elements into its plot, so we can expect Galahad to be brought back through some fairly outlandish means.
It speaks to the effect that star power can have on the release of a movie. As Millar observes in the interview, Colin Firth played an integral role in the success of the first Kingsman, so a sequel would benefit from his return – provided that bringing him back does not compromise the integrity of the story. Given the fact that Galahad had essentially accomplished his goal of serving as a mentor foe Eggsy (Taron Egerton) by the time he died in the first film, smart money is on Firth’s return to the franchise to take a more villainous turn, making it more personal and difficult for the protagonist.
Only time will tell if Firth even decides to return for a Kingsman sequel. One thing that is for sure: fans of the original would most certainly clamor to see him back in his suit and spectacles kicking ass. Kingsman 2 is expcted to his theaters sometime in 2017.
