So often a movie sequel is pitched as a bigger and bolder incarnation of its predecessor, and while that may still be true of Kingsman: The Golden Circle, writer-director Matthew Vaughn has made no bones about doubling down on his target audience.
The super-stylish action sequel is now barrelling down on its late September release date, and following its sizeable showcase at San Diego Comic-Con last month, Vaughn was recently quoted (via Empire) as saying that, “if you didn’t like the first movie, you’ll fucking hate this one. I’ve made this for people who like the first film.”
It’s an admittedly ballsy move for a sequel that whisks its leading duo – namely Eggsy (Taron Egerton) and Merlin (Mark Strong) – off to the US of A, where they join forces with Kingsman’s sister organization, Statesman. Founded by Agents Champagne (Jeff Bridges), Tequila (Channing Tatum), and Pedro Pascal (Jack Daniels), along with the whip-smart Ginger Ale (Halle Berry), this is an American outfit that embraces its culture with arms wide open, given the Statesman HQ is located within the confines of a whiskey distillery – hence all of the alcohol-related codenames.
And though they take a back seat in today’s electrifying TV spot, those aforementioned agents are part of the reason why The Golden Circle has generated so much buzz, and their introduction signals a radical expansion of the Kingsman franchise. It certainly bodes well for the potential third chapter, too, though one would assume Matthew Vaughn will be forced to choose the as-yet-untitled threequel over the possibility of helming Flashpoint for Warner’s DC Extended Universe.
The filmmaker was said to be one of the frontrunners prior to SDCC 2017, though we’ve yet to hear of any development on that front just yet.
Kingsman: The Golden Circle, meanwhile, lights up theaters on September 22nd.
