What most people have been talking about in the run-up to the release of Kingsman: The Golden Circle is the mystifying reappearance of Colin Firth’s superspy Harry Hart. In 2014’s Kingsman: The Secret Service, Agent Galahad was undeniably shot in the head by Samuel L. Jackson’s villain – and yet the promotion for the sequel has been very open about the fact that Harry would be back in action this time around.
But was his return always on the cards? Was his apparently fake death in the first movie deliberately engineered with a hidden way for him to come back in a sequel? Well, no, it wasn’t. In an interview with ComicBook.com, Firth revealed that director/co-writer Matthew Vaughn did not originally envision the actor being part of the second outing. When asked if it was planned, he replied:
“It wasn’t but it was quite early. I think Matthew really wanted to be conclusive. You kill of a loved character and I don’t think he wanted to cheat so he meant it at the time. Just the life that the relationships had brought to the whole thing, I think he felt, ‘We’re finding a way to revive.’ I think you’re right, I think he earns it. It’s not some facile thing where it just happens by magic.”
You can see why Vaughn felt he had to find a way to bring Firth back for The Golden Circle. The classy English star’s unlikely reinvention as an action hero was the highlight of the first movie for many, and his endearing mentor/student relationship with Taron Egerton’s Eggsy provided the heart of the film.
Unfortunately, the sequel hasn’t exactly received the acclaim of the original, with reviews being somewhat positive but still fairly mixed. Was bringing back Firth the right move, then? We’ll have to judge for ourselves when Kingsman: The Golden Circle hits cinemas on September 22nd.
