When it comes to wrapping on the role that made his name, Taron Egerton wants to go out with a bang. The Welsh actor burst onto the big screen as Eggsy in 2014's Kingsman: The Secret Service, the council estate kid recruited to an elite espionage agency by Colin Firth’s super-suave spy Harry Hart. But after sequel Kingsman: The Golden Circle was met with a more lukewarm critical reception, Egerton hopes that the upcoming third film set to wrap up Eggsy and Harry's partnership fares better than the last entry.
“I would like the third one to be better received than the second one was,” he told Empire on the Empire Podcast. “I felt we got a bit of an unfair kicking if I'm totally honest. I think in some respects it was [difficult] because I just gave everything to it, and then it was so quickly torn down, that I think I did feel a bit of a sting. I think in some respects it probably wasn't quite as well put-together a film as the first one, but it certainly wasn't a bad film. And when we got this real kicking- I think what I would like to happen is for us to do a third one and for it to feel like a worthy third instalment to what has been a great part of my life.”
Back in June, British filmmaking powerhouse Matthew Vaughn filled Empire in on his grand plans for Kingsman, revealing two new films in the series – one a sequel to The Golden Circle, and another titled Kingsman: The Great Game, a prequel set in the early 1900s exploring the origins of the Kingsman agency. And while Egerton was recently reported as saying he won't star in 'Kingsman 3', he clarified to Empire that he was referring to The Great Game – it turns out the prequel is coming first, aiming to hit cinemas for an 8 November 2019 release.
While a sequel to The Golden Circle will likely conclude Egerton's role in Kingsman, he also told Empire that he'd be interested in reprising the role further down the line to mark a generational leap forward.
"My dream for it would be that I would kind of hang up my suit for 10, 15 years and then come back and pass the mantle on," Egerton explained. "I think that would be fun. We'd have to take a step away from it for a while before we did that. For me that would be the perfect way to wrap up what has been a huge, huge part of my life, and something I will always be incredibly grateful to Matthew for, and will always be in his debt for. So you never know, watch this space. Either way, Kingsman's going to survive, with or without me."
Listen to the full Taron Egerton interview on the latest episode of the Empire Podcast.
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