Matthew Vaughn and the crew behind ‘The Secret Service’ have certainly been busy as of late. Less than two weeks ago, news of Sir Michael Caine joining the cast hit the web, but the former Harry Palmer isn’t the only person to be connected to the project recently. It appears that they’ve found their lead and they have some high hopes for the female lead.
Back in June, it was reported that the shortlist of actors included Jack O’Connell, John Boyega, Christian Cooke, and Aaron Taylor-Johnson were all on the list to play the nephew of Colin Firth, who will play a British secret agent who enrolls the young lad in spy school. But completely from left field, Taron Egerton appears to have won the role of the younger male lead. The newcomer only has one credit on his IMDB page and no representation yet, but Collider says that he impressed the director during a screen test so much that he got the part.
Now that the male leads are locked in, it’s being said that Vaughn is aiming very high for his villain and female lead. On the leading lady front, ‘Harry Potter’, ‘The Perks of Being A Wallflower’, and ‘The Bling Ring’ star Emma Watson and Bella Heathcote of ‘Dark Shadows’ are said to be high on the director’s list, though formal negotiations have not began yet. As for the bad guy, high-profile stars such as Tom Cruise and Leonardo DiCaprio have been offered the part, but both have turned it down. No word on what other big names he’s going for at the moment, but the director definitely has big plans for that part.
While I was rooting for O’Connell to win the lead in this film, Egerton must have been really good to have no experience and land something like this. I’m looking forward to seeing what he has to offer when this movie finally hits theaters next year. As far as the villain situation goes, I’ll bet Kevin Bacon ends up landing the role. Lately, he’s been knocking it out of the part when it comes to bad guys in comic book/superhero movies like in ‘Super’, ‘X-Men: First Class’, and ‘R.I.P.D.’, so I wouldn’t be surprised to see him add this to the list.
What do you think about this casting news for ‘The Secret Service’? How do you think this unknown lead will handle the role? Which actress do you favor more for the female lead? And what actor do you think could bring the star power Matthew Vaughn is looking for in the villain role? Let’s hear what you think in the comments.
‘The Secret Service’ is scheduled to hit theaters on November 14, 2014.
