Hit the jump for plenty of casting news for X-Men: First Class director Matthew Vaughn’s next film The Secret Service, including which actresses are being eyed for the female lead and which A-listers have already passed on the villain role.
the-secret-service-comic-book-coverAdditionally, there’s quite a bit of casting news concerning Matthew Vaughn’s graphic novel adaptation The Secret Service to get to. The story is about a veteran secret agent who takes his ruffian nephew from the streets of London and into a British spy school that molds its students into suave 007-types. Colin Firth is already onboard as the older lead, and after an exhaustive search, Vaughn has settled on newcomer Taron Egerton for the younger lead. Egerton has only one credit to date, a TV appearance on Inspector Lewis, but apparently Vaughn was rather impressed with his screen test.
The filmmaker now turns his attention to casting the female lead, and Variety adds that Vaughn has been showing interest in Emma Watson and Bella Heathcote (Dark Shadows), though it doesn’t sound like any formal negotiations have taken place. Vaughn also wants to land a high-profile star for the film’s villain, and has already extended offers to Tom Cruise and Leonardo DiCaprio. Both actors subsequently passed, but it definitely looks like Vaughn is aiming high.
Finally, comics creator Mark Millar claims (via /Film) that Michael Caine is set to play the head of the spy organization in The Secret Service, but he also said that “all the cast is done,” which is clearly not true. As such, don’t hold your breath for Caine to appear just yet. The actor might also run into a scheduling conflict, as Interstellar begins production soon and The Secret Service starts filming in September ahead of a November 14, 2014 release date.