KINGSMAN: THE GOLDEN CIRCLE Trailer

Get your suit ready, because the Kingsman are back. The daper, ultra-violent Bond spoof had its cake and ate it too in its debut, 2014’s Kingsman: The Secret Service, taking overt stabs at the beloved spy series while basically playing by the same rules. It had ridiculous gadgets, casual misogyny, and an over the top villain, but it was also jovial and light, a sharp contrast to our current, dour Bond.

Some people (myself included), delighted in Kingsman’s unapologetic tone, and it was undeniably a big risk for co-writer and director Matthew Vaughn as a follow-up to his mainstream X-Men: First Class. But the risk paid off and the secret agency returns in Kingsman: The Golden Circle, which looks to be following the same formula as Secret Service, right down to committing one of the biggest Bond sins: going American.

The glut of new cast members is thanks to the Kingsman teaming up with their American counterparts, and while the series’ world is definitely expanding, it’s hard to imagine the gleeful violence getting much bigger. That might be a problem for Golden Circle, as part of Secret Service’s charm stemmed from how surprising it was. Audiences will know what’s coming this time, so Golden Circle will need to smooth out the series’ rough edges to continue delighting fans.

To me, the most heartening thing about this sequel is the addition of Channing Tatum, who does silly physicality about as well as anyone. It’s a good indication that Vaughn knows what worked about the series debut, and hopefully he’s able to walk the violently funny tightrope again.

Kingsman: The Golden Circle directed by Matthew Vaughn and stars Taron Egerton, Channing Tatum, Colin Firth, and Julianne Moore. It will be released in the U.S on September 22nd, 2017 and in the U.K. on September 29th, 2017. For international release dates, click here.

Do you think Kingsman can find success twice? Let us know in the comments!