
Oscar winner Firth will star opposite Emily Blunt in an untitled dark comedy from commercials director Dante Ariola.
Jason Merritt/Getty Images- Share this article on Facebook
- Share this article on Twitter
- Share this article on Email
- Show additional share options
- Share this article on Print
- Share this article on Comment
- Share this article on Whatsapp
- Share this article on Linkedin
- Share this article on Reddit
- Share this article on Pinit
- Share this article on Tumblr
Colin Firth is doing his first comic book movie.
The actor, who won an Oscar for his performance in 2010’s The King’s Speech, is in talks to star in The Secret Service, Matthew Vaughn’s adaptation of a comic he co-created with Mark Millar and artist Dave Gibbons.
Vaughn co-wrote the screenplay with frequent collaborator Jane Goldman and is directing, producing and financing via his MARV Films banner, in the same fashion as he adapted Millar’s comic Kick-Ass.
VIDEO: Emily Blunt and Colin Firth on Making ‘Arthur Newman’
20th Century Fox picked up the North American distribution rights in March and set a Nov. 14, 2014 release date.
Service, a six-issue miniseries, tells of a ruffian from the rough neighborhoods of London who gets recruited by his uncle into a British spy school of the sort that churns out suave, sophisticated gentlemen-agent types in the 007 mold.
“This is James Bond meets My Fair Lady,” Millar told Heat Vision in April 2012.
Firth would play the uncle should a deal get made. Aaron Johnson was pursued for the lead but was unavailable.
PHOTOS: Colin Firth and ‘The King’s Speech’: Real vs. Reel Royalty
The comic was made with Hollywood in mind. Not only was Vaughn a co-creator of the book, the comic also featured cameos from such real life personages as Mark Hamill and Ridley Scott (connected to the machinations of the villain). It is unclear if they will appear in the movie.
Firth, known for his British period dramas and romantic comedies, next appears in Arthur Newman and Devil’s Knot.
Related Stories
THR Newsletters
Sign up for THR news straight to your inbox every day