Colin Firth is in final negotiations to join Matthew Vaughn's new film "The Secret Service."
Vaughn and frequent writer Jane Goldman wrote the script based off Mark Millar's comic book. Millar told Heat Vision in April 2012 that the comic book is "James Bond meets My Fair Lady." The book's plot is described as a six-issue mini-series that tells the story 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."
Firth will play the uncle while a lead is still being cast. Aaron Johnson was pursued for the lead role but was unavailable.
Firth's participation will be his first foray into the comic book world. He is currently starring in the film "Arthur Newman" and will next be seen in "Gambit" alongside Cameron Diaz; he will also appear in "Devil's Knot." Firth recently appeared in three acclaimed films including "Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy," "A Single Man" for which he garnered his first Academy Award nomination and "The King's Speech" for which he won the Oscar. He is currently filming "Before I go To Sleep" with Nicole Kidman, Anne Marie Duff, and Mark Strong.
Vaughn last directed "X-Men: First Class" and was set to direct the sequel but left. He also directed "Kick Ass" and "Stardust."
Vaughn will direct, produce and finance via his MARV Films banner, in the same fashion as he adapted Millar's comic "Kick-Ass." 20th Century Fox picked up the North American distribution rights in March and is set to unveil the film November 21,2014.