Kingsman 2: Firth's Return Had to Have 'Consequences'

Screenwriter Jane Goldman on the decision to resurrect Harry Hart.

By Jim Vejvoda

Warning: Spoilers for both Kingsman films follow.

The decision to bring back Colin Firth's character, Kingsman agent Harry "Galahad" Hart, for Kingsman: The Golden Circle was not taken lightly by either director Matthew Vaughn or his co-screenwriter Jane Goldman.

Harry's return was, as Goldman told me in a recent phone interview, something they hadn't even considered when they seemingly killed off the character in 2015's Kingsman: The Secret Service. But once that film became a success and a sequel was in the cards, they wrestled with the notion of bringing Harry back from the (not quite) dead.

"As soon as the thought of a sequel did come up, we didn’t like the thought of one without Colin in it as much as we liked the thought of one with Colin in it, because we loved the dynamic between Harry and Eggsy," Goldman said.

Goldman, who also scripted X-Men: First Class and Kick-Ass with Vaughn, stressed how "enormously important [it was] if you are going to bring back a character whose death had a massive impact that it has to be done respectfully."

Goldman continued, "You can’t just carry on as if that didn’t happen. You can’t wave it away with a silly explanation ... It was very important that it not be treated casually, and that it not send the message that, you know what, none of this, it doesn’t matter, and that kind of, sort of thing. It does matter."

Once the decision was made that Harry would indeed return for the sequel, it became apparent its story had to explore the ramifications of that momentous choice.

"It’s important that there be consequences, and those consequences be dealt with," Goldman explained. "That it’s not just, oh, Harry’s back. That’s my worry about it. You know, that was the last thing we wanted to do. And so I hope that fans of the film will be not only happy that he’s back, but also feel that we have treated it in a way that has it has the appropriate impact on the story."

Goldman also expressed her hopes U.S. audiences aren't offended by Kingsman: The Golden Circle's tongue-in-cheek ribbing of American cultural tropes, as in the film's depiction of the Kingsman's whiskey distillery-based, good ol' boy Statesman.

Colin Firth as Harry Hart in Kingsman: The Golden Circle.

"It’s a very extreme sort of corner of Americana, in the same way that, you know, the whole Kingsman, English gentleman thing is a very extreme example of Britishness," Goldman said. "I thought that we were allowed to do that about British people, but I was terribly worried that Americans might be offended."

Kingsman: The Golden Circle opened in first place this weekend at the domestic box office. For more on the film, check out our review, watch the cast read IGN user comments, and find out how peeved director Matthew Vaughn was when the film's trailer revealed Firth was back for the sequel.

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