Despite news that both Emma Watson and Bella Heathcote were considered for the role, and the rumor that Taylor Swift had been cast, we now have confirmation from Variety that relative unknown Sophie Cookson has landed the female lead in Matthew Vaughn’s upcoming action/comedy/thriller, The Secret Service.
Based on a graphic novel of the same name by Mark Millar and Dave Gibbons, the film takes a satirical look at the much-romanticized image related to being On Her Majesty’s Secret Service. As such, Cookson joins a sterling cast that includes Colin Firth at a James Bond-like lead, Taron Egerton as his willful nephew and protégé, as well as Michael Caine and Samuel L. Jackson.
Just as with Vaughn’s previous adaptation of a Mark Millar comic book, 2010’s Kick-Ass, The Secret Service is co-penned by Vaughn’s writing partner, Jane Goldman. Incidentally, this is the project that Vaughn dropped out of X-Men: Days of Future Past to direct.
The film is to open on November 14, 2014.