After the surprise, sleeper success ofKingsman: The Secret Service, directorMatthew Vaughnis sticking to the spy genre with his next project,I Am Pilgrim.THRreports Vaughn will direct and produce the feature adaptation ofTerry Hayes' best-selling espionage thriller for MGM, as well as co-financing through his company MARV films.
Vaughn will direct from a script by Hayes, who adapted his own novel for the screen. Before penningI am Pilgrim– his first novel – Hayes had an accomplished career as a screenwriter, including the filmsMad Max 2: The Road Warrior,Mad Max Beyond the Thunderdome,Dead CalmandPayback.
Here’s theI Am Pilgrimsynopsis from the report.
Based on 2014’s mammoth best seller, the story follows “Pilgrim,” code name for a man who doesn’t exist. The adopted son of a wealthy American family, he once headed up a secret espionage unit for U.S. intelligence. Now in anonymous retirement, he is called upon to lend his expertise to an unusual investigation but ultimately becomes caught in a terrifying race against time to save America from a cunning terrorist.
I Am Pilgrimsaw massive success as a novel, translated into more than 30 languages after landing on a number of U.S. best-seller lists including the New York Times and the Los Angeles Times, and earning the title of best-selling debut of 2014 in the U.K.. Haynes is currently working on a follow-up novel featuring the same protagonist, and MGM is keen to seeI Am Pilgrimspawn a film franchise.
With only five films under his belt as director, Vaughn has proven himself the right guy to kick off franchises, first withKick-Ass, which garnered a sequel directed byJeff Wadlow. Vaughn followed that up by reviving Fox’sX-Menfranchise with the mega-hitX-Men: First Class, before heading off to adaptMark Millar’sKingsman: The Secret Service.Kingsmanreceived a sequelgreenlight back in April, with Vaughnhard at work on the screenplay. With a 2016 start date projected forI Am Pilgrim– a date that seems likely to overlap with production onKingsman 2– It looks like Vaughn will continue his track record of getting a franchise off the ground only to head on to the next big thing.
What do you think? Excited to see Vaughn carry on in the spy genre? Still hoping to see him back at the helm forKingsman 2? Sound off in the comments.
