Samuel L. Jackson will play the villain in Matthew Vaughn's The Secret Service

By Mike Vago | August 2, 2013 | 4:55pm

Aux Features Film

Last week, The A.V. Club reported that director Matthew Vaughn was looking to cast the main villain in The Secret Service, his latest adaptation of a Mark Millar graphic novel (Millar also wrote Kick-Ass, which Vaughn adapted for the screen). After big names like Tom Cruise and Leonardo DiCaprio turned down the role, Vaughn was reported to be looking for someone with "that level of name recognition."

In what can only be considered an unqualified success on that front, Vaughn has cast a man whose name recognition is on par with Moses. Samuel L. Jackson, who you may remember from such films as most of the ones from the last 20 years, has signed on to do battle against spymaster Michael Caine and henchman Colin Firth, as they teach newcomer Taron Egerton all about spying. He'll probably also teach them a few things about growing up, too.