Could Kingsman star Taron Egerton be the next James Bond?

The sequel to spy flick Kingsman has hit UK cinemas - but is there a danger its main star could swap sides?

At the London premiere of Kingsman: The Golden Circle, actor Taron Egerton said it would be "amazing" to play James Bond.

The 27-year-old star rose to fame playing unlikely spy Gary 'Eggsy' Unwin in the first of Matthew Vaughn's action-packed films, and has since been hailed as a fresh alternative to old-school 007 .

"I don't know how much better he is - I think he's quite a nice alternative," Egerton said of his character as he walked the red carpet.

"Bond is eternally super-cool and clean cut and sharp; Eggsy is too, but Eggsy doesn't always get it right and I think that's the fun of Eggsy, he's not quite formed yet.

"Maybe one day he'll be James Bond, but for now, he isn't."

But could Egerton prove to be a double agent? Would he swap sides to enter a more prestigious franchise?

"If I was asked, yeah. Yeah, amazing."

It might come as shocking news to Kingsman fans - and creator Mark Millar and director Matthew Vaughn, who managed to gather an impressive cast this time around.

Jeff Bridges, Channing Tatum, Julianne Moore, Halle Berry and Pedro Pascal join the likes of Colin Firth and Mark Strong.

"It's kind of indescribable what was so good about the first movie - it was just so fresh and punk-rock," said Tatum at the premiere.

He said the new film provided "an assault from the very beginning, I can guarantee you".

So far, reviews have been positive, with many critics praising the over-stylised, ultra-violent approach to a spy thriller.

Others have questioned the return of Firth - whose character was apparently killed in the first film.

"Matthew included me in his thinking enough that I knew he could imagine three," said Firth said, revealing the director is already planning a third film.

For now, Kingsman: The Golden Circle opens in the UK this week, and Eggsy will remain Eggsy - at least until Daniel Craig retires.