Shortly after Spy hit cinemas back in 2015, director Paul Feig announced he was already writing a sequel to the hit Melissa McCarthy comedy. While it hadn't been officially given the go-ahead by the studio, Feig hoped to make it his next project after the highly publicised Ghostbusters reboot. Three years on and no sequel has emerged, and during an interview for his new movie A Simple Favour, Feig has revealed why.

“They’re (20th Century Fox) on the third Kingsman movie, I love the Kingsman movies, that’s the same studio. They made more money than we did, but we didn’t not make money. We made pretty good money. We made $235 million worldwide, that’s pretty good on a $65 million budget—you always wish it was higher. But yeah, they just didn’t wanna do it, and now the moment may be passed, I don’t know. But I’m really proud of it.”

So there you have it, Fox only has room for one R-rated spy based comedy franchise and Kingsman is it. The Matthew Vaughn directed action films are spawning another sequel with Colin Firth and a prequel titled The Great Game that charts the formation of the Kingsman organization.

For me, Spy is Feig's best film, and much like The Heat, it serves as the perfect vehicle for McCarthy's talents. However, my love of Spy and desire for a sequel is to see Jason Statham's haphazard Agent Rick Ford and McCarthy reunited. Who knew that The Stathum was secretly a comedic genius, nobody that's who. Aside from Statham's hilariously overzealous performance, there's the eclectic supporting cast that includes Jude Law, Rose Byrne, Miranda Hart, Allison Janney, Peter Serafinowicz, and 50 Cent.

For his latest film, Paul Feig has traded comedy for thrills with the forthcoming A Simple Favour. Starring Anna Kendrick, Blake Lively, and Henry Golding, the mystery thriller arrives in UK cinemas on September 20.