The first two Kingsman films introduced the film world to a higher class of spying. Based on the Mark Millar comics of the same name, the franchise is a fun take on the genre that had grown too dark and gritty in recent years. But all agencies have a beginning, and that is no different with the Kingsman. So before all the tailored clothes, fashionable high tech gadgetry, and the manners, there was The King’s Man. This prequel is set nearly a century before the events of Kingsman: The Secret Service and Kingsman: The Golden Circle, and it stars Ralph Fiennes as a World War I soldier who helps launch the new agency. Check out the trailer here below.

As you might expect, The King’s Man will bring back some familiar places, and interesting aspects that made the first two Kingsman films so entertaining. But the prequel looks like it will not have all the flash and flair of a comic book movie. Instead, it will embrace all the dirt and grit of World War I. Which would be a nice change of pace for the franchise as it will prevent it from becoming stale. Honestly, it had felt like the franchise was already running on fumes by the second installment. But the prequel won’t be all doom and gloom. There are some slight goofs and gags. But for the most part, it will be a departure from what we know. And that’s okay.

Matthew Vaughn returns to the director’s chair after helming the first two. Using a script written by Karl Gajdusek, The King’s Man will center on one single person who developed and launched the first independent intelligence agency in order to counter a collection of history’s worst tyrants and criminal masterminds from succeeding to start a war that would wipe out millions.

Here is the synopsis for The King’s Man:

The film also stars Gemma Arterton, Rhys Ifans, Matthew Goode, Tom Hollander, Daniel Brühl, Djimon Hounsou, and Charles Dance.

The King’s Man opens in theaters on February 14, 2020.

[Source: 20th Century Fox YT]