Matthew Vaughn’s original KINGSMAN: THE SECRET SERVICE was a send-up, of sorts, of the tried-and-true James Bond franchise — a spoof that poked fun of all of the things 007 has been doing for decades. The sequel, KINGSMAN: THE GOLDEN CIRCLE, amplified everything to exaggerated levels. Seriously, at one point, robotic dogs were chasing down Elton John. It was crazy.
Now, Vaughn appears to be bringing his franchise back to its roots with the anticipated prequel THE KING’S MAN, a chapter in the KINGSMAN saga that will tell an origin story for the group at large. 20th Century Fox released the first trailer for THE KING’S MAN, which you can check out below.
Set during World War I, Matthew Vaughn’s THE KING’S MAN looks to be a period-piece origin story that will follow a similar blueprint to the original KINGSMAN: THE SECRET SERVICE. In that instance, a young recruit was tutored in the ways of the secret spy agency by a dapper, distinguished British gent.
Colin Firth has been replaced in THE KING’S MAN by Ralph Fiennes — a spectacular upgrade. And the ensemble for THE KING’S MAN rounds out with some heavy hitters, from Aaron Taylor-Johnson and Gemma Arterton to Djimon Hounsou, Rhys Ifans and Charles Dance.
The trailer also proved that the WWI period setting is going to force Matthew Vaughn to strip away all of the fancy gadgets and high-tech weaponry that the modern-day KINGSMAN movies have been able to lean on, and that should freshen up the formula. The action on display in the trailer seems to have Vaughn’s trademark energy: slow-motion shots and hyper-stylized cinematography. But this movie is set in the past, and the approach to stunts and fights looks like it will reflect that.
Matthew Vaughn still plans to make another KINGSMAN movie with Firth and his protégé, Taron Egerton (ROCKETMAN). But it will be interesting to see how the spy saga handles a prequel, focusing on the early days of this particular timeline.
THE KING’S MAN arrives in theatres on February 14, 2020. Do you plan on checking it out?
