The British spy organization gets an origin story in The King’s Man, because we’re so obsessed with origins that even organizations need one now?
Ah well, anything to get back to the Kingsman world, right? The original was at once a throwback to earlier Bond films and a send-up of what that series had become, injecting some fun into a genre that had wallowed in its own dour self-importance long enough. Now with a disappointing sequel of its own and some soul-searching to do, The King’s Man looks to right the ship. It’s leaving behind all our familiar heroes (bye dapper Eggsy) in exchange for a new team looking to insert themselves into the turbulent politics of the early 1900s.
The series is still under the watchful eye of Matthew Vaughn, who once again directs and co-writes. Whether he’ll recapture the glory of Kingsman: The Secret Service or not is key here, and if Golden Circle proved anything, it’s how hard calibrating the series’ brand of violent fun is.
Perhaps moving away from modern day can bring back the unexpected spark of the first, and to help him out Vaughn has a whole new crop of game actors. Ralph Fiennes and Harris Dickinson are seemingly the Harry/Eggsy replacements (if you don’t know Dickinson please check out Beach Rats), with Gemma Arterton and Djimon Hounsou rounding out the newly formed group.
There’s more people popping up in this trailer than is possible to list (shout-out to Rhys Ifans as everyone’s favorite mad monk, Rasputin), which makes it seem like The King’s Man will be a loaded action comedy just like its predecessors. Here’s hoping it’s more Secret Service than Golden Circle.
The King’s Man is directed by Matthew Vaughn and stars Ralph Fiennes, Harris Dickinson, and Gemma Arterton. It will be released in the US on February 14th, 2020. For international release dates, click here.
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