“Busy” is a word that definitely describes the atmosphere on the backlot of Walt Disney Studios and its various subsidiaries. The merger between the company and what’s now known as 20th Century Studios only contributes to that image, as the slate of projects inherited after the fact has led to movies either being cancelled, sold off or put on the backburner. As The King’s Man gears up for release, perhaps now’s the best time to ask, is Kingsman 3 still on Disney’s radar? Luckily enough, we do have an answer, and Matthew Vaughn has provided some keen insight into that very subject.
What’s Going On With Kingsman 3 At Disney?
During his select roundtable interview promoting The King’s Man, Mr. Vaughn wasn’t shy at all about his plans to expand the universe, should the fans want that to happen. That’s all well and good, but there’s just one potential problem: will Disney be just as interested in going forward, regardless of how well this new prequel does? As it stands, not only is Kingsman 3 definitely on Disney’s radar, but in Matthew’s update on the project’s standing, he gave a firm timeline as to when the next steps are going to be taken:
It’s a complicated question. The bottom line is, Marv does own Kingsman. We are in partnership with 20th Century Studios and Disney, and in about four weeks, we'll be sitting down talking about whether they want to make Kingman 3 with me. You know, they get first dibs. … But the answer is, yeah we were in partnership with these guys, but long term, we own it.
The short, but sweet truth is that Disney definitely has its eyes on The King’s Man and Kingsman franchises. With a sit-down set to take place in about a month, that’s more than likely been set up as a period of evaluating the box office performance of the entertaining Ralph Fiennes-led ensemble piece. If these numbers aren’t to the liking of the top brass, the future may fall squarely in Matthew Vaughn’s hands, which isn’t by accident at all.
How Matthew Vaughn And Marv Studios Retained The Rights To Kingsman
Through his production company MARV, Vaughn has been able to attack the projects he’s most passionate about, and not have to worry about studio backers in the process. Rather than letting a studio finance a movie like Kingsman: The Secret Service in exchange for the rights, Matthew and his company finance their own movies and use the studio as a distribution partner. The fierce independence in that methodology shines through as he describes how that approach has basically built his entire career:
Basically I've been financing all my movies for a long time, purely because I find it easier. I was lucky enough that once I started, [Lock, Stock, and Two Smokin’ Barrels] was the first thing we financed, and that was $900,000. So, we've always tended to make profits, and then you get to a point where you make profits and then you make money in life. And then when you make money in life, all these people come up to you and say, “Can we have your money to make money out of your money?” And they’re all rather scary sort of suit type people. I was like, ‘You know what? I don't want to give you people my money. I'll just put it into my movies, because it's what I know and what I love. And if I don't believe in it, why would nobody else believe in it?’
Ultimately, it sounds like Matthew Vaughn and MARV's playbook involves leaving it all on the line one movie at a time, and deciding whether or not to press forward one the results are in. Again, that highlights the point that Vaughn has made throughout the press tour for The King’s Man, which is that the fans need to show up, and vote with their wallets. Though that’s not the only movie on the books that needs to perform in the world of MARV’s sprawling ambitions.
Could Kingsman 3 Move Ahead Without 20th Century Studios/Disney’s Involvement?
Leaving it all out on the field is a way that Matthew Vaughn’s style of moviemaking is more unique than most. Every project feels like a passion to him, but in turn, the investment in those movies does tend to hold up future projects past the planning stages. While he could very well could move onto Kingman 3 in time for its planned September 2022 start date, with or without Disney’s backing, here’s the next hurdle Vaughn will have to clear to do so:
I'm tapped out right now. Everything's just gone into Argylle. So, hopefully, touch wood, it will come back. We've got like a revolving system now where we can finance the movies and, you know, I have nowhere to hide. If the movies don't work, it's all my fault literally now. There's a freedom in being able to make what you think is the right decision, and then own that decision. … If they decide not to do it, in theory, yes. If I decide to do it, then no one can make one, either. So, the ball’s sort of pretty much in my court.
No clear date is set out for Argylle’s debut, both in the printed word or as a cinematic property. Still, this already seems to lay out a timeline for what’s to come. After the meeting with Disney takes place in the post-King’s Man aftermath, the only question that’ll remain is how well Bryce Dallas Howard and Henry Cavill’s spy caper performs with its audience. A number of possibilities could arise from this scenario, but the key takeaway is that even without 20th Century Studios distributing Kingman 3, the show could very well go on.
If you’re a fan of the Kingsman legacy, then you should make your way to theaters to see The King’s Man; which opens on December 22nd. Also, keep an eye on the 2022 release schedule, as there’s no telling when the release date for Argylle will be made available to the public. Much like the adventures of Mr. Vaughn’s espionage franchises, intelligence and a proper game plan are key to the future.
