In early 2015, Kingsman: The Secret Service, based on Mark Millar and David Gibbons' The Secret Service comic book series, was released, introducing audiences to the Great Britain-based Kingsman spy organization that keeps the world safe. But this agency isn't a fresh creation; it was created after World War I by wealthy British individuals who lost their heirs in the devastating conflict. We'll soon get a prequel detailing the formation of the Kingsman organization, and it looks like Ralph Fiennes is being lined up to lead it.
Back in June, director Matthew Vaughn, who wrote and directed the first two Kingsman movies, said that in addition to Kingsman 3, i.e. a direct sequel to The Golden Circle, there were other projects in development to flesh out this universe, including a prequel called Kingsman: The Great Game that would will follow the spy organization in the early 1900s. Now there's word from The Daily Mail that Ralph Fiennes has been tapped to play the man who spearheads Kingsman's creation in this prequel, which apparently isn't called The Great Game anymore. Fiennes will reportedly be joined by Harris Dickinson, who starred in the FX series Trust and will soon be seen in Maleficent II. No specific plot details were revealed, but apparently the Kingsman prequel will involve some fictional storylines involving the Duke of Lancaster's Regiment, which really exists and uses the Kingsman rank, the equivalent of a private.
Now here's where things get a little confusing. Last week, it was announced that a new Kingsman movie has been dated for November 8, 2019. Most assumed this was referring to Kingsman 3, which will mark the conclusion of the relationship between Harry "Galahad" Hart and Gary "Eggsy" Unwin. But this latest update indicates that it's actually the Kingsman prequel that's snagging the November 2019 date. Ideally we'll get some clarification soon regarding what the next entry in the Kingsman franchise will be, although it's also worth noting that Matthew Vaughn previously said that Kingsman 3 and this World War I-set tale will shoot back-to-back. So even if Kingsman 3 isn't coming next year as initially believed, if this filming plan stays the same, we shouldn't have to wait too much longer for it to arrive.
Along with having notable credits like five of the Harry Potter movies, Schindler's List, The English Patient and The Grand Budapest Hotel, Ralph Fiennes is no stranger to the world of spy movies. He joined the James Bond franchise in 2012's Skyfall as Gareth Mallory, who took over as M following his predecessor's (Judi Dench) demise. Fiennes reprised M for 2015's Spectre and is reportedly returning for Bond 25, which originally occupied the November 8, 2019 slot, but was recently moved to February 14, 2020. As for the Kingsman franchise, along with this prequel, there is also a spinoff centered on Kingsman's American counterpart Statesman in development, as well as an eight-hour Kingsman TV series, though there's no word yet on which characters or what time period that project will cover.
Stay tuned to CinemaBlend for any major updates concerning the Kingsman franchise, but in the meantime, look through our 2018 release schedule to learn what movies are hitting theaters for the rest of the year.
