Thus far, the Kingman franchise has established a very clear aesthetic, namely by crafting hyper-modern James Bond-esque espionage thrillers filled with all kinds of heightened and stylized action sequences. For the upcoming prequel The King's Man, however, things are changing quite a bit. While Matthew Vaughn is still at the helm to complete what is his first trilogy as a director, this story takes us back to the years of World War I, and as you can see in the brand new trailer below, things are quite a bit different for the original class of agent:
This time around the big bad of the story isn't a savvy tech entrepreneur with a lisp, or a criminal mastermind with her own amusement-park themed lair. No, this time around the foe is a more familiar face: Grigori Rasputin, as portrayed by Amazing Spider-Man actor Rhys Ifans. In The King's Man he will be working alongside some of the most evil individuals of the early 20th century on a plan that will devastate humanity, and it will be up to the Kingsmen to ensure that he is not successful.
Given that this story is set about 100 years prior to the events of both Kingsman: The Secret Service and Kingsman: The Golden Circle, it probably shouldn't be too surprising that the characters played by Taron Egerton and Colin Firth, Eggsy and Harry Hart a.k.a. Galahad, aren't at the center of this story - but Matthew Vaughn still has gone out of his way to fill the screen with recognizable faces. This time around you'll note that Ralph Fiennes and Harris Dickinson are playing the new veteran/protege protagonist duo, named the Duke of Oxford and Conrad, but they are surrounded by an outstanding supporting cast that includes Matthew Goode, Tom Hollander, Harris Dickinson, Daniel Brühl, Djimon Hounsou, and Charles Dance (most of whom you probably spotted in the above trailer).
While the circumstances of the story and the setting of The King's Man are wildly different, it is interesting to note that certain recognizable elements are still present - such as the heightened and stylized action sequences. Not only does this film look like it is going to feature some genuinely intense scenes of battle during World War I, but it looks like there is going to be plenty of badass and fun hand-to-hand and shootout action scenes featured as well - captured with unique and experimental camera angles in regular Matthew Vaughn fashion. It looks really cool, and it would wind up being an early 2020 highlight.
On that subject, we still have a little while to wait before this movie comes out, but hopefully this new trailer will satiate your appetite for a spell. The King's Man is set to be released on February 14, 2020 - and if has caught your attention be sure to stay tuned here on CinemaBlend in the coming days, weeks, and months, as we have some special coverage coming your way!
