The King’s Man is the latest movie in the Kingsman series. The movie is a prequel to the hugely successful action comedy spy movies, and it arrives later this year.
The franchise kicked off in 2014 with Kingsman: The Secret Service, which was based on Mark Millar and Dave Gibbons’ 2012 graphic novel of the same title. It focused on a secret spy organization and starred Taron Egerton as a young man who is recruited to Kingsman and trained by veteran operative Harry Hart, played by Colin Firth. It was a hugely entertaining mix of Bond-style espionage thrills and over-the-top, violent action and grossed more than $414 million at the worldwide box office.
The success of the first film led to a sequel in 2017, titled Kingsman: The Golden Circle. This movie expanded the scope of the Kingsman universe, and featured a star-studded supporting cast which included Julianne Moore, Halle Berry, Pedro Pascal, Elton John, Channing Tatum, and Jeff Bridges. The film was another big success, with a worldwide box office gross of $411 million.
The third movie was announced in 2018, but rather than following the story of The Golden Circle, it will be a prequel that reveals the origins of Kingsman. Like most films set for release last year it has been delayed, but is currently expected to arrive this summer. So here’s everything we know so far about The King’s Man.
The King’s Man release date
The King’s Man is currently scheduled to hit theaters on August 20, 2021. This is the movie’s sixth release date–it had already been delayed twice even even before the COVID-19 pandemic shut down most of Hollywood early last year. Let’s hope it finally arrives this summer.
Who’s the director?
As with the previous two movies in the series, The King’s Man will be directed by Matthew Vaughn. Vaughn previously helmed movies such as X-Men: First Class, Kick Ass, and Layer Cake.
Who’s in the cast?
The King’s Man is set many years before the previous movies, so features an all-new cast. But as before, the movie will be packed with big names, including:
- Ralph Fiennes
- Gemma Arterton
- Rhys Ifans
- Matthew Goode
- Tom Hollander
- Daniel Brühl
- Djimon Hounsou
- Charles Dance
- Aaron Taylor-Johnson
- Stanley Tucci
- Harris Dickinson
While many of their characters haven’t been confirmed yet, we know that Fiennes will play the Duke of Oxford, the rich nobleman who created the Kingsman organization. Arterton and Hounsou play Kingsman agents Polly and Shola, while Rhys Ifans takes on the bad guy role as notorious real-life Russian mystic Grigori Rasputin.
Who’s the writer?
While the previous movies were written by Jane Goldman, The King’s Man has a screenplay by Vaughn and Karl Gajdusek, who previously worked as showrunner on Stranger Things Season 1. Gajdusek’s other credits include the Tom Cruise movie Oblivion and last year’s The Last Days of American Crime.
Is there a trailer?
There have been three King’s Man trailers released so far. The first teaser was revealed back in July 2019, and this was followed by a longer trailer in September that year. The third trailer was revealed in June 2020, and we’re sure to see at least one more before the movie finally arrives. All the promos so far suggest that while the setting of the movie will be different to its predecessors, it will still deliver the same mix of comedy, intrigue, and over-the-top action.
What’s the story?
The King’s Man is a prequel, and focuses on the creation of the Kingsman intelligence agency in the years shortly before the First World War. The Duke of Oxford creates the organization to combat the global threat from what the official synopsis describes as “history’s worst tyrants and criminal masterminds.” These include Rasputin, plus Tsar Nicholas I, T.E. Lawrence, and Mata Hari. As with the other films, the movie’s main character is a young recruit–in this case, it’s the Duke’s son Conrad, played by Harris Dickinson (The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance, Maleficent: Mistress of Evil).
Will there be more Kingsman movies?
We can expect lots more Kingsman films in the future. Vaughn previously said that he plans to direct a fourth movie, which will return to the present day and star Taron Egerton and Colin Firth once more. He initially stated that the film would start production in early 2020 but the movie has yet to start shooting. In addition, last year Vaughn’s producing partner Zygi Kamasa revealed that the director was planning “something like seven more Kingsman films,” as well as a potential Kingsman TV show titled Statesman.
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