I think I’ve been seen more confusion about The King’s Man, the third film in Matthew Vaughn’s popular Kingsman franchise, than just about anything. It began when Taron Egerton, who starred in the first two movies as upstart spy Eggsy, wasn’t returning for the third movie. He’s not done by any means, but this latest film is a prequel set in the early 1900s about the man responsible for founding the titular anti-terror organization. And based on this trailer, I don’t think we’ll be missing Eggsy or Harry Hart very much.
Ralph Fiennes takes over as real-life soldier/writer/adventurer T.E. Lawrence, who takes under his wing a new recruit, played by The Darkest Minds star Harris Dickinson, to help in an ongoing war against the world’s most dangerous tyrants. While the premise is essentially the same, and the action is stylish in the franchise’s tradition, the setting gives Vaughn a chance to play around with history in a fun way. Most of the characters are other real-life figures who made prominent marks in the U.K. during times of war.
Alongside Fiennes and Dickinson are Liam Neeson, Djimon Hounsou, Daniel Bruhl, Charles Dance, Rhys Ifans, Gemma Arterton, Matthew Goode, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Charles Dance, Tom Hollander, Djimon Hounsou, Alexandra Maria Lara, and Stanley Tucci. Damn.
The King’s Man hits theaters on February 14th 2020.
