Filmmaker Matthew Vaughn has created a franchise in Kingsman that drives ever forward at a breakneck speed, with stylish action sequences and cool gadgets that evoke James Bond. But what does it all mean? Where did the Kingsman mythology come from? That’s what he plans to get into with The King’s Man, the prequel movie coming to theaters in 2020. Vaughn will go back further with this than he did with the ’60s-set X-Men: First Class, stretching the Kingsman timeline back to the first World War and seeing who founded the organization and for what reason. And, he promises, we’ll find out what “manners maketh man” actually means.
Vaughn spoke with ComicBook.com’s Brandon Davis at New York Comic Con last weekend, and shared some details on what to expect from the next (and kinda/sorta first) installment in the franchise. You can check the video out above.
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“We will in some ways. We’ll discover why manners maketh man. We’ll discover why one of my favorite lines in the new film is ‘reputation is what people think you are, character is who you are.’ It’s got a lot of what I’ll call home truths for our modern society that would be good to remember. It’s an allegory of…World War I happened due to some crazy politicians and political movements that got out of control. Everybody thought there couldn’t be a war, and then it happened. We’re living in a crazy time right now.”
The King’s Man will serve as a prequel to Vaughn’s two other Kingsman movies, roughly set during the time of World War I. Despite being a prequel, Vaughn has previously confirmed there will be a fourth film in the franchise set after the events of Kingsman: The Colden Circle.
“The end of this movie [Golden Circle], if you think about it: you have Eggsy’s definitely going to go on a new journey,” Vaughn said earlier this year. “Galahad, or Harry Hart’s going on a new journey. Tequila’s going on a new journey. Jeff’s (Bridges) going on a new journey, Halle (Berry), the new agent Whiskey, is. The next movie is what happens to these characters. They’re definitely not going to be doing what you’ve seen them do before.”
Taron Egerton (Eggsy) confirmed he’ll be back in the franchise at some point, just not in The King’s Man — something completely understandable after seeing the trailer.
“That doesn’t mean I won’t be in Kingsman ever again,” Egerton previously confirmed. “I was with Matthew [Vaughn] as little as a few days ago, we’re still very much in business together, but his next journey in that world doesn’t involve me. His idea for the new one is incredibly exciting. I’m sad that I won’t be on that journey with him but it’s not the last you’ve seen of Eggsy.”
The King’s Man stars Ralph Fiennes, Harris Dickinson, Daniel Brühl, Rhys Ifans, Gemma Arterton, Charles Dance, Matthew Goode, Tom Hollander, Djimon Hounsou, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Stanley Tucci, Alison Steadman, Robert Aramayo, Alexandra Maria Lara, and Joel Basman. It’s Matthew Vaughn’s third Kingsman directing gig from a script he wrote with Karl Gajdusek.
The King’s Man is set for release on February 14, 2020.
Are you excited to return to the world of Kingsman in The King’s Man? Sound off in the comments.
