Matthew Vaughn has made a name for himself as the ideal director to take on the not-so-simple task of adapting dark graphic novels to the big screen. And yet, his best film to date, an adaptation of Neil Gaiman's beloved Stardust, is only dark in spurts, weaved into a fantastical world of magicians, fairies, craftsmen, creatures, and heroes. If there's a reason that he's stuck to empty moral exercises in the aftermath of Stardust and Layer Cake, it's likely due to the fact that Stardust was a failure at the box office, especially when compared to the fiscal success of X-Men: First Class and Kick-Ass, two of the most condescending comic-book movies in recent memory.

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Image via 20th Century Fox

Vaughn seems to be doubling-down on this trajectory once again with Kingsman: The Golden Circle, the anticipated sequel to Kingsman: The Secret Service. To put it mildly, I was not a fan of the original and currently have only a baseline interest in seeing the second one, thanks largely to casting additions ranging from Halle Berry and Jeff Bridges to Channing Tatum and Julianne Moore. The latest trailer for the upcoming sequel, which you can take a look at below, also suggests that this film will have bigger, more explosive action set-pieces, which would be another major selling point. Vaughn may not be spinning the same magic he did in Stardust here (at least from the look of things), but he has acclimated to the action genre with ease and, despite my reservations, may have figured out what to focus on in the genre with The Golden Circle. We shall see.

Here's the new TV trailer for Kingsman: The Golden Circle:

Here's the official synopsis for Kingsman: The Golden Circle:

‘Kingsman: The Secret Service’ introduced the world to Kingsman – an independent, international intelligence agency operating at the highest level of discretion, whose ultimate goal is to keep the world safe. In ‘Kingsman: The Golden Circle’, our heroes face a new challenge. When their headquarters are destroyed and the world is held hostage, their journey leads them to the discovery of an allied spy organization in the US called Statesman, dating back to the day they were both founded. In a new adventure that tests their agents’ strength and wits to the limit, these two elite secret organizations band together to defeat a ruthless common enemy, in order to save the world, something that’s becoming a bit of a habit for Eggsy…

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Image via 20th Century Fox
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Image via 20th Century Fox
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Image via 20th Century Fox