One of the many films much-delayed by the coronavirus pandemic, a new special look has been released for The King’s Man, 20th Century Studios’ upcoming Kingsman prequel, alongside new stills for the film. Starring Ralph Fiennes, Gemma Arterton, and Rhys Ifans, among others, The King’s Man tells the story of how the Kingsman organization came to be during the First World War, in a fight against “history's worst tyrants and criminal masterminds."
The special “legacy” clip, released via 20th Century Studios on YouTube, opens on Harry Hart (Colin Firth) and his original monologue to Eggsy (Taron Egerton) about the founding of the organization in Kingsman: The Secret Service. The tale is narrated over new footage from the upcoming film, namely Fiennes’ Duke of Oxford introducing his protege Conrad (Harry Dickinson) to the rest of the group, still small in number in its infancy.
“Our founders realized they could channel wealth and influence for the greater good,” Hart says, “and so began an independent intelligence agency operating at the highest level of discretion.” The clip features new footage from the film, including that of Ifans as real-life historical villain Grigori Rasputin, as well as Tom Hollander playing not one, but three European leaders — King George V of England, Kaiser Wilhelm II of Germany, and Tsar Nicholas II, the last emperor of Russia. Intercutting sequences from the first two Kingsman films, the clip constructs a “legacy” of director Matthew Vaughn’s filmmaking, featuring soundbites from some of the film’s stars.
“The style is very Matthew Vaughn,” Arterton says, while Fiennes describes the film as having “gadgetry and humor and action and fantastical villains.” The clip also cuts together the trilogy’s three stars — Firth, Egerton, and Fiennes — completing the Kingsman’s important and infamous motto, “manners maketh man," before ending in proper Kingsman style, with the Duke introducing Conrad to the Kingsman tailor shop, saying, of course, “You’re going to need a suit.”
Audiences have also been given a sneak peek at the film with new stills, including those of Conrad and the Duke on the battlefield and more, as well as looks at Arterton’s Polly and Charles Dance’s Herbert Kitchener in more detail. The film looks to be diving directly into its World War I setting with abandon, throwing its stars into turmoil in contrast to their well-kept appearances. (And it’s no surprise that its genteel protagonists wear the hell out of a good suit.)
The King's Man also stars Matthew Goode, Daniel Brühl, and Djimon Hounsou, with a screenplay by Vaughn and Karl Gajdusek. Originally set for a November 2019 release, the film will now premiere in theaters on December 22. Check out the stills and the full special look below:
