Even an elite organization of intelligence agents well-versed in manners, decorum, and discretion needs to get their start somewhere, and in 2020 we’re going to learn which proper gentleman turned international espionage into a stylish and proper profession. Walt Disney Studios and 20th Century Fox have announced a release date for the prequel to the Kingsman movie franchise, when The King’s Man shows us how it all started.
In February 2020 we’ll “go back to where it all began” to “discover the origins of the very first independent intelligence agency,” the one that has turned Taron Egerton into a star. Directed by Matthew Vaughan, who also co-wrote and directed the first two films in the franchise, Kingsman: The Secret Service and Kingsman: The Golden Circle, the title reveals this will very much be a story about the agency’s unknown (to us) founder, the titular “King’s Man.” When and where his story might begin though is still unknown, as is any casting news about who will play him. The only official synopsis released as part of the film’s theatrical release date announcement says, “As a collection of history’s worst tyrants and criminal masterminds gather to plot a war to wipe out millions, one man must race against time to stop them.”
However, a previous report said the prequel was a period drama set “many years” before the first film, and that it would focus on the Kingsman tailor shop. Our best clue might be what Harry said in the first film, when he said, “Since 1849, Kingsman tailors have clothed the world’s most powerful individuals.”
It should be noted, none of the original comic books by Mark Millar have dealt with the past of the organization. They’re all Eggsy-focused. And he’s not the King’s Man, surely.
No matter when it’s set though, we expect some things will be true of any Kingsman in history. They will be loyal to the cause. They will have elite skills. And, no matter the century, they’ll definitely be well-mannered.
Images: 20th Century Fox