Buckle up, kiddos, because The King’s Man is about to take you on a wild ride through history. The first trailer for the Kingsman prequel is here, and it largely consists of Ralph Fiennes narrating the shady (BIG understatement. HUGE.) deeds of the British Empire as things explode in slow-motion.
“Throughout time, our people robbed, lied, and killed,” his character begins in a voiceover. “Until one day, we found ourselves noblemen. But that nobility never came from chivalry.”
As he continues, there are shots of war, Kingsman recruit training, familiar-looking secret doors in libraries, ice-stabbing, attempted assassinations, plenty of fights involving swords vs. various firearms, and Rasputin (yes, that Rasputin). They’re keeping the actual plot of the prequel pretty vague, but the official synopsis promises that the famously unkillable mystic will be just one of a revolving cast of historical-domain baddies:
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. Discover the origins of the very first independent intelligence agency in The King’s Man.
Meanwhile, IMDb reveals Fiennes’ character is a turn-of-the-century Harry Hart-of-sorts known as the Duke of Oxford (Comic Book identifies him as T.E. Lawrence, aka Lawrence of Arabia), while the Eggsy role will be filled by a lad named Conrad (Harris Dickinson). Tom Hollander will play three rulers—George V, Wilhelm II, and Nicholas II—indicating the plot will take place around WWI. Stanley Tucci, Rhys Ifans (playing Rasputin, according to Comic Book), Djimon Hounsou, Matthew Goode, Gemma Arterton, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, and Daniel Brühl round out the cast.
The King’s Man will be in theaters February 14, 2020.
