The King's Man

The King's Man is a 2021 British spy action film directed by Matthew Vaughn from his story and a screenplay he wrote with Karl Gajdusek. The third installment in the British Kingsman film series, which is based on the comic book The Secret Service (later retitled Kingsman) by Mark Millar and Dave Gibbons, in turn based on a concept by Millar and Vaughn, it is a prequel to Kingsman: The Secret Service (2014) and Kingsman: The Golden Circle (2017). Its ensemble cast includes Ralph Fiennes (also one of its executive producers), Gemma Arterton, Rhys Ifans, Matthew Goode, Tom Hollander, Harris Dickinson, Daniel Brühl, Djimon Hounsou, and Charles Dance. It focuses on several events during World War I and the birth of the Kingsman organization.

It was released in the United States on 22 December 2021, and in the United Kingdom on 26 December 2021 by 20th Century Studios following several release delays partially due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It received mixed reviews from critics and grossed $126 million against nearly a $100 million budget, making it a box-office bomb.

Plot

In 1902, nearing the end of the Second Boer War, British aristocrat Orlando, Duke of Oxford, his wife Emily, and their young son Conrad visit a British concentration camp in South Africa while working for the British Red Cross. A sniper attack on the camp mortally wounds Emily; before dying, she makes Orlando promise never to let their son see war again.

Twelve years later, Orlando has formed a private spy network with his servants, butler Shola and maid Polly Wilkins, employed by the world's most powerful dignitaries. Conrad is eager to fight, but Orlando forbids him to join the British Army and persuades Secretary of State for War Lord Kitchener not to let him do so. At Kitchener's request, Conrad and Orlando ride with Orlando's friends, Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria, and his wife Sophie, Duchess of Hohenberg, through Sarajevo. Conrad saves the Archduke from a bomb thrown by Gavrilo Princip, a Bosnian Serb intent on sparking a war. Princip later reencounters the Archduke's entourage by chance and fatally shoots him and his wife, starting World War I.

Orlando learns that the assassination was orchestrated by "The Flock": a group plotting to pit the German, Russian, and British empires against each other, led by the mysterious "Shepherd", whose ultimate goal is Scottish independence; his operatives include Russian mystic Grigori Rasputin, trusted adviser to Tsar Nicholas of Russia. Rasputin poisons Nicholas's young son Alexei, only to cure him after Nicholas promises to pull out of the war. Conrad is notified of Rasputin's manipulation by his cousin, Prince Felix Yusupov. Knowing the Western Front will be left vulnerable if Russia exits the war, Conrad delivers this information to Kitchener and his aide-de-camp Major Max Morton, who sets sail for Russia. Their ship, HMS Hampshire, is torpedoed by a submarine and sunk. Word of Kitchener's death reaches Orlando, spurring him to travel to Russia with Shola, Polly, and Conrad to kill Rasputin. After a gruelling fight, the four kill Rasputin at a Christmas party hosted by Prince Felix.

To keep the United States from entering the war, Erik Jan Hanussen, an adviser to Kaiser Wilhelm II, sends the Zimmermann Telegram, encouraging Mexico to invade the United States. Although British Intelligence intercepts the message, Polly deciphers it, but American President Woodrow Wilson refuses to join the war, citing a lack of concrete proof. The Shepherd recruits Vladimir Lenin to overthrow the Tsar and remove Russia from the war, sending an assassin to execute the Romanov family. Conrad is commissioned into the Grenadier Guards against his father's wishes. King George V arranges to have him assigned to London. Determined to fight in the war, Conrad swaps places with Scottish soldier Archie Reid, giving him the nickname "Lancelot" to send his father a message. Disguised as Archie, a member of the Black Watch, Conrad volunteers for a mission into no man's land to retrieve information from a wounded British agent. Upon his return, a fellow soldier who knows Archie accuses him of being a German spy and shoots him dead, devastating Orlando. The information he recovered verifies the authenticity of the Zimmermann Telegram.

After Wilson again refuses to enter the war despite Conrad's proof, Orlando learns that the President is being blackmailed with footage of being seduced by Shepherd's agent, Mata Hari, and resolves to recover the negatives. Upon defeating Mata Hari at the American embassy, Orlando identifies her cashmere scarf and locates its origin. Orlando parachutes onto the mountaintop sanctuary of the Shepherd, who is revealed to be Morton. Morton had arranged Kitchener's assassination and faked his own death. Orlando fights and kills him with Shola's help. Polly recovers the film, which is delivered to Wilson. He then burns it and brings the United States into the war.

Following the war, Orlando purchases the Kingsman Tailor Shop as a front for his organization. Orlando, Shola, Polly, King George V, Archie, and the US Ambassador to the UK form the original Kingsmen, each being assigned a codename from the King Arthur legend to honour Conrad.

In a mid-credit scene, Hanussen, having assumed command of Shepherd's organization, introduces Lenin to the Romanovs' assassin, Adolf Hitler.

Cast

In addition, Aaron Taylor-Johnson portrays Archie Reid, a soldier and founding Kingsman Lancelot, whilst Stanley Tucci appears as the US Ambassador to the UK and founding Kingsman Bedivere.

Production

Development

In June 2018, Matthew Vaughn announced that a prequel film titled Kingsman: The Great Game was in active development, stating that the plot would take place during the early 1900s and would depict the formation of the spy agency and that the project would film back-to-back with "the third regular Kingsman film" which was scheduled to be released in 2021. Vaughn was inspired to write the script for the prequel film after watching The Man Who Would Be King.

Casting

In September 2018, it was announced that Ralph Fiennes and Harris Dickinson would star in the prequel with the former also serving as one of the executive producers of the film. In November 2018, it was revealed that Daniel Brühl, Charles Dance, Rhys Ifans and Matthew Goode would co-star in the film.

In February 2019, it was reported that Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Gemma Arterton, Tom Hollander, Djimon Hounsou, Alison Steadman, Stanley Tucci, Robert Aramayo and Neil Jackson had joined the cast. In April 2019, it was announced Alexandra Maria Lara had joined the cast of the film. Later in May, Joel Basman joined the cast. That same month, as filming concluded, Vaughn denied reports that Liam Neeson had joined the cast. Vaughn also said The Great Game was a working title and the film would not have that name.

Filming

Principal photography began 22 January 2019 in the United Kingdom. In April 2019, some scenes were shot in Piedmont, Italy: Turin, Po river's street, street of city and in two palaces close to it; Venaria Reale: the Palace of Venaria and royal gardens; Nichelino, Palazzina di caccia of Stupinigi and surroundings; Racconigi (Cuneo), Castle of Racconigi. The film's initial cinematographer Ben Davis had to depart the project during reshoots due to his commitments to Eternals.

Vaughn admitted some scenes had to be cut from the film because they were "way too Kingsman-y.", and that this film needed to find a balance between the fun tone of the other Kingsman movies and respect for historical accuracy and the characters. He revealed that he had originally written three scenes featuring Rasputin that would have been so explicit that they likely would have received an NC-17 rating.

Soundtrack

Matthew Margeson, who worked with Henry Jackman in the previous Kingsman films, composed the film score with Dominic Lewis. Hollywood Records released the soundtrack digitally on 22 December 2021. The ending theme is "Measure of a Man" by FKA Twigs featuring Central Cee.

Release

The King's Man had its world premiere in London, United Kingdom on 6 December 2021 and was theatrically released on 22 December 2021, its eighth proposed release date and more than two years after it was originally due to come out.

It was originally scheduled to be released on 8 November 2019, but was pushed back first to 15 November 2019, then to 14 February 2020, and then to 18 September 2020. The release date was again pushed back by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures to 26 February 2021, due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Following the delay of Marvel Cinematic Universe: Phase Four films, The King's Man was moved up two weeks to 12 February 2021, before being moved again to 12 March 2021. In January 2021, the release date was delayed again to 20 August 2021. In March 2021, it was further delayed to the December 2021 date. The film played in cinemas for 45 days before heading to digital platforms.