The King's Man is scheduled to release later this year and will be a prequel to the Kingsman franchise, tracking the origins of the secret organisation. With an all star cast and the historical context of the first world war, the film will look to improve upon the films that chronologically take place after this story.
However, the movie has a lot to learn from those sequels, as the films did in fact create the franchise off the back of the successful graphic novels. On the other hand, those films also made a lot of mistakes, which The King's Man can avoid by making changes where they are needed.
Should Learn From The Sequels: The Gadgets
Much like any other spy movie, the gadgets are an important aspect of the Kingsman series. Whether it's the bulletproof umbrellas, or perhaps the specialised suits, there's a lot of fun design choices made in terms of their equipment.
The King's Man has a great opportunity here to continue on from that legacy of nifty gadgetry, by bringing it into the 20th century and making some unique and hilarious conceptual choices.
Should Change: The Female Characters
The spy genre has been defined in part by the adventures of James Bond. The original movies were often quite misogynistic, with the 'Bond Girls' often playing a background part compared to 007 himself.
The Kingsman franchise has unfortunately suffered with a similar problem, with Roxy especially not being featured nearly as much as she should. Hopefully the prequel can change that with the addition of Gemma Arteton's Polly.
Should Learn From The Sequels: The Action Sequences
The action in this film franchise is truly phenomenal and has redefined how big set pieces can be designed and choreographed in the future. They are kinetic, frenetic and visually striking.
With a cartoony feel to them and the use of a long, singular shot, the action throughout the first two films is really what made them stand out compared to other spy franchises on the market.
Should Change: The Villains
Spy movies are really defined by their villains and unfortunately the Kingsman world has had a mixed bag when it comes to the antagonists. The first movie saw a pretty memorable Samuel L. Jackson performance, accompanied by a unique henchwoman.
The sequel however failed to capitalise on the villains it was trying to create, resulting in a lacklustre conflict. There needs to be more of the Secret Service in The King's Man and less of The Golden Circle.
Should Learn From The Sequels: The World Building
The franchise did a fantastic job of building out the world further. The sequel took fans to the United States to witness the American equivalent of what had been created in Britain.
The first film indicated the vast underground network of spies that existed as part of the infrastructure of the country. The prequel can continue to build up this world, which is already so well defined.
Should Change: The Tone
The tone of the second film in particular didn't quite feel right. While they are comedy based with some spy elements, for the prequel to work the tone really has to change.
The movies can't stray too far into being hokey, which they are sometimes in danger of doing. That especially wouldn't work with this period piece background, which requires a little more sophistication.
Should Learn From The Sequels: The Casting
The casting of the original films is outstanding. The main four characters of Merlin, Roxy, Eggsy and Harry, all have fantastic actors behind them really helping the film excel. With some surprise appearances from the likes of Michael Caine, Michael Gambon and Mark Hamill, the casts have been brilliant.
The sequel will have big names like Ralph Fiennes and Gemma Arteton behind it and hopefully the supporting cast is just as good. While well known actors like Daniel Bruhl also have roles, hopefully they have been cast as they fit the part, not because of their name.
Should Change: The Visual Effects
The visual effects of the films are a little mixed at best. While the rubbery nature of some of the CGI works for the types of action sequences, there's still improvements to be made.
The sequel once again let the franchise down a little, with the CGI there not quite matching up to the first film. Hopefully there are far more practical elements at play in The King's Man.
Should Learn From The Sequels: The Parody
The memorable spy series is of course a parody in many ways and should always live up to that, without straying too far in the wrong direction. The movies will become too much of a joke otherwise.
The best way to continue on the parody route is to tow the line between seriousness and parody is to continue to balance the serious action with lighter moments that poke fun at the espionage genre.
Should Change: The Stakes
The stakes of the first two films have been lessened due to the return of the Harry Hart character. If the creative team decided to keep the spy dead then there would be genuine stakes attached to the action.
It wouldn't be too surprising to see Merlin also return somehow, with the franchise getting even sillier. Hopefully this can be rectified by some genuinely shocking decisions in the prequel.