The third Kingsman movie is reportedly set to begin filming in January 2019, and may introduce characters from the upcoming historical prequel, Kingsman: The Great Game. Based on the Secret Service comics by Mark Millar and Dave Gibbons, the Kingsman movie franchise has so far seen two highly successful instalments, led by Taron Egerton as fresh-faced spy recruit Eggsy and Colin Firth as his mentor, Harry Hart.

According to Kingsman lore, the independent British spy agency was established after the end of World War I by some of the richest and most powerful men in the world, who had lost their sons in the conflict. Those men wanted to use their substantial wealth - now without heirs to pass it on to - to preserve peace and life after the horrors of the war.

Related: How Kingsman: The Golden Circle Sets Up Kingsman 3

According to That Hashtag Show, Kingsman 3 will lay the groundwork for Kingsman: The Great Game, the prequel movie that director Matthew Vaughn recently revealed to be in the works, which will explore the early days of the organization. The third movie in the "Eggsy Trilogy" will apparently begin filming in January 2019, and will be shot back-to-back with Kingsman: The Great Game. The intriguing new information in this report regards the characters who will lead the prequel movie, and who will apparently be introduced in Kingsman 3:

The studio is on the lookout for two new leads. One of those new leads will be a teen by the name of Conrad. The young, cocky and charming son of a British Duke, Conrad is eager to find a way to serve his country during World War I…and perhaps the Kingsman offer him just that opportunity. The studio is also looking to cast an older lead male and while no details about his character have been revealed, we do know that the Ralph Fiennes is near or at the top of the studios list.

Based on these descriptions, it sounds like the studio is seeking a historical counterpart to Eggsy and Harry - except, of course, that while Eggsy hails from a council estate, the young lead of The Great Game will apparently have a noble background. Fiennes, who played another British spy in the 1998 film The Avengers and Gareth Mallory/M in the recent James Bond movies, is natural casting for a mentor role within Kingsman. As for the younger lead, there's a rich crop of talented up-and-coming British actors at the moment, so Vaughn will be somewhat spoiled for choice.

According to this report, Vaughn and his screenwriting partner, Jane Goldman, plan to use Kingsman 3 to "open a backdoor" to the prequel, which seems like a smart play now that the original trilogy is coming to a close. In addition to The Great Game, there are also plans for an 8-hour television series and a spinoff film about Statesman, Kingsman's U.S. counterpart, which was introduced in Kingsman: The Golden Circle.

The franchise's mix of R-rated antics and outlandish spy gadgets, all blended with the aesthetics and etiquette of the British upper-crust, has so far been a strong sell amid the trend of making everything - spy thrillers included - more gritty and down-to-earth. For those who are in it as much for the world-building as the action, Kingsman: The Great Game sounds like it could be an interesting new chapter.

More: Breaking Down The New Kingsman Shared Universe

Source: That Hashtag Show