Kingsman: The Great Game is reportedly still happening after Disney's purchase of Fox assets cast some doubt over the franchise's future. Over the past year, the entertainment industry has been dominated by talk of Disney purchasing certain Fox assets and after a protracted period of negotiation, rival counter-bids and legal wrangling, the deal was finally completed earlier this year. Of course, this means that Fox's properties are now in the white-gloved hands of a certain Mickey Mouse, including X-Men, The Simpsons and the Kingsman franchise.
Based on the Mark Millar and Dave Gibbons graphic novel of the same name, Matthew Vaughn's original Kingsman was released in 2014 to widespread critical praise and considerable box office success, as it merged the worlds of spy-action and comedy in a unique and refreshing way. Sequel The Golden Circle hit theaters in 2017 with a star-studded cast, making a similar amount of money but attracting a more mixed reaction from fans and critics. A third film has since been announced titled The Great Game, set during the spy organization's formative years and starring Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Charles Dance, Gemma Arterton and many more new faces.
According to THR, Disney are now in the process of deciding which acquired properties they want to press on with and which are being ditched and the report lists Kingsman: The Great Game in the former camp. The prequel was green-lit at Fox by their film president Emma Watts, who has since been retained by Disney and this may have played a part in the decision.
Since the Disney-Fox deal was completed, various in-development movies have been cast aside, the most profile arguably being Mouse Guard, based on the comic book series by David Petersen. As such, the future of Kingsman 3 was far from certain and it remains to be seen whether there will be more casualties in the coming months. It was reported at the time that Mouse Guard was dropped because it was deemed too expensive for a non-franchise film. This may also help explain the decision to carry on with Kingsman, as the series has an established following and the second film didn't show any significant drop-off in box office.
While this news will no doubt come as a huge relief to those looking forward to the third Kingsman installment, Disney's approach may prove concerning for some movie fans who champion original material over endless sequels and remakes. Kingsman: The Great Game is undoubtedly a safer bet than an ambitious project like Mouse Guard but in an industry that is centered on creativity and imagination, building new franchises is just as important as continuing established ones, if not more so.
Kingsman: The Great Game is currently slated for release on February 14th 2020.
Source: THR