For many filmgoers, the Kingsman series has had a mixed start to life on the big-screen. In 2014, The Secret Service was a surprise hit with critics and audiences only for its follow-up The Golden Circle (2017) to prove a big disappointment.

Director and producer Matthew Vaughn has now opted to take a break from the character arc of heroic spy Gary ‘Eggsy’ Unwin (as played by Taron Egerton) by making a prequel set many decades before the previous installments.

Entitled The King’s Man, the film has unveiled a new trailer which unsurprisingly focuses on a weighty amount of action and witty dialogue.

Set during World War I, the plot sees a collection of history’s worst tyrants and criminal masterminds gather to plot a war to wipe out millions. However it is left up to one man and his protégé to try and stop them.

Renowned British actor Ralph Fiennes (Harry Potter series, Spectre) plays the lead role of the Duke of Oxford with newcomer Harris Dickinson (Trust, The Darkest Minds) cast as a young hero with similar traits to Eggsy.

Gemma Arterton (Quantum of Solace, Their Finest) is the high-profile female lead in the film with the rest of the talented ensemble consisting of Aaron Taylor-Johnson (Kick-Ass, Avengers: Age of Ultron), Rhys Ifans (The Amazing Spider-Man, Berlin Station), Matthew Goode (The Crown, A Discovery of Witches), Tom Hollander (The Night Manager, Bohemian Rhapsody), Daniel Bruhl (Rush, Captain America: Civil War), Djimon Hounsou (Gladiator, Guardians of the Galaxy), Charles Dance (Game of Thrones, The Imitation Game), , Robert Aramayo (Nocturnal Animals, Game of Thrones), Alison Steadman (Gavin and Stacey, Care) and Stanley Tucci (The Hunger Games series, Beauty and the Beast).

The King’s Man will be released in UK cinemas on February 14 (Valentine’s Day) 2020.