Director Matthew Vaughn’s The King’s Man hits theaters on February 14, 2020. Next Valentine’s Day marks the third installation of the film series based on the British-American comic books. The latest installment follows the 2014 release of Kingsman: The Secret Service and its 2017 sequel Kingsman: The Golden Circle. The upcoming film serves as a prequel establishing the backstory of the series, revealing the origins of the secret society tasked with protecting the United Kingdom in this fictitious British realm.

Ralph Fiennes plays T.E. Lawrence, more widely known as Lawrence of Arabia, a name which is steeped in film history itself. Lawrence served as a liaison in the Sinai and Palestine Campaign and Arab Revolt against the Ottoman Empire during the First World War. His life and wartime memoirs were the basis for the classic 1962 film Lawrence of Arabia. An icon of that era, his character serves as a mentor to Conrad, a new recruit to the agency played by Harris Dickinson. Throughout his tutelage, Conrad is immersed into the inner machinations of the British secret service. The film’s antagonist is another remarkable figure taken out of this historical era, the enigmatic Siberian mystic Grigori Rasputin.

The King’s Man offers an entertainment experience for cinephiles, comic nerds, and history buffs alike. Its star-studded cast includes Ralph Fiennes, Gemma Arterton, Rhys Ifans, Matthew Goode, Tom Hollander, Harris Dickinson, Daniel Brühl, with Djimon Hounsou, and Charles Dance. This ensemble captures the mystique of an era, laying the foundation for its forthcoming sequels. With The Kingsman 3 and The Statesmen to be released in coming years, The King’s Man is a can’t miss chapter in this expansive story of intrigue, espionage, and adventure.