With two fairly successful films under his belt in the “Kingsman” franchise, filmmaker Matthew Vaughn is still prepping his prequel film, “The King’s Man” for release sometime…in the future? Honestly, with how movie theaters are doing right now, we have no idea where/when we’ll see “The King’s Man.” That said, it appears that Vaughn’s production company, MARV, is far, far, FAR from done with the franchise and has several new sequels and spinoffs in the works.

Continue reading ‘Kingsman’ Production Company Teases 7 More Films In The Franchise at The Playlist.

Similar to Sir Elton John and songwriting partner Bernie Taupin, whenever the minds of Matthew Vaughn, Taron Egerton, and Dexter Fletcher combine, the result is incredible art. But how does one foster such a successful creative partnership?

“Trust and respect, I would say is the most important thing” stated “Rocketman” producer Vaughn (‘Kingsman,’ “X-Men: First Class,” ‘Kick-Ass‘), “and the unified ambition to make as good and entertaining movies as possible, and friendship.

Continue reading ‘Rocketman’: Matthew Vaughn Talks Producing The Fabulous Tale Of Elton John [Interview] at The Playlist.

It’s no surprise that director/producer Matthew Vaughn is a massive fan of espionage. Having grown up on the classic James Bond films, the director considers himself a certified “Bond-aholic.” Perhaps this is why Vaughn has such a strong desire to continue expanding his own personal riff on Bond, the zany and kinetic ‘Kingsman’ franchise. “I nearly directed a Bond [film]. And I didn’t get the chance, but you know, if you can’t beat em, join em, or if you can’t join em, beat em, whatever the expression is.

Continue reading ‘Kingsman’: Matthew Vaughn Denies Liam Neeson’s Involvement; Next Film Won’t Be Called ‘The Great Game’ [Exclusive] at The Playlist.

No one expected “Kingsman: The Secret Service” to become the big hit it was back in 2014. The film firmly placed star Taron Egerton on the map as a talent to watch and proved that Colin Firth could not only do action, but do it pretty damn well. However, last year, when “Kingsman: The Golden Circle” was released, reviews weren’t nearly as good and the box office suffered.

Continue reading Taron Egerton Says ‘Kingsman 2’ Received An “Unfair Kicking” & Reveals His “Dream” For Ending The Series at The Playlist.

If one made a list of all the film producers turned successful film directors, British filmmaker Matthew Vaughn might be at the very top of that list. The director, who started out as Guy Ritchie’s producer and then began to chart his own path with the similar British crime film “Layer Cake,” has arguably surpassed his former collaborator. Vaughn’s already created two mega-million dollar franchises—the “Kingsman” spy series and the “Kick-Ass” comic books series—while taking on major studio work like rebooting the “X-Men” series and adapting the celebrated graphic novel “Stardust.” He’s also just recently launched his own mini-studio called Marv Studios, and he plans on charting his future through it.

Continue reading Matthew Vaughn Plans ‘Kick-Ass’ Reboot & Massive ‘Kingsman’ Spin-Off Expansion at The Playlist.

The nominations for the 20th Costume Designer Guild Awards were revealed today and thanks to three thematic categories for both Movies and TV there were few omissions to complain about.  Expected Oscar nominees “Phantom Thread,” “The Shape of Water” and “The Greatest Showman” all made the cut in the very competitive Period Film field with Jacqueline Durran‘s work in “Darkest Hour” and Ann Roth‘s costumes for “The Post” being the only true snubs (although Durran did earn a Sci-Fi/Fantasy nod for “Beauty and the Beast”).

Continue reading ‘Phantom Thread,’ ‘Black Mirror,’ ‘Marvelous Mrs. Maisel’ Costumes Make 2018 CDG Awards Cut at The Playlist.

Best of this; top 20 that; breakthrough the other. At some point in our ever-comprehensive year-end coverage, especially after a pretty great movie year like this one, we simply get sick and tired of scanning our thesauruses for synonyms for “awesome.” And when that happens, we like to aggregate a list of splat-rated films, bloated follies and our own personal loathe objects, and hate-watch the shit out of them in preparation for this feature, which serves as the Kylo Ren to our Best of 2017’s Jyn Erso, or maybe the poop emoji to the rest of our coverage’s thumbs-up smiley face.

Continue reading The Worst Films Of 2017 at The Playlist.

While I acknowledge and appreciate that it had many fans, and I’m very happy for them, I absolutely loathed the original “Kingsman: The Secret Service.” I love the spy actioner genre, loved the idea of Colin Firth in an action role, enjoy Taron Egerton very much as a performer, and yet every minute of “Kingsman” was a garish, plastic-action-sequenced, mean-spirited, fundamentally gross 90s men’s magazine come to life.

Continue reading Matthew Vaughn Cut Donald Trump Jokes From ‘Kingsman: The Golden Circle’ at The Playlist.

All summer long, audiences were wary of sequels and reboots, with many underperforming or outright tanking. And while Fox will likely wind up being happy with the numbers for “Kingsman: The Golden Circle,” it’s safe to say they were hoping for a slightly better result.

The sequel found its way to the top of the box office this weekend, knocking out two-week champion “It.” Earning $39 million, Matthew Vaughn‘s R-rated flick only did slightly better than the $36 million bow of ‘The Secret Service’ two years ago.

Continue reading ‘Kingsman: The Golden Circle’ Suits Up At The Multiplex [Box Office] at The Playlist.

From the hero’s luxe orange tuxedo jacket to the villainess’s Valentino Rockstud pumps, “Kingsman: The Golden Circle” oozes style (and even offers it for sale). But the visual pleasures don’t end there; for his sequel to “Kingsman: The Secret Service,” director Matthew Vaughn continues his reign as a helmer whose obsession with the look of a film pays off for the audience. However, despite all the beauty, elegance and energy seen on screen, “The Golden Circle” has all the endurance of an Instagram post.

Continue reading ‘Kingsman: The Golden Circle’ Is Fast-Fading Fun [Review] at The Playlist.

“Kingsman: The Golden Circle” is a movie that people are looking forward to. I know this to be true, as I encounter the following strange occurrence on a semi-regular basis: I’ll be perusing good ol’ Film Twitter — as I am wont to do — when I’ll see someone with otherwise good taste give voice to the following inexplicable sentiment: “Gee whiz, am I ever looking forward to that ‘Kingsman’ sequel!” To which the only acceptable response is “Why?” or “Really?”

Look, I just don’t get the appeal, alright?

Continue reading ‘Kingsman: The Golden Circle’ Trailer: It’s Time For Channing Tatum To Dance at The Playlist.

Months later and we’re still spurred into excitement when we remember the surprising “Moonlight” win of last year’s Oscars, making it all the more surreal that we’re about to be thrown head first into this year’s awards season with the trio of the Venice Film Festival, Telluride and The Toronto International Film Festival all happening one after another (with some even overlapping).

Continue reading 12 Must-See Movies To Watch In September at The Playlist.

If you read the site, you might know already that I don’t really roll with the ‘Kingsman‘ franchise, and if I were to give my hard earned bucks to any spy spoof, it would be “Archer.” Well, thanks to Fox Corp. owning the rights to both, worlds are colliding in a new promotion for “Kingsman: The Golden Circle.”

This afternoon, attendees at San Diego Comic Con are being treated to a panel for the sequel, and leading things off was this animated mash-up between the two properties.

Continue reading ‘Archer’ Meets ‘Kingsman’ In Ultimate Face Off at The Playlist.

There were seemingly two camps when it came to Matthew Vaughn’s genre mash “Kingsman: The Secret Service.” There were those who were pleasantly surprised and taken with the wildly careening film that had Colin Firth bucking his typical role of stuffy, upper class, sauve white guy, to stuffy, upper class, suave white guy who kicks major ass set to the tune of “Freebird.” Then there were those who felt it was obscene, tired and poorly committed to its idea of being satirical when it refused to actually shake the restraints of a spy movie.

Continue reading NSFW ‘Kingsman: The Golden Circle’ Trailer Heads To America at The Playlist.

Matthew Vaughn is part of an exclusive club of directors who haven’t yet made an outright “bad” film (at least according to this writer, The Playlist staff tends to disagree). His filmography showcases an impressive range of features, from “Layer Cake” to “Stardust” to Kick-Ass,” all the while maintaining a distinct directorial voice and aesthetic. Your mileage may vary for his films individually (see above, but in my opinion, he hasn’t made an outright stinker yet.

Continue reading Matthew Vaughn Has Already Begun Planning ‘Kingsman 3’ at The Playlist.

No one could’ve guessed that a little spy movie led by rising actor Taron Egerton would’ve grossed over $400 million, and one could argue that even before “Deadpool” became a monster success, it was “Kingsman: The Secret Service” that was breaking the R-rated mold. Now a sequel is on the way, with Colin Firth returning from the dead, Julianne Moore of all people joining in on the mayhem, and screenwriter Jane Goldman promising to buck expectations.

Continue reading Eggsy Returns In The First Trailer For ‘Kingsman: The Golden Circle’ at The Playlist.

When “Kingsman: The Secret Service” first arrived in 2014, the hit film came out of nowhere. The biggest stars in the film were Colin Firth and Samuel L. Jackson, but the R-rated spy spoof action film was led by a then-unknown Taron Egerton. Well, audiences loved it, Egerton’s career is launched, and now a sequel is coming, and yes, it’s going to be bigger.

Continue reading First Look: Taron Egerton, Channing Tatum, Jeff Bridges & Halle Berry In ‘Kingsman: The Golden Circle’ at The Playlist.

LAS VEGAS — Some quick thoughts on a number of other 20th Century Fox sneaks from their CinemaCon presentation earlier today.

“Red Sparrow”
This Cold War era spy thriller from director Francis Lawrence finds Jennifer Lawrence as a Russian ballet star who injures herself during a performance (it’s hinted at that it might not have been an accident). Unable to dance again she’s recruited by Soviet intelligence to be an undercover spy, a “red sparrow” that charms targets and leads them to their deaths.

Continue reading Jennifer Lawrence Is A ‘Red Sparrow’ And Channing Tatum Steals ‘Kingsman: The Golden Circle’ [CinemaCon] at The Playlist.

It might seem, from a glance, that our 100 Most Anticipated Films Of 2017 covers, well, every film coming out in 2017. But that’s far from the truth. We try to keep our annual preview to the films that we’re truly excited about, which means that there’s a lot left on the table. And often, it means that we don’t include some of the films destined to be among the biggest grossers.

READ MORE: The 100 Most Anticipated Films Of 2017

We love a great blockbuster, but a tentpole needs to look genuinely promising to make the cut for us, and explosion and CGI fatigue means that plenty of others don’t get there.

Continue reading What Will Be The Biggest Box Office Blockbuster Of 2017? at The Playlist.

Channing Tatum Joins 'Kingsman: The Golden Circle'

Continue reading Channing Tatum Joins ‘Kingsman: The Golden Circle’ at The Playlist.

Looks Like Colin Firth Is Back For 'Kingsman: The Golden Circle' After All

Continue reading Looks Like Colin Firth Is Back For ‘Kingsman: The Golden Circle’ After All at The Playlist.

"Spy Films Are Only As Good As Their Villains": Matthew Vaughn Talks 'Kingsman' Sequel, Reveals Title

Continue reading “Spy Films Are Only As Good As Their Villains”: Matthew Vaughn Talks ‘Kingsman’ Sequel, Reveals Title at The Playlist.

Halle Berry Signing Up For Two 'Kingsman' Movies

Continue reading Halle Berry Signing Up For Two ‘Kingsman’ Movies at The Playlist.

Julianne Moore Lines Up 'Kingsman 2' Villain Role, Colin Firth Won't Be Returning

Continue reading Julianne Moore Lines Up ‘Kingsman 2’ Villain Role, Colin Firth Won’t Be Returning at The Playlist.

'Kingsman: The Secret Service' Sequel Set For 2017

Continue reading ‘Kingsman: The Secret Service’ Sequel Set For 2017 at The Playlist.