In its latest adjustment to the calendar, Disney and 20th Century has pushed “The King’s Man,” the “Kingsman” prequel film, from a release this fall to now open in February of next year.
“The King’s Man” will drop in theaters February 26, 2021, moving from a release on September 18 of this year. The movie stars Ralph Fiennes and Harris Dickinson and is directed by Matthew Vaughn.
Also receiving dates are Chloé Zhao’s “Nomadland” starring Frances McDormand, which Searchlight Pictures will distribute in limited release on December 4, and the Pixar film “Luca,” which will now open June 18, 2021.
Disney also gave a minor update to Zhao’s other movie, this one with Marvel. “The Eternals” is now simply called “Eternals,” but it will still open as scheduled on February 12, 2021.
“The King’s Man” is a prequel film to the “Kingsman” tongue-in-cheek action franchise starring Taron Egerton. Set during World War I, the new film follows the same trajectory as those films in how it shows a seasoned agent training a new recruit to stop an evil cabal from exterminating millions. The film also stars Tom Hollander, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Matthew Goode, Daniel Brühl, Djimon Hounsou, Gemma Arterton, Rhys Ifans and Charles Dance.
This is actually the film’s second date change, the first having nothing to do with the coronavirus, as it was originally meant to open on Valentine’s Day of this year but was pushed to September.
Collectively, the first two movies in the franchise grossed more than $825 million at the worldwide box office.
“Nomadland” will play the festival circuit before it gets an awards push for both McDormand and Zhao, making her follow-up to “The Rider.” It stars McDormand as a woman who lost everything in the Great Recession and embarks on a road trip across the American West as a modern day, van-dwelling nomad. It’s set to play Toronto, Venice and the New York Film Festival.
As for “Luca,” Disney announced the latest original Pixar film last month, and it’s directed by “La Luna” director Enrico Casarosa. The film is described as a highly personal story for the director and is set on the Italian Riviera about a young boy who has a wonderful summer with a new best friend, only to discover that his friend is actually a sea-monster from another world just below the water’s surface.
Pixar released “Onward” earlier this year and next has “Soul” coming out this November after being pushed back due to the pandemic.