
'The King's Man' seeks to expand the spy franchise, but this prequel just might end it
CNN
"The King's Man" is a prequel to the "Kingsman" movies, but its closest spiritual kin would be "The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen," another film based on a graphic novel that brought the superhero/spy genre into an earlier era and mostly flubbed the migration process. Fun in places, this World War I era story was designed to expand the franchise but appears just as likely to end it.
Although the original players haven't been born yet, the intriguing prospect of Ralph Fiennes portraying the Duke of Oxford, the founder of the super-secret service that defends the U.K. and world from existential threats, sounded inviting, particularly with the war as a backdrop. The execution, alas, falls short of the possibilities.
Insanely rich, Oxford is a cross between James Bond and Batman, if reluctant to enter this perilous role when the story begins thanks to a pledge to his late wife regarding their now on-the-cusp-of-manhood son (Harris Dickinson, the prince in the "Maleficent" sequel).

Two top House lawmakers emerged divided along party lines after a private briefing with the military official who oversaw September’s attack on an alleged drug vessel that included a so-called double-tap strike that killed surviving crew members, with a top Democrat calling video of the incident that was shared as part of the briefing “one of the most troubling things” he has seen as a lawmaker.

Authorities in Colombia are dealing with increasingly sophisticated criminals, who use advanced tech to produce and conceal the drugs they hope to export around the world. But police and the military are fighting back, using AI to flag suspicious passengers, cargo and mail - alongside more conventional air and sea patrols. CNN’s Isa Soares gets an inside look at Bogotá’s war on drugs.

As lawmakers demand answers over reports that the US military carried out a follow-up strike that killed survivors during an attacked on an alleged drug boat in the Caribbean, a career Navy SEAL who has spent most of his 30 years of military experience in special operations will be responsible for providing them.










