Joey King Kicks Medieval Butt in Trailer for Action-Comedy Hybrid The Princess

Ever wish that you could see the story of Shrek’s Princess Fiona captured on the big screen as a bloody ballet of face-splitting and death-defying stuntwork? Well, now you can get the next best thing via 20th Century Studios’ The Princess, and directed by Vietnamese filmmaker Le-Van Kiet, the first trailer for which dropped today. Starring Joey King of Netflix’s Kissing Booth series, the film is headed to Hulu for a July 1, 2022 release, with the following synopsis:

When a beautiful, strong-willed princess refuses to wed the cruel sociopath to whom she is betrothed, she is kidnapped and locked in a remote tower of her father’s castle. With her scorned, vindictive suitor intent on taking her father’s throne, the princess must protect her family and save her kingdom.

So it’s essentially The Princess Bride, except there’s no one coming to save Buttercup—this time she’s going to fight her way out, and it’s going to get messy. Preacher’s Dominic Cooper is playing the rather ridiculously coiffed villain here, but most of the focus will undoubtedly be on King, who looks like she’s undergone some rather serious martial arts and stunt training in preparation. You’d be forgiven for thinking the whole thing had a John Wick vibe, as series creator Derek Kolstad is perhaps unsurprisingly one of the producers here. In terms of the action, though, we have no doubt that The Princess should be less brutal than the likes of Wick, although perhaps something like a teenage Atomic Blonde might make for a better comparison?