King's Man director Matthew Vaughn removed x-rated Rasputin prosthetic from prequel

Matthew Vaughn removed Rasputin's penis from 'The King's Man'.

The 49-year-old filmmaker admitted setting the highly anticipated prequel during World War I meant he had to make some editorial decisions when it came to the 'Kingsman' franchise's history of x-rated humour.

Explaining why he decided not to include the rude prosthetic in the movie, he told Empire magazine: "I knew that some of my more crazy stuff would f*** up this movie.

"So I decided to get rid of it. And I realise the more conservative I was, the braver I was, weirdly."

Although the original plan for the scene hasn't been revealed, it would have involved Rhys Ifans - who plays Rasputin in the movie - wearing a large prosthetic.

Vaughn laughed: "It needed a f****** wide lens. There's a few Rasputin moments where I went there."

Although some of the cruder moments in 2014's 'Kingsman: The Secret Service' and 2017's 'Kingsman: The Golden Circle' divided fans and critics, Vaughn isn't bothered by the reaction.

He added: "'Kingsman' was my love letter to all spy movies and Bond. 'Kingsman 2' expanded on that, and it was me dialling up the fun and the silliness.

"Maybe it went too far. It depends what age group you are. It surprised me, some of the vitriol, to be honest.

"But I have no problem with people being disgusted by it, or saying 'You went too far'. Great! That means you're remembering it."

Even the concept for the third movie - a prequel in the middle of the franchise, rather than the initially planned sequel - was a defiant move for Vaughn.

The director - who is married to Claudia Schiffer - said: "Franchises die because they either stick to the wrong formula, or they're just about trying to cash in.

"And everyone was saying, 'You've gotta do 'Kingsman 3' next, then you can do this'.

"No one goes off after number two and does this. Yeah, well, my instinct say, 'F*** it. That's what I want to do.' "