Argylle, a new spy action comedy with an A-list cast, is on the way from the brilliant mind of Matthew Vaughn. Vaughn is best known for his action/spy comedy work and is the director, writer, and producer behind the highly successful Kingsman franchise. When the film was first announced, viewers were a little confused that it appeared to be based on an unreleased novel of the same name by Elly Conway.
Not only that, but no one had ever heard of Conway before. Meanwhile, Apple TV+ bought the rights to the film for a whopping $200 million. It’s unheard of for a first-time unknown author to nab that big a film deal before their debut novel even releases. Yet, Penguin Random House’s official website lists the book with a release date of January 9, 2024. For the author’s information, all it states is that Conways lives “somewhere in the United States.” Now that the trailer for Argylle has arrived, it has shed some light on who Conway actually is.
Conway is the film’s protagonist and the in-universe writer behind Argylle. So, it seems Argylle‘s marketing team pulled a prank on audiences, in line with the film’s meta premise. It was certainly a unique way to get people talking, although the big names tied to this film are already quite enough to catch the audience’s attention. Here’s everything we know so far about Argylle.
When will Argylle release?
Argylle‘s theatrical release is slated for February 2, 2024. Additionally, because it is an Apple Original Film, it will also be released on Apple TV+ at a later date. However, its streaming release date has yet to be confirmed.
Is there a trailer forArgylle?
Apple TV+ dropped Argylle‘s first official trailer on September 28.
Based on the trailer, Argylle looks like a wildly good time, appearing to be a cross between Kingsman and The Lost City. It features a wonky story within a story narrative that might be hard to follow. However, the basic premise is that an author’s spy novels start coming true, propelling her into a wild adventure with some rather eccentric and dangerous spies. While the idea of an author’s fictional stories coming true isn’t new, Argylle appears to be putting a fun twist on it. The cast has a lot of comedic talent, and the theatrics suggest it may be poking a little fun at the spy genre. Additionally, some viewers may want to watch this film solely to see the poor spy kitty tagging along for the adventure in a cat backpack.
The Argylle cast is absolutely stacked
Argylle has quite the cast stacked up, with Man of Steel and Enola Holmes star Henry Cavill leading the film in the titular role. Cavill’s role is quite unique, as he appears to be the fictional protagonist of Conway’s novel, leading us to question who the real Agent Argylle is. Starring opposite Cavill is Jurassic World‘s Bryce Dallas Howard as Conway, the reclusive author whose spy novels about Argylle are suddenly mirroring reality. Sam Rockwell, best known for his award-winning role in Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri, also stars in Argylle as Aidan, the spy who claims to be coming to Conway’s rescue. Joining them is Catherine O’Hara, best known for her roles in Schitt’s Creek and Home Alone, starring as Conway’s mother.
The rest of the cast’s roles have yet to be disclosed. However, we can pull a few details from the trailer about them. Breaking Bad‘s Bryan Cranston appears in the film as a character who believes Conway can predict the future and wants to capture her to force her to complete her unfinished novel. After making her acting debut in Barbie, singer Dua Lipa will also appear in Argylle in an undisclosed role. However, in the trailer, she seems to be another fictional character in Conway’s novels who double-crosses Argylle after enjoying a steamy dance with the spy. The trailer also gives us a glimpse of another presumably fictional spy on Argylle’s side, played by John Cena.
Rounding out the star-studded cast of Argylle are Ariana DeBose, Samuel L. Jackson, Sofia Boutella, Rob Delaney, Jason Fuchs, and Jing Lusi.
What can we expect from Argylle’s plot?
The official synopsis for Argylle reads:
Bryce Dallas Howard (Jurassic World franchise) is Elly Conway, the reclusive author of a series of best-selling espionage novels, whose idea of bliss is a night at home with her computer and her cat, Alfie. But when the plots of Elly’s fictional books—which center on secret agent Argylle and his mission to unravel a global spy syndicate—begin to mirror the covert actions of a real-life spy organization, quiet evenings at home become a thing of the past. Accompanied by Aiden (Oscar® winner Sam Rockwell), a cat-allergic spy, Elly (carrying Alfie in her backpack) races across the world to stay one step ahead of the killers as the line between Elly’s fictional world and her real one begins to blur.
Hence, Argylle follows one woman and her cat’s reluctant foray into the world of crime and spies due to fiction turning into reality. Meanwhile, its cast seems more than well-equipped to turn this rather unusual plot into a comedic masterpiece. It will be particularly interesting to see what’s really at play here. The film does an excellent job of creating a sense of mystery as viewers have been questioning for months who Conway is and why Apple is making a movie out of her book. Now, instead, we’re asking who Argylle really is and how Conway’s books are coming true. There are a lot of questions to draw viewers in, as well as the promise of an entertaining and Kingsman-reminiscent film.
(featured image: Apple Original Films)
