Argylle

Argylle is an upcoming spy action comedy film directed and produced by Matthew Vaughn, and written by Jason Fuchs. The film features an ensemble cast that includes Henry Cavill, Bryce Dallas Howard, Sam Rockwell, Bryan Cranston, Catherine O'Hara, Dua Lipa, Ariana DeBose, John Cena, and Samuel L. Jackson.
Argylle is scheduled to be released in the United States on February 2, 2024 by Universal Pictures theatrically, and on Apple TV+ at an undetermined date.
Premise
Elly Conway (Bryce Dallas Howard), an introverted spy novelist who seldom leaves her home, is drawn into the real world of espionage when the plots of her books get a little too close to the activities of a sinister underground syndicate. When Aiden (Sam Rockwell), an undercover spy, shows up to save her (he says) from being kidnapped or killed (or both), Elly and her beloved cat Alfie are plunged into a covert world where nothing, and no one, is what it seems.
Cast
Henry Cavill as Argylle
Bryce Dallas Howard as Elly Conway
Sam Rockwell as Aiden
Bryan Cranston
Catherine O'Hara as Elly's mother
Dua Lipa
Ariana DeBose
John Cena
Samuel L. Jackson
Sofia Boutella
Rob Delaney
Jing Lusi
Chip as Alfie, Elly's cat. Chip is the real-life cat of model Claudia Schiffer, Vaughn's wife.
Production
Argylle was announced in June 2021, with Matthew Vaughn attached to direct and produce for Marv Studios. The ensemble cast was announced in the following months, and it was reported that the script was written by Jason Fuchs based on the yet-to-be-released novel by first-time author Elly Conway. Dua Lipa stars in the film and will provide original music for the title track and score.
In August 2021, Apple TV+ bought the rights to the film for $200 million. Vaughn said the COVID-19 pandemic gave him the time to work on the film. He describes it as his ode to 1980s action thrillers like Die Hard and Lethal Weapon. When asked about casting Cavill, he said: "I needed someone who was born to play Bond — which Henry is — and then nick him before Bond did. He plays a larger-than-life action hero with a wink. It's very different from Kingsman." Principal photography began that same month in London with cinematographer George Richmond, and took place across various locations in Europe. The production used studios in Greenford, Park Royal, and Bovingdon to shoot the film. Background shots were filmed in Greece and the United States.
The Hollywood Reporter questioned the identity of first-time author Elly Conway, whose book is the basis of the film, as the only evidence of her existence include an Instagram account with no posts and a two-line bio that says she resides in the United States. They also pointed out that her name is spelled differently, as Ellie, on the website of the publisher Penguin Random House, and said their attempts to contact her, her publicist, and her talent agent were unsuccessful. The trailer reveals the film's protagonist is in fact the in-universe author of the Argylle novels. A spy novelist whose books are used as inspirations for a criminal organization was the basis of Roger Moore's The Saint episode, "The Fiction Makers".
Release
In June 2023, it was announced that the film would be released in theaters on February 2, 2024 by Universal Pictures, before releasing on Apple TV+ at an undetermined date.
Future
Argylle is intended to serve as the start of a franchise consisting of at least a trilogy of films.
References
External links
2024 action comedy films
2020s spy action films
2020s spy comedy films
American action comedy films
American spy films
Apple TV+ original films
British action comedy films
British spy films
Cultural depictions of writers
Films about precognition
Films directed by Matthew Vaughn
Films produced by Matthew Vaughn
Films scored by Lorne Balfe
Films shot in England
Films shot in Greece
Metafictional works
Films shot in London
Universal Pictures films