Summary
“Once you know the secret, don’t let the cat out of the bag” — so says the tagline for the upcoming spy caper,Argylle. Directed by Matthew Vaughn (known for theKingsmanfranchise), the film is said to be an ode to popular 80s action movies, such asRomancing the StoneandBack to the Future.Ina comment to Deadline, Vaughn claimed thatArgyllewill “reinvent the spy genre”: “When I read this early draft manuscript, I felt it was the most incredible and original spy franchise since Ian Fleming’s books of the 50s.”
However, the central mystery ofArgylle, apart fromthe Taylor Swift hokum, is what it is allegedly based on.As reported by Deadline, Apple paid $200 million to acquire the rights to the bookArgylle(an astronomical figure, especially for an untested intellectual property) — making the mystery even more intriguing.
Is Argylle Based on a Book?
Inan interview with Josh Horowitz, Vaughn shared the movie’s inspiration:
I read the book, they bought the manuscript of the book, and met with [writer] Fuchs, and we just came up with this […] And then there’s a whole series of books planned […] I sort of like the idea of the book, but also the idea of showing an author writing the book, and it just inspired a whole lot of meta movie universe.
The book in question is the debut novel of an author who goes by the name Elly Conway (a moniker shared by the film’s protagonist). It was released only recently (on 9th January 2024) by Bantam Books. However, Vaughn confirmed that there is only one scene in the book that is part of the movie — otherwise, it is actually an adaptation of the yet-to-be-published fourth book in the series (“Mr. Lucas was clever enough to start Star Wars at Episode 4, so why not us?”).
Inan interview with Total Film, Vaughn hinted at a potential franchise, based on additional installments of the book series:
Book one is about: how did Argylle become a spy? That will be the next film. And thenArgylle 2is – I don’t want to give it all away, but there’s the young Argylle, and that becomes Henry, because Henry loves the idea of doing a proper Argylle movie as well.
What Is the Argylle Book About?
The titular character, Aubrey Argylle, is introduced as a long-haired, aimless dropout, who is still trying to come to terms with his parents’ deaths 5 years ago. Contrary to what he was told at first (about his parents being textile traders who died in a plane crash), they were actually drug dealers who were murdered by a drug cartel operating out of the Golden Triangle. Argylle now guides tourists in Thailand, unable to find any closure.
One day, he witnesses a plane get shot down and crash in the jungle. He flees to the scene to help the survivors, who turn out to be drug enforcement officers. They are taken hostage by the cartel, but Argylle manages to rescue them. His daring attempt gains him favorable attention from the CIA’s Frances Coffey, who recruits him for a special ops team.
A Russian tech billionaire named Federov plans to secure the missing Amber Room, “the eighth wonder of the world”, which was stolen by the Nazis during World War II. He believes that recovering it would lead to his presidency, giving him the power to rebuild the Russian Empire under a radical right-wing banner. Hence, the West considers him as “the greatest threat to current world security”.
While traveling to a number of exotic locations (from the boulevards of Monaco to the monasteries of Mount Athos); finding a mole in his team; and deciphering cryptic journals and astronomical maps — with the threat of World War III also looming over his head —Argylle now has to get hold of the hidden treasure before Federov does.
Based on
Characters inArgylleby Elly Conway
Cast
Henry Cavill, Sam Rockwell, Bryce Dallas Howard, Bryan Cranston, John Cena, Samuel L. Jackson, Dua Lipa
Release Date
Jul 18, 2025 (United States)
The plot ofArgylleis shrouded in secrecy as the trailer only includes snippets from the first 28 minutes of the film. It opens withthe smooth and suave Henry Cavill(albeit with a flat-top haircut) as superspy Agent Argylle, who is supposedly in cahoots with John Cena (playing the role of Wyatt). As the latter lifts Dua Lipa (as femme fatale LaGrange) off a motorcycle, the scene cuts to reality.
The aforementioned characters have been created by the on-screen Elly Conway (Bryce Dallas Howard) for her best-selling espionage novels. Somewhat of a recluse, she lives alone with her cat, Alfie, and seems to spend her time just writing or listening to her mother Ruth’s (Catherine O’Hara) criticism. However, it turns out that her works of fiction actually predict real-life events, making her the target of an underground syndicate. The head, Director Ritter (Bryan Cranston), now needs her “to write the next chapter”.
With the help of the (decidedly less glamorous) secret agent Aiden (Academy Award winner Sam Rockwell) and ally Alfred Solomon (Samuel L. Jackson), Elly must now evade capture as she becomes a character in her own story (yet again).
