The greater the spy, the bigger the lie. That’s the tagline for Matthew Vaughn’s “Argylle,” a razor-witted, reality-bending, globe-encircling spy thriller. Vaughn is no stranger to espionage films, having already created the ‘Kingsman’ franchise and the irreverent superhero franchise, “Kick-Ass.”
The film stars Bryce Dallas Howard as a spy novel author who gets entangled with real-life spy Sam Rockwell on a mission that takes them abroad. Their exploits lead to a globe-trotting journey that includes a vast ensemble cast featuring Henry Cavill, John Cena, Dua Lipa, Bryan Cranston, Sofia Boutella, with Ariana DeBose and Catherine O’Hara and Samuel L. Jackson.
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Here’s the official synopsis:
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.
The top-flight ensemble cast features Henry Cavill (“The Witcher”), John Cena (“Fast X”), Oscar® winner Ariana DeBose (“West Side Story”), Grammy-winning pop superstar Dua Lipa (“Barbie”), Emmy winner and Oscar® nominee Bryan Cranston (“Breaking Bad”), Emmy winner and comedy icon Catherine O’Hara (“Schitt’s Creek”), Sofia Boutella (“Kingsman: The Secret Service”), and the legendary Samuel L. Jackson. Alfie is played by Chip, the real-life cat of supermodel Claudia Vaughn (née Schiffer).
“Argyle” is directed and produced by Matthew Vaughn from a screenplay by Jason Fuchs (“I Still See You”). The film is produced by Matthew Vaughn, Adam Bohling (Kingsman franchise), Jason Fuchs, and David Reid (Kingsman franchise). The executive producers are Adam Fishbach, Zygi Kamasa, Carlos Peres, and Claudia Vaughn.
Apple Original Films presents, in association with MARV, a Cloudy production. “Argylle” is distributed by Universal Pictures and is scheduled to land in theaters on February 2. Watch the first full trailer below.