Henry Cavill Addresses How Argylle Might Hurt His Chances to Play James Bond

Argylle is the newest movie from director Matthew Vaughn (X-Men: First Class, Kingsman: Secret Service), and it's set to hit theaters next month. The action/thriller features a star-studded cast, including Henry Cavill as the titular Argylle. Cavill is known for playing Superman in the DCEU and Geralt of Rivia in the first three seasons of Netflix's The Witcher, and now some fans want him to be the next James Bond. After Daniel Craig's 15-year stint as Bond came to an end in 2021, Cavill's name is one of many that often comes up when discussing the next Bond. However, some are saying Argylle might be a little too similar to 007.

"It's a fun character," Cavill shared with Total Film when talking about Argylle. "Whether I'm ruled out of Bond because of this or not is up to [producers] Barbara Broccoli and Mr. [Michael] Wilson." 

Matthew Vaughn Says "Bond Got Too Serious:"

Matthew Vaughn made his directorial debut in 2004 with Layer Cake, which starred Daniel Craig. Vaughn went on to make many popular films, including Kingsman: The Secret Service, Kingsman: The Golden Circle, and The King's Man. The action franchise is clearly influenced by Bond but has a sillier edge than the more recent 007 outings. In fact, Vaughn recently spoke at New York Comic Con, and revealed the first Kingsman was made because he felt "Bond got too serious." 

"[The idea for Kingsman] literally came with Mark Miller and I in a pub, and, I love you Daniel Craig, but we were just thinking 'Bond's got a bit too serious.' We just came up with it literally over a few pints of Guinness at a pub called The Windsor Castle ... We were talking about how Ian Fleming didn't want to cast Sean Connery. And the director of Dr. No was like to Fleming, 'Give me two weeks and I will transform the Scottish big bloke into an English gentleman.' So he took him to Savile Row. He converted Connery into Bond and we thought, 'Well, let's take that idea and do our version because Connery had his rough edges.' So that was the kernel of the idea."

What Is Argylle About?

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 Aidan (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).

Argylle is directed and produced by Matthew Vaughn, from a screenplay by Jason Fuchs (Wonder Woman). 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.

Argylle lands in theaters on February 2, 2024.