Matthew Vaughn reveals more about secret movie musical
Matthew Vaughn with his cat Chip on the set of Argylle
In a wide-ranging interview with Popcorn Podcast, filmmaker Matthew Vaughn offers a glimpse into future projects and the making of his latest espionage thriller.
The action-packed Argylle follows reclusive author Ellie Conway (Bryce Dallas Howard), who finds herself swept into the world of her adventurous plots when the events of her book series begin to mirror the movements of a real spy organisation. Argylle features a star-studded cast, including Henry Cavill, Sam Rockwell, Bryan Cranston, Catherine O’Hara, Ariana DeBose, John Cena and Dua Lipa.
Listen to Popcorn Podcast’s no-spoiler Argylle movie review
Vaughn, known for helming blockbuster hits including Stardust and the Kingsman series, may have made a name for himself with flashy fight sequences and irreverent takes on the spy genre, but he reveals his next project ticks off another – completely different – item on his filmmaking bucket list… it’s a musical.
“I’ve always wanted to try and reinvent,” Vaughn shares of the film he first hinted at during a panel at New York Comic Con in late 2023. At the time, Vaughn wouldn’t be drawn on particulars, only telling fans: “It’s taken me so long to find a musical to do because the musical – like an action movie is only as good as the action, or a comedy is only as good as the humour – is only as good as the music. Elton John’s catalogue is pretty hard to beat, so I’m trying to match it and I think we’ve nearly got there… it’s batsh*t crazy, but it’s fun.”
“I’ve always wanted to try and reinvent” - Matthew Vaughn
Vaughn now reveals further details to Popcorn Podcast, sharing the mystery undertaking will be as if “Kick-Ass enters the world of The Wizard of Oz”.
However, never one to rest on his laurels, the director also says his creative ambitions extend beyond musicals, sharing he wants to explore the sci-fi realm – a genre he has yet to tackle.
“I’ve always wanted to do an epic sci-fi. I’ve never found one. But one day, I’d love to play in the world of science fiction as well,” he says.
Despite juggling multiple franchises and creative endeavours, Vaughn acknowledges there are challenges to managing his rapidly expanding repertoire of intellectual properties (IP). With the introduction of Argylle as yet another franchise, Vaughn admits the need to establish a robust infrastructure to handle the growing demands of his Marv Studios production company.
“Suddenly, we have a lot of IP and things that should be made, and there’s only x amount of time in the day,” Vaughn says, underscoring the importance of ensuring he can deliver on these promised projects, including final Kingsman instalment The Blue Blood and The King’s Man sequel The Traitor King, as well as a Kick-Ass reboot.
No strings attached: Dua Lipa defies gravity with help from Henry Cavill in Argylle
Reflecting on Argylle, Vaughn praises the dedication of his cast in bringing not only the story, but a new dance move – dubbed the Whirlybird – to life. It’s a move the director says was inspired by disco films. “I was trying to start the movie in a way to grab everyone’s attention,” he explains to Popcorn Podcast. “I saw a similar move to it and thought: ‘That’s interesting, you’re not going to forget that!’ The writer was begging me not to do it, saying, ‘That’s just ridiculous’. But then I got excited.”
As to whether any camera trickery was required to pull off the bold aerial move where Dua Lipa is hoisted onto Henry Cavill’s shoulders and spun around, Vaughn laughs and says, “Henry Cavill is literally Superman. I said to him, ‘Don’t worry, we’re going to get you wires and we’ll pull her up’ and he’s just gone, ‘What are you talking about?’… whoop, bang, and he’s placed her!”