Argylle: the mysterious novel linked to the film (review)
You can already read the novel written by Elly Conway, the protagonist of Matthew Vaughn’s film.
The film industry has proven multiple times the impact that derivative products and especially extended universes can have. WhileArgyle has only just been released in cinemas and Matthew Vaughn has already planned sequels and spin-offs for this new franchise, spectators can already start by reading the first volume of the novel series written by Elly Conway. An explanation is required!
A few weeks before the film’s release, a mysterious novel written by an equally mysterious author was published. Indeed, Elly Conway is supposed to be the protagonist of the film, played by Bryce Dallas Howard. She is a writer of successful spy novels in which Argylle is the fictional hero, played by Henry Cavill. But then this novel, real that you can read and hold in your hands… Who the hell wrote it?
It’s this mystery that set the internet ablaze shortly before the film’s release. Some think there is a real Elly Conway, others think it’s a marketing stunt orchestrated by Matthew Vaughn and that Elly Conway is just as fictional as Argylle… Still others have even developed a theory saying that the book was written by Taylor Swift !
Did Taylor Swift write Argylle? Matthew Vaughn reacts to the crazy rumor
But whatever its origin, this book exists and tells the origins and first mission of the character Argylle. It is a pure adventure novel, mixing espionage, heist story, buddy movie and treasure hunt. During his recruitment, young Aubrey Argylle will have to team up with other CIA agents (including Keira Carter and Woody Wyatt, respectively played in the film by Ariana DeBose And John Cena) to find the Amber Room, a lost Russian national treasure. They will have to get there before Vassily Federov, a would-be tyrant who wants to use the symbol of the Amber Room to win the elections and reform the former USSR.
Even if it is a rather classic plot, we find the dynamism of the films of Matthew Vaughn, mixing a good dose of action and humor. The novel form also allows us to become more attached to the characters who are only sketched out in the film. Having absolutely nothing to do with the feature film, the novel can be read entirely independently, before or after viewing. Moreover, if you liked the film, it is even highly recommended to read the novel.
Argylle 2: sequels and a vast franchise in the sights of Matthew Vaughn
Warning, the following paragraph contains spoilers.
Indeed, at the end of his story, Matthew Vaughn makes a rather absurd revelation in a short post-credits scene. We discover a young Aubrey Argylle, barely out of adolescence, corresponding to the character in the novel, entering an English pub soberly titled The King’s Man. Argylle has a short coded exchange with the bartender who understands the message and gives him a gun. Matthew Vaughn is he teasing us about a crossover between Kingsman And Argyle ? In any case, there is no trace of this meeting in the novel but the director makes a very brief presentation of it just after this post-credits scene, as if to encourage us to be ready to know this new extended universe in order to prepare for the sequel…
Argylle: Matthew Vaughn dynamites spy cinema (review)
