Henry Cavill Secretly Isn’t The Star Of His Next Major Movie Franchise (& That’s Okay)
After leaving The Witcher, many fans expected Henry Cavill to be the star of his next major movie franchise, but that doesn’t seem to be the case after the trailer for the spy adventure Argylle dropped. Cavill’s dashing titular spy is in good company, surrounded by the likes of Samuel L. Jackson, Bryce Dallas Howard, Sam Rockwell, John Cena, Dua Lipa, and Catherine O’Hara (to name a few). Michael Vaughn’s uproarious satire about the spy genre finds Agent Argylle on a dangerous mission that’s hampered by the inclusion of Bryce Dallas Howard’s bumbling author character, and hilarity ensues as the two navigate the international criminal underworld.
Thankfully, Henry Cavill’s spy movie isn’t another James Bond rip-off, and actually looks to showcase his talent for comedy and acting in an ensemble. No stranger to the genre, he already appeared in The Man from U.N.C.L.E. back at the start of his running to play 007, and while Cavill’s new movie could dismantle Bond 26 rumors, it promises to be loaded with all the trademarks of Ian Fleming’s franchise; beautiful women, fast cars, shootouts, and explosive action. Best of all, Cavill is surrounded by a wonderful cohort of capable, A-list actors who will push him to be his best.
Henry Cavill’s Character In Argylle Isn’t A Real Person
Though the trailer opens with a scene pulled straight from a James Bond film, it later reveals that Henry Cavill’s Agent Argylle isn’t a real person. He’s the hero of spy novels written by Bryce Dallas Howard’s character, the plots of which have started to become dangerously close to missions involving the real Agent Argylle, who may or may not be based on Cavill’s fictitious representation. Tall, dark, and handsome, with a penchant for entangling himself with beautiful women, driving fast cars, and getting into stylish fistfights, Cavill’s Argylle is intended to be the perfect spy archetype.
Because Argylle’s actions are controlled by an omnipotent narrator, there’s an element of satire surrounding his motivations. The film lampoons several spy tropes from movies like The Man from U.N.C.L.E., Austin Powers, and of course, the James Bond franchise, while also managing to tell its own unique story. Having the film’s main plot running parallel to the novel plot allows for lots of farcical juxtapositions as both explore the mechanics of the spy genre as a whole, and Agent Argylle becomes a larger-than-life representation of everything far-fetched about his inspirations.
Argylle’s Trailer Confirms Bryce Dallas Howard Is The Real Star
Bryce Dallas Howard is revealed to be the put-upon mastermind behind the Agent Argylle novels, who must navigate the tricky world of publishing, her neurotic mother (a fabulous Catherine O’Hara) and the Machiavellian maneuvers of Bryan Cranston’s villain as her novels threaten to reveal top-secret intelligence. Samuel L. Jackson, who was so memorable in The Kingsmen spy franchise, provides an M-like mentor for her as she becomes embroiled in a plot even more incredible than the ones she’s written about. As the Argylle trailer unfolds, it’s clear that she’s the star of the show, not Henry Cavill.
The concept of an author becoming involved in a plot as wild as their fiction has been done well in adventure movies like Romancing the Stone and The Lost City, and Argylle seems to be borrowing heavily from the female leads in those films. As Bryce Dallas Howard’s character transforms from a flustered, bookish intellectual into a full-blown spy, hilarity ensues, but she also, naturally, learns a few valuable lessons. One of the most obvious is that spies are inconspicuous operatives who look like everyday people, such as Sam Rockwell’s character, rather than ruggedly handsome male models.
Does Henry Cavill Play The REAL Agent Argylle?
The trailer ends before revealing the true identity of the real Agent Argylle, leaving it up to the viewer to decide if it’s a character they’ve seen onscreen already or someone completely new. While Henry Cavill could be both the fictional Argylle and the corporeal one, the lack of Cavill footage in the film suggests he won’t be in it that much. Other hilarious alternatives would be the author’s mother for a particularly amusing twist, Sam Rockwell’s much more rough-and-tumble operative who’s been showing her the spy ropes, or a celebrity cameo.
Whether Cavill plays the real Agent Argylle or just the fictional one, seeing him play against type in an action comedy is a welcome sight. For those who feel like he’s still destined to play James Bond, Vaughn’s campy spy romp should fill the void, even if it’s a little more on the Roger Moore side of things. Playing around in a cinematic sandbox with the sort of strong cast that Argylle provides is sure to get Cavill noticed for all the right reasons, like his gift for slapstick and ability to poke fun at himself, which might provide more of a professional windfall than Bond at this point.