Here’s How ‘Argylle’ Connects to the Kingsman Series

The big picture

• Matthew Vaughn's latest film,
  clay
  features a post-credits scene that hints at a crossover with the Kingsman franchise.
• Vaughn is preparing to shoot a third sequel to Kingsman, which could contain connections with
  clay
  .
• Despite the box office disappointment, Vaughn's shared espionage universe plans may require him to refocus on smaller-scale projects.

While he was once a protégé of Guy Ritchie, Matthew Vaughn has become a highly successful Hollywood filmmaker whose ambitions seem to grow with each successive project. After its innovative function Layer cake introduced moviegoers to his unique sensibility, Vaughn was able to bring iconic comic book characters to life with his work in X-Men: First Class i Kick-Ass. Both films were successful, which led to Vaughn builds his own cinematic universe set in the world of espionage. After Vaughn's adaptation Marc Millarthe controversial comic book series Kingsman: The Secret Service became a surprise hit in early 2015, the film was followed by the sequel Kingsman: The Golden Circle and the prequel The king's man.

While the franchise may have started to lose what made it great in the first place, the Kingsman The films were successful enough for Vaughn to develop a completely original new spy project. Vaughn's last film clay features much of the same cheeky humor and stylized action as the Kingsman movies yes, but manages to slip in a subtle satire aimed at the world of literary fiction. It may not have garnered as positive a response as its predecessors, however clayThe post-credits scene hints at the possibility of a crossover with the Kingsman franchise

“Argylle” post-credits scene hints at a “Kingsman” crossover.

Vaughn's films are certainly not lacking in their mythology, as clay's marketing campaign hyped the twists and turns the story would take upon revealing the identity of the titular secret agent. The film centers on introverted novelist Elly Conway (Bryce Dallas Howard), who has gained international recognition thanks to his work creating the clay series of novels. After being saved by secret agent Aidan Wilde (Sam Rockwell), Elly discovers that she was once a spy, and that the clay the books are based on their experiences. clay suggests that works of literary fiction have a basis in real-world events.

claypost-credits scene features an Easter egg in Kingsman franchise The sequence opens with a much younger version of Henry CavillAgent Argylle (played by Lluís Perdiu) entering a bar called “L'home del rei”, which was highlighted in the Kingsman movies The scene ends with a teaser for Argylle: Book One: The Movie, an “in-universe” adaptation of Conway's novels. If Vaughn intends to make an adaptation Argylle: first book is unclear, but the Easter egg suggests that both franchises take place within Conway's fictional continuity.

Vaughn owns the rights to both franchises and hinted that he could do whatever he wanted with the series “for better or for worse.” Interestingly, he has hinted that there could be a third spy series in the works that is different from the two clay i Kingman. Vaughn stated that “there's a space in the middle that I haven't played yet” and that developing sequels to both clay i Kingsman “It might help me get to the middle ground.”

Do “Argylle” and “Kingsman” exist in the same universe?

Although the post-credits scene hints at a shared continuity “in the film”, another easter egg clay insinuates that the Kingsman movies can be based on the same universe. During a sequence where Aidan and Elly try to interpret their memories, a sticker with the “Statesman” logo can be seen in the background. Kingsman fans will recognize the name of Kingsman: The Golden Circlewhich introduced the American agents “Statists” Agent Whiskey (Peter Pascal), Ginger Beer (Halle Berry), Tequila (Channing Tatum), and champion (Jeff Bridges). If the “statesman” exists within the “reality” of clayit's possible the Kingsman will too.

These questions may soon be answered as Vaughn is preparing to start shooting a third Kingsman sequel soon While details about the final entry in the trilogy are scarce, Vaughn has stated that it will focus on the relationship between Eggsy (Taron Egerton) and Harry (Colin Firth) as they face a new threat. It is not clear if there will be direct connections claybut given Vaughn's track record, an Easter egg in his previous film seems almost a certainty.

what is interesting clayThe post-credits scene is set many years before the events of the film, suggesting a closer connection to Vaughn's prequel franchise. Despite disappointing box office returns, Vaughn is still making progress a sequel to The king's man which will focus on the rise of Adolf Hitler, which was teased in the first film's post-credits scene. The timelines don't line up so a younger Argylle could be in the 1940s, but Vaughn can spend more time bridging the gap between his franchises with additional projects.

Argyle's future is uncertain

As ambitious as Vaughn's plans for a shared spy universe are, clay was a major disappointment at the box office which failed to recoup its massive $200 million budget. Given that Apple distributed clay, there is always the possibility that more audiences will discover the movie on streaming. However, studios may be more hesitant to greenlight a sequel, as audience responses haven't been particularly favorable either. The inclusion of Kingsman The Easter eggs may have simply confused viewers who weren't caught. While Kingsman the movies are very violent and rated R, clay is aimed at a more general audience with a PG-13 rating.

Since his work seems to have diminishing returns, Vaughn may be a better fit return to smaller scale projects in the future. clay and the Kingsman the sequels are so determined to stitch together a connected mythology that individual stories feel insignificant; perhaps scaling back would allow Vaughn to focus on putting a standalone narrative first.

clay is available on Apple TV+ in the US

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