For the last decade, writer/director Matthew Vaughn has been building the world of Kingsman, the franchise based around a secret group of English spies (which was inspired by the James Bond franchise). Now, he's directed Argylle -- a movie which is also about spycraft and that even includes reference to the Kingsman movies. It could mean that the first franchise exist in the "real world" of the 2024 movie schedule entry. So is there a possibility we could see these characters crossover? Vaughn isn’t writing off the idea, and he says there’s a solid reason that such a thing could happen.
It’s hard not to see a lot of Kingsman in Argylle, which is an equally stylized story about super spies who are always the coolest people in any room. As Uproxx points out, the movie even includes a wink to Matthew Vaughn’s previous franchise. When asked if this was only meant to be an easter egg style reference, or a more overt statement over the two films possibly existing in the same universe, Matthew Vaughn didn’t answer directly. However, he strongly indicated that Agent Argylle and Agent Galahad might have the same tailor, saying…
Well, the good news is deep down, Mark Millar owns both Kingsman and Argyle. We can do whatever we want with it. And all I'd say is when you're a super spy who only dresses in Nero suits, there's only one tailor shop he'll go to get them made.
The exact origin of the source material for Matthew Vaughn's latest venture has actually been a subject of some interest. The movie was presented as a story based on a novel by an author who did not exist. Who actually wrote the book, or if there even was one, has been a question, with some even wondering if Taylor Swift wrote it. While Vaughn doesn’t go into detail here, it seems that Mark Millar, the creator of Kingsman, at least owns the story, whether or not he had a hand in making it. So a crossover is, at least in theory, possible.
There would still be some hurdles to overcome for such a mashup to happen, however. The Bryce Dallas Howard and Henry Cavill-fronted flick is a Universal Pictures production, whereas Kingsman has been produced by Fox, which is now owned by Disney. That doesn’t make a crossover impossible, though. If Sony and Marvel can make Spider-Man movies, then a Kingsman/Argylle movie could still happen.
At present, Argylle sequels are already being considered, though the movie's box office pefromance makes a follow-up seem less likely. But if the interest from an audience is there, it’s not so wild to think that future films could happen.
As for Matthew Vaughn's logic, it makes some sense. People in the same industry tend to get their clothes from the same place. And Kingsman, in addition to being a front for a super secret spy organization, also makes suits. Even if you didn’t know they were spies, anybody who had the money would want a Kingsman suit, right?
The speculation aside, check out Argylle in theaters now, and streaming Kingsman: The Secret Service using a Hulu subscription.
