You know those headlines like: “So-and-so doesn’t care what you think?” There are many of them. Go see it. Many other prominent people don’t seem to care what you think. So in this case, this edit of the headline would be: “Matthew Vaughn Doesn’t Care What You Think. But that’s not true. Matthew Vaughn Cares What You Think. I think. That’s why I appreciate him as a filmmaker and as a subject of interview, because he wears his center on his sleeve. He needs to make entertaining movies that other people will enjoy. And, by his own admission, he was “devastated” during the process. The King’s Man complaint. As we speak, the review embargo has been lifted about Argylle and, well. . . I really liked it and I think other people will eventually find this movie really funny.
Vaughn was all over the place last week, making headlines for denying that Taylor Swift wrote the e-book Argylle, an e-book that doesn’t even seem to exist. Then making more headlines by saying that Deadpool 3 will be a “shock” to the MCU, a movie Vaughn has nothing to do with (Vaughn says he regrets ever saying anything about that movie).
In Argylle, a movie with a dozen twists and turns, Bryce Dallas Howard plays Elly, who writes the Argylle spy novels. (The fictional Argylle is played through Henry Cavill. )When his books get too close to a genuine evil plot, his life changes. now she’s in real danger and a real spy (played by Sam Rockwell, having a good time) will have to make sure she stays alive while the two go on adventures around the world.
Ahead, Vaughn has a lot to say about a lot of things. How he’s been asked about Taylor Swift nonstop this week. How he even knows anything about the next Deadpool movie to begin with. And why Argylle is his first non-Kingsman movie since 2011’s X-Men: First Class. Speaking of X-Men, now that the franchise is under new ownership, would he consider doing another one of those movies? Also, he clears another thing up: In Argylle, there’s a quick Kingsman reference. Those movies were made by Fox, now Disney. Argylle is being released by Universal. So, how does that even work?
How are you?
My voice is gone. I mean, I’ve talked a lot.
Yes, you’ve been everywhere. As you can see, my voice has also disappeared. I cheered on the Chiefs on Sunday, too. Which is similar because I’ve noticed that you’ve talked a lot about Taylor Swift, who she has her roots in.
Wow, so you’re allowed to replace groups in America?
I’m from Kansas City.
But Taylor Swift is supporting the Chiefs? In England, once you pick your team it doesn’t matter what you’re doing in life, you don’t swap.
Oh, right. From what I understand, she enjoyed the Eagles, but I don’t know how much of a fan she was. But now she’s dating Travis Kelce, the Chiefs’ tight end. Haven’t you heard of that?
Oh, I have heard about it. Yes, I have heard about it. I’ve heard a lot about Taylor Swift in the last week. I was so jet-lagged. I watched an American football match, but it wasn’t that one. I watched the 49ers. Quite exciting to watch.
Yeah, they had a big comeback.
Yeah, I know. It’s pretty cool. It was fun.
I know you like 80’s movies. Do you know what movie Argylle reminded me of? At least the mind? Romance the stone.
Ah, one hundred percent! That’s why I even came up with the idea of making this film. I’m a big fan of Zemeckis and Michael Douglas and I saw my kids’ cinematic lockdown and they said, ‘Why have you never made a movie like this?I thought it was a very clever point and made the decision to do something very different and similar at the same time.
People don’t communicate enough about this movie. It’s awesome.
Once again, it is the best example of 80s cinema, where there were well-made, but entertaining films. Like Back to the Future, Romancing the Stone, Raiders, were hugely successful entertainments, but at the same time they were wonderful movies.
So in your opinion, why don’t we get a lot of movies like those anymore?
During lockdown, the world is dark and has gotten even darker. And I said to myself, maybe it’s time to make movies and make others forget. Where laughing isn’t a bad word and where escapism is good. So I don’t know what it is. Studios are going through a rough patch lately. The movie business. And they had a formula that worked for a long time and I think deep down they know that formula has to replace. But it’s quite complicated to replace the formula and it’s a very scary time to take the plunge. If the plane is flying and it turns out to be flying well, and even if you know you’re about to run out of fuel, you’ll still have to jump in and you’ll have a parachute that might or might not work. And I think other people will stay on this plane thinking, well, maybe it’ll fly a little bit more. Not knowing that there’s a mountain just around the corner that they’re going to hike directly towards, so they don’t care if they don’t jump, so they jump.
It’s surprising this is the first non-Kingsman movie you’ve done since I think, what, 2011? X-Men: First Class.
Yes, yes, definitely. It’s the first non-Kingsman film I’ve directed and I’ve been heavily involved in its production.
Oh, I know, but it’s still amazing.
What’s more remarkable about me? It’s been ten years since I could feel like that’s how I spent the last decade of my life – it went by so fast and it’s kind of miserable when you see your kids leave home. And yes, you’re right, it’s a bit surprising. And other people say to me, “Why are you still making spy movies?I say, “I love you. ” So I love the Kingsman universe. I love the current universe of Argylle. No I’m saying I possibly wouldn’t. Make spy movies, but you can only do what your center and your gut tell you.
It sounds like that’s what you’re saying. You’re only going to make spy movies.
I have two things that I’m running on spy videos. And I have two spy videos that I’m running on. Whatever we prepare first, I’ll do it.
You made headlines by talking about how the third Deadpool movie would be a “jolt” for the MCU. My question is, are you on an X-Men text thread or something? How do you get this information?
Maybe I shouldn’t have said that. It’s more of a flippant comment, it just means that I’m obviously a very smart friend of Hugh Jackman. And Hugh told me about it. And I thought, this looks amazing. And I probably shouldn’t have said that anyway, but at least I knew. All I can say is that it looked amazing and it’s probably not in my position to say it.
I have a feeling that the people at Deadpool III are glad you said that because that movie got a lot of smart press. I don’t think they’re disappointed that you say that.
You never know, but it’s not really my position to say it. And it was genuine, and I’m very excited for it.
Well, now that things are being reset with the X-Men movies, or whatever they’re going to do, because I don’t know – you obviously more than I do. I’ve said this to you before, First Class is my favorite X-Men movie. Do you ever consider coming back in some form to the X-Men universe? Because selfishly that’s what I want.
The answer to this query is that it is not my decision. One of the reasons I left the X-Men universe.
Well, I know, but he’s in a new company now, so I’m wondering.
Yes, but it’s still “the company. ” I would never say never. If they asked for it and there was a way to do something really good, why not?The thing is, I now have so many things to do that doing anything for someone else has to be anything. But who knows? Ironically. . . I wanted to make a movie about Superman, but I missed it. But it’s not Marvel, but who knows, maybe. I never say never.
Yeah. James Gunn seems to have taken that one on his own.
Yes, he beat me.
The Beatles’ definitive new song, “Now and Then,” is ubiquitous in this film. How did it happen?
I was literally talking to Giles Martin, who is the creator of the song. And I said, “Look, I find this difficult. I want to find a love song with pathos and hope. And Giles said, “Well, I’ve got something. I have a new Beatles song. At first I thought he was joking. That was a year and a half ago.
Oh, dear. Of course, like, “What are you talking about?
Yes! That’s the weirdest part. I like it, Wow. And then he put it on. I said, “Oh my God, this is amazing. I think it’s perfect. And then we put it on film and I didn’t have to replace any frames. And at that moment I thought: now is the problem. “And what do I want to do to get the new Beatles song?And Giles then took me to Sir Paul. I had to contact him and show him things and he said yes. And then we went through the whole Beatles empire, the wives, the daughters and the sons, and they all said yes in the end. And it’s a real privilege and honor to be able to paint with the Beatles.
The music is so subjective that, again, when I heard the song, I was literally hearing it through the eyes or ears of: would this be a smart match for my movie?For my film? And then I freaked out because the tone and emotion are so vital in the song that I put in standout songs because I know how other people will react to that. I knew Free Bird would support the sequence. So I thought, oh my God, this is the first time I’ve put a new song in a movie. . .
The Beatles, no less.
But I was also lucky enough to know that it would come out before the movie. Because in the control projection, everyone was like, “Wait, what’s that song?It’s like John Lennon and the Beatles. ” And we thought, oh, it’s a smart thing that they didn’t have his phone, otherwise they’d have Shazame there. But then they kept repeating, “What was that disco song at the end?We have identified but do not know. And I’d laugh and say, “Well, it’s a new disco song that we’re working on, called ‘Electric Energy,’ and it’s a new Beatles song, called ‘Now and Then. ‘”But I couldn’t say that at first.
In Argylle, there’s a reference to Kingman. No I can tell if it’s just a cheeky joke about Kingsman or if you’re looking to tie this to Kingsman. Because Kingsman was a Fox movie, and I guess it’s owned by Kingsman now. Disney? And Argylle is universal. How does it work?
Well, the news is at the end: Mark Millar owns Kingsman and Argyle.
Oh, right.
We can do whatever we need with it. And all I would say is that when you’re a super spy who only dresses up in Nero suits, there’s only one tailor who’s going to make them.
Were you satisfied with the way The King’s Man came out?It was one of the Fox videos that were now owned by Disney. I liked that movie, but it didn’t work as well as the other two videos.
It didn’t do nearly as well. Will I say I’m happy with the end result? Of course not. I was actually really sort of devastated by some of the reviews. I was like, I thought we made a bold original movie that… I was just surprised. Look, you’re a big boy, so you have to take it and just accept you can’t change a review.
To be honest, I was also surprised because, like I said, I liked it. But I found myself in the minority.
But I’m incredibly proud of the film. And I think my initial intuition about The King’s Man was that I was looking to turn it into a TV series. It had to be someone else. And they convinced me, not through Disney, but through Fox. They said, please, let’s make a movie out of it. And I thought there deserved to be a sister piece on television, like The Crown Meets Spies, and that was the plan. I think as an audience, maybe they expected too much that he would look like the other Kingsman, but it wasn’t possible. It was the birth of The Kingsman, so we had to start in a very different place. And until the end of the movie, it becomes more Kingsman and provides you with that bond.
But I’m proud of this one. I have to say it’s a film I’m proud of. And, ironically, a lot of other people came up to me and said, What the heck?With those reactions. And I think other people watch Disney and enjoy it, so I don’t know. Sometimes, when it comes to creativity, there is the maximum of subjectivity and everyone is right and everyone is wrong about the same thing. So, what one user likes, another hates. Why? I’ve noticed videos that I thought were just terrible and won an Oscar, or other videos that I thought were wonderful and tanky, so I don’t know.
Well, I would watch more movies of Bryce Dallas Howard and Sam Rockwell together.
Super. Eh well, I hope you don’t get the same effect as when you like The King’s Man in this movie, but let’s see what happens.
You can reach Mike Ryan on Twitter.